Obama.

In the English 115 class I am currently taking, one of the topics we had discussed during class was our president, Obama. One of the fellow professors at SWCCD whose expertise is on African American studies, Professor Stanley James, recently did a presentation on Obama. I wasn't able to make the presentation, but I got the gist of it as we spoke about it during class.

Basically, society doesn't praise Obama's accomplishments, but rather focus on the negatives and what he "fails" to promise. Here are a FEW examples of the amazing things this man has done... 

1. For even centuries, politicians have been talking about health care reform. Since THEODORE ROOSEVELT. When was he president? The begin of the 1900s. Now, that's a pretty damn long time. Out of all the presidents, Obama is the first one to actually do something about it. The Affordable Care Act: restrictions on pre-existing conditions, makes healthcare more affordable for small businesses, removes lifetime caps, and more. Does this sound bad to you? I don't think so.

2. He believes in equality for everybody. He signed the Lilly Led better Pay Act to help women get equal pay as men for work, and the repeal of the men's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy. Ooh big deal, he's SUCH a humanitarian. Actually, it is a big deal. To women and those who are gay, it is. Knowing you have a leader who is accepting should be comforting.

3. Obama supports education! For those of you who have growing children, consider this a major PLUS for him. He gave more flexibility to the No Child Gets Left Behind Act--concerning the education of children in public schools--and is making college aid more available.

4. Despite inheriting one of the worst economic messes since the Great Depression, he added over 2.6 million private sector jobs to our economy, and indications are that our economy are slowly improving. To slow for you? Then you attempt this.

How about this? Obama inherited the WORST ECONOMY since the Great Depression, with unemployment on pace to reach 20% by the end of his first year. It's no Obama's fault that prior Presidents have piled all of their shit on his plate. Another huge factor, is racism. Evidently, our president is African American. People are ignorant. His skin color affects the way people view him. It's kind of like the "Looking Glass Self." This means, that people's perceptions of an individual, "form" that individual's appearance and actions.

Disagree? Agree? Everyone's opinion matters. Thanks for taking the time to read this. :)

This is dedicated to my wonderful, loving, and caring parents... I love you!



My parents steezin' in the 80's. SWAG.

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to walk this earth in the first place.

The Queen has arrived!

Thank you for blessing me with my looks; my chromosomes have combined beautifully.

Perfection!

Thank you for allowing me to live life as I want it to.

Most of the time!

Thank you for constantly gifting me with new things, day by day.

Money, food, whateva!

I hope this has amused you.. :)



War? What "war"?

When I was in Mr. Aronson's English 114 class last semester, I remember fellow guest speakers who also taught at SWCCD visiting my class to speak of Filipino-American events--since our class is Filipino focused. I think I remember Mr. Aronson--who continues to be my English 115 this semester--telling our class how the Philippines-American war was menially mentioned in our History books to the point of it seeming to be nonexistent. Then what he said was backed up as Professor Tuyay, a Filipino-American History advisor also at SWCCD, told us how this war has indeed been overlooked. 



Battle of Manila, February 1899

 

What I thought was interesting (and super exciting!), was when I was in my History class last week, my professor, Cuddy, mentioned the Philippines-American war. I was shocked! He didn't really speak a lot about this topic, nonetheless, he mentioned it! My History class is based on History of Americans from 1812 to the present: focusing on the evolution of American involvement in Canadian, Caribbean, and Latin American affairs. 

When our History class was discussing the Spanish-American war, we spoke of the consequences that the U.S. had in the process of this war. The U.S. was taking over different countries such as the Philippines, Guam, and Puerto Rico. The war was part of a series of conflicts in the Philippine struggle for independence, preceded by the Philippine Revolution and the Spanish–American War. Instead of trusting Emilio Aguinaldo--an intelligent Filipino general, politician, and independence leader--to help them, the U.S. started this war. It lasted four years: 1899-1902. Even Professor Cuddy thought that the Philippines should've had their independence.

Just thought it was interesting that it was actually acknowledged. Thanks for reading! :)

Strangers from a Different Shore

Hello fellow Bayan members! :) (Bayan, of course, meaning "community"!) As of late, my professor, Mr. Aronson, provided my English class with some reading on history of Asian Americans: Strangers from a Different Shore by Ronald Takiki. Mr. Aronson gave us two passages to read from this book, "Manongs in Movement" and "Pacific Passages". 

Below, I will provide my prezi--somewhat like a Powerpoint presentation, but far more visually engaging, elaborate, and fun--to go into more depth of both sections. To view it, you must first press the "play" button for it to load! Then, click "more" in order to make it fullscreen, then start by pressing play once again.

Here's an overview of the prezi if any of you were too lazy to look at mine, or had trouble viewing it:

Manongs in Movement

• Filipinos, after the annexation of the Philippines, either migrated to Hawaii or the mainlands
• Filipinos had American and Spanish influence due to previous colonization--American in their outlook
• Most migrants were poor and uneducated; worked on plantations or were farm laborers
• More women were imported to Hawaii or the mainlands in order to make men improve their work habits
• Push factors: 

1. Imagined themselves as being rich, successful migrants after working on the plantations
2. Farmers faced hardships from "the rich people" (white males) and even Filipino elite

• Filipinos signed labor contracts; received goods in return

Pacific Passages

• Different population: Korean, Japanese, Filipino, Chinese, Asian Indian--diversity with different religions
• Acts and agreements forced them to stay where they settled to
• Each ethnicity's origin influenced each other
• Migrants experienced multiple negative scenarios on a ship to America
• American Dream caused risks
• Women were forced to marry men of much older age--picture brides

Well there you have it, my brief summary over my prezi on Strangers from a Different Shore. I hope you enjoyed! Comment, agree, disagree, questions, anything! Thank you :)

Discoveries on writing

After doing the group peer revision with my English class, I have rediscovered how "good" of a writer I am. I have Professor Aronson to thank for this! Honestly, if I were in another English class, the essay we have been working on wouldn't have been as effective as I made it to be. I'm proud of it. I worked on my essay the prior night, not for too long, and the majority of the feedback I got was positive. It's surprising how much I have improved as a writer. I don't want to sound like I'm bragging, I've just grown so much in my writing that I'm beginning to be more confident with my skills. 

I also enjoyed peer revising! It was an opportunity to know how my Bayan members write as well. :) Although I hate writing more "wishes" than "kisses", know that it's sweet criticism! Feel free to allow me to read your papers, everyone! 

By the way, this will probably be my only post that doesn't look to harmful to read. Thanks again!