Our faith in the education is failing us, not on how well our children are learning, but that we are not solving problems that need to be solved. Here in the United States we have seen the raise and debates of some very sensitive issues: race, immigration. We watch and hear on the news from individuals, highly educated, giving their opinion and some of the possible solutions to those issues. Only to then hear from each side of these issues, disagreement, racism, insults. Days, weeks, month, years go by and again we watch and hear from educated individual working for the media, more facts, more opinion, and possible solution, but just the same results, disagreement.
Are we now living in world that education can no longer solve or come up some type of agreement on sensitive issues. Educated people are afraid to act on these issues with the fear of hurting not only their personal life, but their professional career. Immigration is a situation that need to be dealt with across the broad. Those that are here illegally, those who will cross the boarder, those using their unborn child to anchor themselves here. This is not a racial issue or a hate again Latinos as some people make it to be. Sad that people will take that route to achieve their goal. It about securing our boarders, just like you locking your house door when you leave, when you are alone, and when you go to sleep. You don’t need a education to know that locking or securing your house keep people you don’t want walking into your house. It give you some control and who can come in.
Has education blinded us in how we solve problems? Has it force us to look to deeply into these sensitive matters and make them into a bigger issue then just tackling them as they are.
Tag: writing101
Writing 101: A story in a single image
Before he heads into the jungle, he checks his gears. Carrying two of his favorite tools, he loads them with his ammunition. One with color the other with black and white. Each tool only giving him 36 shots and each need to count.
As he walk into the jungle he picks one of his tool as his primary and put the other one back in his backpack along with other equipment he carries. Water bottle, towel, more ammunition, and an extra lens. Walking at a slow pace to scan his surroundings, look at the giant concrete reinforce steel building, looking at the trees, and what lays ahead of him.
During his walk to prepare his tool in case he get a clear shot of an unknown subject, taking into consideration the light that nature give him to work with. Within the distance he see a subject approaching.
Writing 101: One-Word Inspiration
Uncertainty
If you ever met me in person, you will find out that am a hard working and reliable person. Since I left college I have found out that even if you do whatever is within your power, sometime that is not enough. For about 7 years, I’ve been looking for full-time employment, doing everything in my power to get a job. Doing everything on my own, learning and wondering what I could do differently. For sometime now, I feel that there is a uncertainty about my future.
This uncertainty that hovers over me, I wonder if my life will have any purpose. Will I ever be self independent, financially, will am be able to accomplish my other goals such as traveling the world, having a relationship, starting a family. It been difficult living with this uncertainty, just because am a adult, I should be able to make it on my own, but here I am living with my parents.
Living in uncertainty make you feel uncertain about things. Make you second guess yourself and the decision you make. I’ve become of aware this because of questions I’ve been ask during job interview about my qualifications and if I can do the task. Sometime I feel uncertainty if I should apply for this job and whether I would want to work there.
For now the only to deal with uncertainty, is hope and pray that thing change for me. That there will be someone out there, a employer who will give me a opportunity to not only show what I can do, but learn and make mistake to learn from. Hopefully I don’t make to many mistakes. From there, maybe everything else will fall into it rightful place.
Writing 101: Write a List
Things I like:
- film photography
- dancing(salsa, merengue)
- astronomy(stargazing, lunar eclipse)
- history
- A Civilize discussions about anything even those topic that no one like to talk about.
- Blogging
- dogs( I have 3)
- taking a walk(day or night)
- meeting new people
- working out
- growing a garden
- a afternoon thunderstorm with lightning
- getting my haircut( hmm probably should write a post about that)
- girls( Hey, am guy:) )
- The History channel
- Syfy channel
- Visiting historical sites
Writing 101: I write because…
I write because deep inside me there a part me that what to develop his own writing style. Not trying to be Stephen King, just trying to be someone who can communicate well with words. Words are a powerful tool and weapon that can go along way when used effectively.
I write because a long time ago I never took writing seriously when I was in school. When I was in college, I struggle when it came to writing papers. Now that I have a lot of free time I want to improve my writing and take it more seriously. I realize that it something I should have done back then, but I was young and that can blind you.
Personally I write because I want to explore other median of creativity. I already express my creativity with photography, trying to develop using art, drawing, now let see if I can find it using words. On deeper personal level, I hope that my life will start spin it wheels soon, so I can write more about it then not having anything to write about. Right now don’t have much say about my life, since am unemployed. You can read more about this in my about me page.
Writing 101: The Things We Treasure
What are some of my most prized possession? I would say that I have two things that are most important to me. One of those thing is a collection of several different things. When I was about 8 years old, give or take a year or two, I started collecting basketball cards. At that time I was also learning how to play basketball. I don’t know if kids today collect basketball cards, but I remember always go to the small neighborhood stores and buying a pack of basketball cards. On the weekends, my mom would take me to the flea market where the had booths of vendors selling basketball, football, baseball cards, plus other sport memorabilia. A lot of card that I collected, I place them in protective card covers and put them in blinders awhile all the extras I place in boxes that are design to hold sports cards. With time I’ve loss several of those blinder because of a family member, but still have a lot of the extra cards that I put in those boxes. Now I keep those extra, along with some special items close to me, where I can see if they been disturbed.
My other prize possession is my Nikon FM10 camera that I brought awhile in high school. I saved all my money that I made during the summer. This camera is a film camera and it was my first real camera. It is the camera that I learned about photography, used during my college days to take pictures, and still use it today. When I was in college they offer a photo journalism class that required you to have a manual film camera. It was a class the enjoyed and learned how to use my camera. Throughout my college days, I used this camera to take pictures of events that I attended. I’ve had that camera for about 19 years and only had to have it repaired once. I hope one day that I can pass this camera along to one of my future children. I just hope that film photography is still alive for another 20 or 30 years.
Day Twenty: The Things We Treasure
Today’s Prompt: Tell us the story of your most-prized possession.
It’s the final day of the challenge already?! Let’s make sure we end it with a bang — or, in our case, with some furious collective tapping on our keyboards. For this final assignment, lead us through the history of an object that bears a special meaning to you.
A family heirloom, a flea market find, a childhood memento — all are fair game. What matters is that, through your writing, you breathe life into that object, moving your readers enough to understand its value.
Today’s twist: We extolled the virtues of brevity back on day five, but now, let’s jump to the other side of the spectrum and turn to longform writing. Let’s celebrate the drawn-out, slowly cooked, wide-shot narrative.
Writing 101: Don’t Stop the Rockin’
Well can’t believe Writing 101 is coming to a close. I can say that writing 101 has been a challenge for me. Writing has never been one of my strong suit and I know it something I really need to improve in. It been great reading other blogger’s post and meeting them. Hopefully I’ll see some of you in other blogging events or our post will cross each other path one day.
At the moment my mind is going in all direction, so I really don’t have one thing to focus on. Lately been paying attention to what going go in Baltimore with all the riots and lootings. I won’t comment to much about the issues, but I believe that if there ever going to be change, it has to happen on both sides. The police/government and the people, that includes African American, Hispanics, White, Asian, Indian, etc. One side shouldn’t have to pull all the load and make changes awhile the side just sit there and does nothing. They have to meet each other mid-way and it shouldn’t stop there. The black community and the people need to start taking steps to change their community and their own personal life. In this world they are not the only ones that have it tough and are at a disadvantage. Take a look at people in other countries who have it much worst. They don’t have the thing that we have here in the United State, but they do what in their power to make a better life for themselves and their children. I’ll stop there about this issue,but willing to talk about it some more in a calm and civilize conversation.
Since my attention has been focus on this blog and writing 101, I need to start putting some more attention on my photo blog and other hobbies I started. I really trying to finish reading my first book, “The Book Thief” and keeping practicing on my drawing skills. I’ve written a post or two about them hobbies.
Day Nineteen: Don’t Stop the Rockin’
Today is a free writing day. Write at least four-hundred words, and once you start typing, don’t stop. No self-editing, no trash-talking, and no second guessing: just go. Bonus points if you tackle an idea you’ve been playing with but think is too silly to post about.
I want you to let it all hang out. So does writer Anne Lamott. At the risk of turning Writing 101 into an Anne Lamott fan club, no one motivates me the way she does. Every time you sit down to write and think your idea is too stupid, too uninteresting, too random, or too unoriginal to be committed to the page, let Anne give you a gentle but firm nudge:
The rational mind doesn’t nourish you. You assume that it gives you the truth, because the rational mind is the golden calf that this culture worships, but this is not true. Rationality squeezes out much that is rich and juicy and fascinating.
Don’t look at your feet to see if you are doing it right. Just dance.
Perfectionism is the voice of the oppressor, the enemy of the people.
I don’t think you have time to waste not writing because you are afraid you won’t be good at it.
You’ll never feel so good about writing down every half-baked non-sequitur that comes out of the recesses of your lizard brain. And if you’re tempted to reply, “That’s easy for her to say, she’s a famous writer!” I give you:
I know some very great writers, writers you love who write beautifully and have made a great deal of money, and not one of them sits down routinely feeling wildly enthusiastic and confident. Not one of them writes elegant first drafts. All right, one of them does, but we do not like her very much.
Four-hundred words. One at a time. Go.
Writing 101: Hone Your Point of View
Here I am, sitting down drinking a bottle of soda and eating some chips. Looking toward the street where a wooden basketball court sits across the street from my house. This basketball court, made using a old tire filled with and at the center a bucket with a wooden post. Both the tire and bucket filled with cement. Then the backboard made from a plywood and a basketball rim screwed on from the back. Of course couldn’t forget the white line box painted on the plywood.
I see one of my neighbors come out of his house, grabs the basketball from his front yard. He walk out to the street and toss the ball with a spin up in the air and lets it hit the asphalt. With his right hand he start dribbing the ball as he walk toward the basketball court. Within a few feet from the basketball court he shoot the ball, jumping up in the air, using his hand and flipping his wrist to release the ball and his hand following through and his indexing finger pointing towards the basket. I follow the ball with my both my eyes as it goes through the basket with a swish sound.
As my neighbor shoots a few more baskets, other kids from the neighborhood begin to come out of their house as if the sound of the basketball hitting the asphalt called to them. All of sudden instead of there being one person shooting some hoops there now a total of 6 people. Each positioning themselves around the basketball court ready to catch the ball if someone miss the basket. When someone made a basket, I would hear, “Where my change”. Referencing that they get to shoot again since they made the basket. Then I hear, “Let play a game! three on three”. So a game begin, I watch and listen to what the kids are saying as they play. I hear “Foul!” then “I didn’t hear no whistle!” and “That was no foul, I got all ball”. Of course the kids kept on playing. After a few minutes, I hear, “Game!” and swish. The game was over and every begin to wake toward my yard to get a sip of water from the water holes.
Everyone return to the street and then I hear, “Let play another game, but different teams”. I sit there watching them decided who going to be on who team, then they yell over to me, “Little Mike, what to play? We need another player.” I get up from sitting down and walk toward the street where everyone else is at. In a few minute the game begin and we play until we are all tired or parents begin to call in their kids because it a school night.
Day Eighteen: Hone Your Point of View
The neighbourhood has seen better days, but Mrs. Pauley has lived there since before anyone can remember. She raised a family of six boys, who’ve all grown up and moved away. Since Mr. Pauley died three months ago, she’d had no income. She’s fallen behind in the rent. The landlord, accompanied by the police, have come to evict Mrs. Pauley from the house she’s lived in for forty years.
Today’s prompt: write this story in first person, told by the twelve-year-old sitting on the stoop across the street.
First person, second person, third person, whew! Point of view is a type of narrative mode, which is the method by which a story’s plot is conveyed to the audience. Point of view reveals not only who is telling the story, but also how it is told. Consider a recent short story published on The Worship Collective, “Funny Things,” in which the narrator is a child who has passed away.
Writing 101: Your Personality on the Page
Anxieties, worries, and fear, oh my!! I will admit, there are several thing that scare me, I fear of, and have anxieties. I think right now “LIFE” is my biggest fear, anxiety, and what scare me. It not what ahead that scares me, it being afraid will my life have any direction and fiber in it. At this point in my life, my struggle is finding full-time employment. At the moment I feel that my life is at a pause because I can’t find full-time employment.
Am doing everything in my power to find a job, but at a certain point you have no control over it.
The fact is, am not getting any younger and awhile am still young, there are things I would like to be doing at this point. I fear that without employment, will I ever be fully independent. Independent as in owning a home, having a car which I’ve never had, being able to travel, being able to support a family in the future. I know I shouldn’t compare my life to other people, but when seeing friends posting things about their travels, starting a family, advancing their career, I feel that am way behind the game. In my head am thinking, will the wheels in my life ever start moving. I guess that why I am slowly defriended people on Facebook, to stop compare my life to other.
As for if my life will have any fiber in it, will I ever find a soul mate or will I live a life being solo. Being single has it advantages, but I really don’t want to be single all my life. Not only do I fear of being alone, but will I ever have a family and be able to support one. I always wonder what type of husband and father I would be if I every started my own family.
Day Seventeen: Your Personality on the Page
Today’s Prompt: We all have anxieties, worries, and fears. What are you scared of? Address one of your worst fears.
Today’s Twist: Write this post in a style distinct from your own.
Writing 101: Third Time’s the Charm
Coughing, sneezing, and sneezing and coughing. Days have past and I’ve been sifting through cardboard boxes that have gather dust and deteriorated with the passing of time. These boxes were resting in a darkroom ignored for years until now. The past few days have been the slowest days I’ve ever experience. Sifting through boxes, after boxes, none of them having any content of value or importance. Just old papers of bills and receipts, a few boxes fill with old newspaper clips, but nothing to spark an interest to get me excited. As time slowing ticks by and thirty minutes until lunch break, I open another boxes that appears the same like all the others. The content of this box filled with old folded clothes, but I as slowing remove the clothes from the box, I come upon another box inside. This box is the size of a shoe boxes with the label on the side of the box, indicting the shoe size and the price. The ink has faded just like the other items that contain written content, but not to difficult to make out. Size 7.5, mens. I remove the shoe box cover, thinking I would fine shoes that once belong to someone. I glance inside and see a old camera along with some rolls of film. This shoe box now has my undivided attention and my curiosity spikes. Just like a two year old discovering something new that they never seen before. The extra rolls of film seem to be exposed, but awhile inspecting the camera, there is still a role loaded into the camera. The actual owner never got to finish the roll of film inside the camera. I could only images what the photographer was photography. My mine begin to wonder what could be expose on these extra rolls of film. Could it be a family vacation, a special event like a wedding or maybe something important. It will be mystery until the rolls of film are developed that will relieve their secrets.
Day Sixteen: Third Time’s the Charm
Today’s Prompt: Imagine you had a job in which you had to sift through forgotten or lost belongings. Describe a day in which you come upon something peculiar, or tell a story about something interesting you find in a pile.
Staying the Course 
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