Are you affected by the infected?

Acquired immune deficiency syndrome also known as AIDS has infected over 38.6 million people worldwide. As a person living in today's society does that affect you? Unless you are someone who is infected or know someone who is infected the disease doesn't really pertain to you, right? Wrong, the disease is spreading so be aware of your surroundings and stay up to date on any new vaccines available. Do you have any idea how many lives have been taken because of AIDS? Since January of 2006 25 million people have been killed by the virus and there is no cure. In reality how many times a day do you really think about people suffering with AIDS? The poem we read by Dixon shows how unfortunate it is to know someone who suffered from the virus. What more could Ida do besides make that quilt to show her condolences. Is there anything any of us could do? What would you do in today's society to make people aware of how deadly the AIDS virus really is?

Inequality in Schools?

Most of this class probably attended a formal high school before coming to college. I know that both of the high schools that I attended had an excess of programs, sports, and activities to keep kids interested in school. The graduation rate at both schools was well about 90%, and most seniors had plans for college. Unfortunately, this is not true for all schools. According to the article, schools with higher populations of black and Mexican students have a significantly lower graduation rate. Whats more, they also lack funding for after school programs, and their teachers are paid much less than schools with a higher percentage of white students. Is this a coincidence? Kozol does not believe so, but there are many factors that add to whether or not a school gets funding and whether or not students graduate. What are these factors? Why are they important?

Different uses for blogs

Blogs can be used for a variety of purposes, and can engage a variety of readers and participants. Some blogs are kinds of personal journals, where the author posts his or her thoughts on current issues or events - be they personal, social, political, or otherwise - and blog readers add their own thoughts or sympathies. Blogs may also be used to reflect on or discuss current business trends, or developments within a particular field. Still other blogs allow people with similar social or political concerns to connect and exchange ideas. Some blogs might fit within more than one of these basic categories, such as this principal's blog site reflecting on issues relating to education. If you're looking for a blog on a particular topic, you can use Google's blog search, or another blog search tool called Technorati.
The blog is a very flexible tool for people with similar concerns to connect and exchange information and ideas. As with all tools, though, knowledge of how to use it effectively is essential to its usefulness as a tool. And, as with all writing, observation of certain rules is necessary for communication to happen.

Religion

We were all exposed to Lamott's feelings about religion, but is there a valid point in what she tries to establish? What she tries to imply is that religion is more helpful on a personal basis as private expression, and i for one agree that everyone should be proud of what they believe in, but should not try to convert every person they talk to. Does religion have a deeper meaning or is it a way for a person to escape their daily problems? I once talked to a lady who said her faith in God was what helped her get through the day, and it has me wondering if religion is just a belief, or a way of life.

Risky Blogging

We've all heard story after story about people getting in trouble for things they have put online. People have gotten in trouble in schools, jobs, sports, activities, etc. A lot of things people put online are just putting up them up there without thinking that any harm will come to them. I can understand why bosses and schools punish people for pictures they put on websites like facebook and MySpace, but should people really get in trouble for posting things up, because its just someone typing their thoughts and ideas? Do you think that people should be allowed to type whatever they want to type online? In today's society, a lot of things are done over the computer. Should a person be based on their character, or what they once posted on the internet?

Gender Roles

What are all of your opinions on women being a stay at home wife? Is it good for the family? Do the children benefit? I have personal experience with having a mother be a stay at home mom. I enjoyed having a home cooked meal almost every night. It was also nice having my mother around and not always at work.

Do you think that women are above staying home, taking care of children, and doing housework? Or do you beleive it is an honorable position that should be considered more often?

And I guess we can consider the other side of it, should men sometimes stay at home and take care of the house and children? Could they do as a good of a job? Or is it strictly a woman's job because of their hardwiring to nurture?

The Family Myth

Where do you think the "family myth" in American culture comes from? What are some possible sources for the idealized picture we painted together in class (mom and dad, two kids, dog, two-car garage, picket fence, baseball and a home-cooked meal)? In what current situations, contexts, or debates is this ideal picture evoked - for good or for ill?

Writing for self-expression

Does anyone else here write for self-expression? Sometimes I find writing to be an important and helpful way for me to externalize my thoughts, and make sense of problems or situations that I'm struggling with or that are confusing in some way. Somehow the act of writing and seeing my thoughts on a page (or a screen, as the case may be) helps me organize my thoughts and digest things a little bit. Both of the readings we discussed in class are just that: people writing to make sense of a significant and perhaps confusing situation in their lives. I'm interested to find out if anyone else has tried something similar - be it in a journal or in the margins of school notebooks. It could be as short as a poem (like the one by Morales) or as long as a short story (like the one by Jack). It could even be just rambling on about whatever comes to mind. What works for you?