Colin Kaepernick Nike Advertisement (Journal 1)
My view on the Nike ad is that it was a great ad with an amazing message, to follow your dreams even when nobody else believes in you. My opinion about Nike using Kaepernick as the face of their 30th anniversary ad campaign, is that it is a good idea for sales and good for Kaepernick and his supporters. I do believe that Colin Kaepernick indeed sacrificed something, playing football which is something he loves and got paid for. Ben Ferguson, a conservative talk radio host, tweeted images of members of the military on Kaepernick’s face. opinion differs from mine based on the fact that he believes Kaepernick didn’t sacrifice anything compared to someone in the military losing their life. Which in fact I agree with ESPN’s host, Nick Wright who plays on ‘First Things First’, that you can’t compare someone losing their career over someone who has died in the military because it’s a high standard and unfair. I do understand Ferguson’s viewpoint because he believes that as Americans we should respect and honor our country.
Part of Resistance (Journal 2)
There are multiple things that President Trump has done that I and many other Americans disagree with. For example, he made a travel ban to keep immigrants out of the country and he banned transgenders from fighting in the military. The anonymous author of the article disagrees with many of the multiple things Trump has done and so has his coworkers. In fact in the beginning of the article it says, “senior officials in his own administration are working diligently from within to frustrate parts of his agenda and his worst inclinations.” I would have to contradict and agree with that statement for various reasons. For one, if they are trying to ruin his schedule or inclinations then they are making the things he does tougher on Americans and could potentially damage this country, but also it could help America see that he isn’t fit to be president. Another quote that I would have to agree and disagree with is, “the bigger concern is not what Mr. Trump has done to the presidency but rather what we as a nation have allowed him to do to us.” I agree with the quote because majority of the country did vote Trump in as president and as a nation we allowed him to do multiple terrible things, in addition, I disagree with the quote because maybe Americans can petition to get him impeached or have less power because we as the people can change some of the things he’s allowed to do.
Experiencing Racism (Journal 4)
Throughout my eighteen years of life, I have yet to experience racism. I’ve witnessed racial discrimination all over the news, from Trayvon Martin, an African American male, being shot and killed by George Zimmerman, a white Hispanic male, to white police officers killing unarmed black males, as a result of “Black Lives Matter.” Trayvon Martin was walking home from a local convenience store, with his hoodie on, when all of sudden he was attacked by George Zimmerman. Eventually the two was wrestling on the ground, Martin screaming for his life, as heard in multiple audio tapes, shots rang out silencing Martin. Similar to police brutality, multiple white officers brutally abusing and killing many unarmed black males. In both situations, the attacker gets away easily, with their charges dropped, and free to live their lives without a worry. In all honesty, I am scared everyday, when I walk out of my house or when I’m driving down the street, I constantly hope, that if I do get pulled over, the cops won’t be so quick to judge or racially profile me. I’m extremely terrified for my brother, uncles, and future children because black males are targets. I believe that racism is a never ending situation that needs to change, but unfortunately it has to get worse before things can get better.
The Voters Both Parties Are Ignoring (Journal 5)
http://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/26/podcasts/the-daily/latino-vote-midterm-elections.html.
Republican and Democratic parties are ignoring the Hispanic community when it comes to voting. Thirty million Latinos are eligible to vote, but have not been contacted by any campaign parties, making Hispanics not want to vote. The podcast was very informative on how the Democratic and Republican parties do not give attention to Latino communities. Although I do not follow presidential elections often, I have noticed that the two campaign parties don’t give a lot of attention to the Hispanic community. The most troubling fact about the podcast is that in the 2016 election, 14.3 million Hispanic voters did not cast a ballot. That fact is most troubling because if those 14.3 million Hispanics would have voted, there would have been a different outcome to the 2016 election and all of the other elections previously. One statement that I found interesting is that Jose Alvarez, one Hispanic voter that was interviewed, is Republican and voted for President Trump. I found this interesting because Jose said that Trump created a lot of jobs for him all around the country, but what’s also interesting is that Jose voted for Trump even after he said all of those negative things about the Hispanic community. For example, in the beginning of the podcast the host, Michael Barbaro, played an ad of President Trump bashing Hispanics about how they are rapists and drug dealer. How could anyone vote for someone saying harsh words to their cultural? Despite the fact that, people have different positions on which candidate to vote for, the most important issue is, thirty million Latinos are eligible to vote, but majority of them aren’t voting because the Democratic and Republican parties aren’t speaking about the issues the Hispanic community want to hear.
A Shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue (Journal 6)
A massacre at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, was the worst attack on the Jewish community in the U.S. Robert Bowers, the alleged attacker, used a site called Gab, to express his hatred about the Jewish community. The podcast was very informing about how people use different social media platforms to share their opinions. I have recognized that people do use other social media platforms to get their message across, but I haven’t heard of the use of Gab. Gab is an add free social media platform that operates in a way similar to Twitter and Facebook. It was started by a conservative programmer in Silicon Valley, who was upset with what he saw as excessive political correctness. What’s most troubling and interesting is that, Gab, a social media source where anybody can post how they feel about different races or religion. It is troubling because it’s frightening that there is a lot of intense dislike throughout America and that hatred can cause a lot of complications, for example the synagogue shooting. It is also most interesting because everybody in the U.S has the right to the first amendment, freedom of speech, but how much freedom is bad for the U.S.? Although the government can’t change the first amendment, we, the people of America, can change the way we say or do things to make a difference in the world.
Why Trump Is Firing Sessions Now (Journal 7)
President Donald Trump recently fired attorney general, Jeff Sessions, because he recused himself from the Russian investigation. Jeff Sessions was an attorney general that shared the same interest on cracking down immigration as President Trump. In May of 2016, Sessions is named Trump’s top foreign policy advisor and comes into contact with Russian ambassador, Sergey Kislyak. Trump’s presidential campaign was under investigation for it’s links to Russia, and Sessions recuses himself from the Russian Investigation after, The Washington Post, had reported that he met with Kislyak. Even while Trump is attacking Sessions on Twitter and in many interviews, Sessions continues to implement Trump’s agenda. The November 2018 midterm election is where Trump fires Sessions because he thinks he can change cabinet members after midterm elections. Some might ask why Trump would feel the need to fire Sessions after he has been his most loyal cabinet member? Firing Sessions immediately restores, essentially a presidential line of authority; getting a new attorney general and confirming that attorney general would have oversight of the Russian investigation because they won’t recuse themselves. With the passing of the midterm election because there are a plethora of Democrats being elected, President Trump issues a threat of retaliation, if Democrats use their new majority to begin investigating in his administration. What does President Trump have to hide that he won’t allow the Democratic party to investigate his administration? By Trump’s behavior and reaction anybody can start to question that Trump does have secrets about the 2016 election that he doesn’t want anyone else to know about.
Diplomacy and Deception From North Korea (Journal 8)
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/13/podcasts/the-daily/north-korea-missile-bases-nuclear-weapons.html
North Korea’s dictator, Kim Jong Un, and President Trump made an “agreement” to dismantle North Korea’s missile sites. Although both parties came to an agreement, both politicians left with two different understandings of the documented agreement. While I understand why the two politicians didn’t go into depth of the agreement, which would cause major disagreements, I feel as though both parties should have still tried to make a conscious compromise to have a greater understanding of the document. I agree with David Sanger, a national security correspondent for The Times, because North Korea and the Trump Administration are deceiving Americans by not telling the whole truth about what’s going on with both facilities. I also acknowledge that the American people are also deceiving themselves because we are turning a blind eye to what is really going on with both administrations. The fact that America has five billion dollars worth in satellites that only pass over North Korea periodically is most troubling. The reason that is most troubling is because you can only see what is going on so many times in a day, and like David Sanger said, if a missile were to be launched, targeting the United States, there is a chance that America would most likely not see it in time. Even though the agreement is already settled and neither parties are most likely not up for meeting again, I believe that a certified, guaranteed agreement should be established between the two parties because eventually one politician is going to do something the other doesn’t like and there will be a war between the two.
Memoir Reflection (Journal 9)
As I look back and read my memoir I realize that it wasn’t one of my best works. I can honestly say that I most likely didn’t take my time writing the paper, most likely in front of the tv, while playing with my phone. I realize that my memoir could have been a lot more powerful if I didn’t procrastinate. There are multiple changes that I can do to my paper now, that I have re-read it. For example, I could add way more descriptive words than what I have now. My expressions were descriptive, but I know that if I would have added more, it would have gave a better picture to the reader, and it would have increased the quality of my paragraphs. Another way that I could improve my memoir is by going back and recognizing all of the comma errors that I had made. While I re-read my paper, it felt like I didn’t have any passion writing it, it felt as though I wrote it because I had to. Now I recognize that my memoir could be way better if I would have literally took the time to do what I was supposed to do without having to rush. If I had the chance to rewrite the memoir, I would start from the beginning, by using my comma errors notes, researching descriptive words to use, and literally take my time to write the paper.
How El Chapo Ended Up in a Brooklyn Courtroom (Make Up Journal 1)
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/19/podcasts/the-daily/el-chapo-trial.html
Famous drug lord, El Chapo, was finally caught by U.S. federal agents and taken to a U.S. federal prison. Although the trial just started, there was a lot of information given from a key witness, one of Chapo’s close allies, who gave a lot of details about the Sinaloa drug cartel. I think the podcast was very informing about El Chapo’s life, and how he became such a big drug lord. I do feel as though the podcast was somewhat informal, with words like, “I don’t know,” could have been, “I’m not exactly sure.” I do agree with Alan Feuer, that the Sinaloa Cartel will not stop producing drugs just because El Chapo is in jail. It is obvious that the Cartel will continue to produce narcotics because when Chapo was in jail in Mexico, the business continued to prosper and produce narcotics. What is most disturbing about Chapo’s story is how the Mexican government is paid off by the Sinaloa Cartel, making it difficult for the honest people of the Mexican government, who want to keep Chapo in jail. I believe that the U.S. government will give Chapo an excruciating trial, making it difficult for him and his defense lawyers. With Chapo in the hands of the American government, it will be difficult for him to escape, making the people of Mexico and America feel safe.
Best and Worst (Journal 10)
One thing that I did enjoy about your class is the conferences and peer reviews. I really enjoyed the conferences because it was that one on one time where we could discuss my paper and you would give informing feedback. I did enjoy how you included the documentary, 13th, and I did enjoy learning about ethos, pathos, and logos. I really appreciated how you didn’t get frustrated with the class, when we didn’t know exactly where to put our commas. One dislike I had was doing reading quizzes every class, except for conferences or peer reviews. The reason I didn’t enjoy the reading quizzes was because sometimes having to read two long chapters wasn’t the most enjoyable. Although the semester was quite short, I still enjoyed your class and my peers, and you should keep being that amazing teacher that you are.
Short Stuff: Dolphin Detectors (Make Up Journal 2)
http://www.stuffyoushouldknow.com/podcasts/short-stuff-dolphin-detectors.htm.
The U.S Navy uses dolphins to find unexplosive, underwater ocean mines. Dolphins use sonar to locate the mines by using their nasal passage to make a clicking sound that’ll get sent to their forehead and shoot back to the water. I thought that the podcast gave informing information about dolphins and how they use echolocation. I liked the way that Josh, the interviewer, compared how humans use our eyes to see things to how dolphins use sonar to locate and see things as well. I don’t agree or disagree with the U.S. Navy using dolphins to find the mines, although other animal activist says otherwise. I also enjoyed how Chuck, the interviewee, compared how humans are made for air travel, but don’t enjoy it as much, and the question is what would make others think that dolphins would take a joy in air travel, if humans can’t even withstand it. Overall, I found out some new information that I have never heard of before, but it was quite interesting. I believe that the U.S. Navy will stop using dolphins to find mines in the future because of the dolphins safety, but until then they will continue to us the dolphins for their own safety.
Works Cited
Journal 5: Barbaro, Micheal. “The Voters Both Parties Are Ignoring.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 26 Oct. 2018, www.nytimes.com/2018/10/26/podcasts/the-daily/latino-vote-midterm-elections.html.
Journal 6: Barbaro, Micheal. “A Shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 29 Oct. 2018, www.nytimes.com/2018/10/29/podcasts/the-daily/pittsburgh-synagogue-shooting-robert-bowers-gab.html.
Journal 8: Barbaro, Micheal. “Why Trump Is Firing Sessions Now.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 8 Nov. 2018, www.nytimes.com/2018/11/08/podcasts/the-daily/jeff-sessions-resigns-trump-whitaker-mueller.html.
Make up Jornal 1: Barbaro, Michael. “How El Chapo Ended Up in a Brooklyn Courtroom.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 19 Nov. 2018, www.nytimes.com/2018/11/19/podcasts/the-daily/el-chapo-trial.html?action=click&module=audio-series-bar®ion=header&pgtype=Article.
Make up Journal 2: Clark, Josh. “Short Stuff: Dolphin Detectors.” Stuff You Should Know, Stuff Media, 5 Dec. 2018, www.stuffyoushouldknow.com/podcasts/short-stuff-dolphin-detectors.htm.