NAMES

Names are quite significant concerning the meaning behind them. In my case my name is Amena which means in my culture "honest woman". My sister Hanan means "passion" and Sabrine, the youngest means "patience". All three of us have unique names due to my fathers culture and his background. Around here though names like John, Joe, Mike, Christina, Kristin are all very common. Most of them are biblical. For example Kristin or Christina represents a follower of "christ". The thing is though is that those names aren't as common as we think. According to http://www.helium.com, Muhammad is the most common name in the world! A lot of people don't know that. I guess after everyone seen "Superbad" and we all heard "Mc'Lovin" say it now we know. No but seriously, names are greatly based on cultural signifigance. People like myself like unique names with some sort of symbolism. I am named after my grandmother. Its important to transfer down the same name in many cultures. In a way its almost like an honor and respect to take a family members name. As a child I always hated my named just because it was different. Now I embrace it rather that despise it.

Abortion YES or NO

Should woman have the right to choose? Most defenitaly yes (..yes i said it joseph ;). My beliefs are based on the fact that I am a woman and circumstances play a role when deciding whether or not to abort a baby. For instance, a woman is raped. She is now both mentally and physically damaged. Now she is pregnant. What does she do? first of all to bring a human being into this world that was produced through such evil intentions is beyond me. What about the child? Having to explain to them who their father is would be impossible. What about the welfare of the mother physcologically. She is forever damaged. Thats when I think it is appropriate for abortion to take place. I understand though that some people are pro-life rather than pro-choice. It could be due to religious beliefs or personal perceptions. I think its only right though for a woman to choose what to do. Its her body, her life. Do i think the whole process is justified? No. I've seen videos of the procedure being done and yes it makes me feel uncomfortable. But the main point is that its going to happen reguardless. Woman were doing it 50 years ago and they are going to do it now

Smoking

Ciggerettes are the most unhealthy habit us Americans have. I have been smoking for about 2 1/2 years and i am more ready to quit than ever. The toxants that are used in producing ciggerettes are beyond ones imagination. According to http://www.truth.com/ ciggerettes contain Acetone. Acetone is the same chemical used in nail polish remover. That means that everytime you inhale just imagine "nail polish remover" is being brought into your lungs. Whats scary is that ciggerettes are severly addicting. My mother started smoking when she was 15 and now shes 52. Shes one of the lucky ones. I know a number of people that have died due to smoking. Whether is be lung cancer or emphasima, its heart breaking to know that one day i might loose somebody close to me. I feel hiporictical in a way because I myself smoke reguardless of my knowledge. The thing is though is that so does the rest of America. The government provides surgeon warnings on every pack yet people still continue to buy them. I wonder would that be the same in a different situation. What if we went to the grocery store to by milk and on the container it said " may cause lung cancer", would we still buy it and take the chance. I think so.

why billy dropped out?

" I dropped out of school at 16. I didn't have a family that provided for me therefore I had to work to get the things I wanted". I was working and I was thinking of a topic to write for this blog and so he explained to me that he wouldn't know anything about humanites because of the fact that he dropped out. I thought that this would be a good topic to discuss. Kids drop out of highschool for an abundence of reasons. It can either be due to finacial reasons as well as a lack of family support. Teens like billy probably sought no other option but to provide for themselves. Another reason may be to take care of their family. A loved one may be sick and the child may feel enabled. Pressure will often keep a student out of class. The fear of failure causes kids to give up and not want to pursue a future in school. What's sad is that these children never make it to collage and end up providing for their own families with a minimum wage job. Espeacially since we are in a ressecion, people can't afford to not go to school and earn a decent education. They need the guidence of those aware and understanding of the issue in order for them to maintain faith in themselves, faith that they will succeed.

Gang Violence

According to www.google/statistics.com 24,500 gangs were active in the United States in 2005. 94% of gang members are male and 6% are female. Gangs have been a vital issue in society yet are subconciously ignored. Why do kids join gangs? A number of reasons play a role in provoking teens to participate in such extreme behavior. Gangs are veiwed almost "family" like. Sometimes when kids lack a healthy relationship at home they look to fill a void. The gang, acts as a security and fufills that emptiness. Low self-esteem is also an attribute. Not feeling accepted in your immdeiate community and failing to "fit-in" are usually essential factors. Another reason may be the pressure of social class. Kids usually identify socailly with money and if you happen to have less than your fellow peers, that effects the confidence developed in that child. Gangs are a "crutch" for teens to lean on when they see no solution reguarding their problems. I feel as if gang activity is sort of "swept under the rug" in society and we fail to acknowledge the effects as well as its consequences. Lives are taken day in and day out. Pressure and fear are instilled into these kids. Its up to the adults to act and stop pretending that gangs are not a serious issue. It needs to be addressed more agressively.

Frida

"Frida" was an empowering film reguarding woman. To me it embraced the strength and capabilites a female obtains. Frida, is an inspirational individual that expresses her emotions through painting. She creates these amazing pieces of work as a result of her own experiences. From heartache to physical trama, she stayed strong through it all, living as if everyday was her last. Her painting reflected pain yet as the same time provoked a sweetness. Being a woman I admire her perserverence and cherish her work because it gives off a sense of strength. She gives me faith that no matter the obstacle, overcoming it is not the impossible. Espeacially during the time period of her work, she symbolized hope for oppressed woman. I enjoyed this film. It concentrated on the importance of woman and their capibilites. Woman fight with the fact that today in society they are portrayed as inferior. We make 70 cents to every dollar a man does. Men are "dominent" and control. Only men can with stand a serious amount of physical pain. What Frida did was prove these obnoxious stero types to be false. She was in control and answered to no one but herself. Her husband was the one who came running back to her. She is role model in her actions alone.

Effects of Divorce on Children

Divorce can be a huge transition for most children. Its a dramatic change that forever changes an individual. Children become emotionally strained and burdened due to their parents actions. We are all born loving both our mother and father unconditionally, but what happens when a seperation takes place and its up to the child, who they want to live with or who do they "love" more. Pressure, like that, is thrown on children due to there parents inability to acknowledge the fact that a "child" should not be faced to make that choice. The divorce rate in America as of 2008 is higher than ever before, with the population rate greatly increasing. In my opinion I don't think marriage is a good idea. It gets to messy and a lot of people say that it destroys a relationship. I look forward to having children one day but realize that I have to be ready and know what I am getting in to. Children exposed to divorce are tramitized whether it be loss of contact between one parent or finacial conflict concerning child support and what not. A child is no longer a child experiencing such a drastic change. It results in stripping them of their innocence and forcing them to grow up to fast. There not able to appreciate the good times they had with "mommy" and "daddy". Maybe Americans need to re-think before they exchange vowes and say the words "I do"