urn:uuid:8282975c-0568-9020-cfef-bd9963af8114 2009-07-01T00:47:59-04:00 Jose007 urn:uuid:ede618d0-5473-608b-9544-633275519ce2 2009-07-01T00:47:59-04:00

People die all the time. Death isn’t really taken seriously unless it’s someone you know or care about. I found out that exposure to death can have negative and even positive consequences. I’ve lost a mother, a niece, and a nephew. My family and I were stricken with grief and sadness. As you can imagine losing a mother, or anyone for that matter is something you could never even dare think about. Mothers are the closest and perhaps the most important person in the world next to your father. It’s because of them that life is possible. My nephew and niece died when they were only infants. I had felt so bad for my sister and brother in law. Death is inevitable and unpredictable. You think everyone is going to be okay and safe but you don’t know for how long. Along the line of life something bad will eventually happen. Just as life varies throughout history and around the world, death has many faces (Chapter 15 page 408).

The mother who passed away was my biological mother. I’m saying this because I have two moms. I was adopted when I was not even a year old. I still saw my biological parents from time to time. I saw my father more often because my mother was basically the reason why my family was divided. I know I’ve only seen her less then fifteen times. But those few memories I have of her are good memories. My older sister and younger brother have probably been with her countless times and they absolutely loved her. Whenever my father and my mother were close I always felt tension between them. My mother looked so young but I never knew old she was when she passed. It wasn’t old age or a disease that killed her.
It was something much worse. Little did we know tragedy was about to take place. We were about to lose our beloved mother sooner then we thought.

It all happened a few years ago when I was only thirteen I think. All I remember about the date was that it was sometime in the middle of August 2003. My other mother who I’ve been living with picked up the phone one night. All I remember hearing was “Oh my God”. She hung up the phone and sat next to me. She said your mother passed away Jose. Her words didn’t sink in right away. I took a short pause and dared to ask how. She took a deep breath and said, “Someone had broke into your mother’s apartment and strangled her to death”. That is when it really sank in. I got up and walked calmly to my room without a word. I broke down on my bed with sadness, anger, and despair. I hated myself because I was the only person who didn’t see her as often as I should have. I knew my brother and sister probably felt the most pain seeing as they saw her more often. I had felt just as sad for them. I never knew how my father felt but I’m sure he was in just as much pain as we were.

I don’t think there were any really negative consequences except the temporary sadness and depression we all felt. The positive thing is that she will always be missed, prayed for, and remembered. During that time I had thoughts of suicide but I quickly regained my sanity and common sense back. The death did change my whole outlook on life. I started to appreciate and love more. Since she was killed by a cruel and heartless person it did make the pain and anger unbearable. I still have regrets of not seeing her as much as I could of when she was still alive. When I went to the wake I didn’t know what to expect because it was my very first time seeing someone I loved dead and motionless. I wanted to cry but I couldn’t. I was too petrified to cry. I was scared of seeing her dead and only a few inches away from me. I was so scared I could barely pray for her. I couldn’t think straight or concentrate on anything else. Having a strong and loving family helped me heal over time and get through my sadness quicker. Her name was Evelyn Rivera.

The loss of my nephew and niece wasn’t as bad as my mother’s death. I think my mother’s death made me a little stronger to cope with deaths of others a little better. That doesn’t mean I didn’t feel the same sorrow and pain at their funerals. My sister Stacey lost both a daughter and a son to the same disease. They both died shortly after birth with kidney disease and breathing complications. Seeing those little caskets was just so upsetting and sad. Their names were Emily and Liam Donnelly. Since my sister and brother in law knew that there was a small chance of them living they handled it differently. The deaths made their family stronger. They have two healthy kids named Connor and Anna. Despite their loss no anger was shown. There was just happiness that Emily and Liam are both safe in heaven and a little bit of sadness. Machines were the only things that were keeping their kids alive at that time. Technology gives us the power to prolong life (Page 409, para 5). All I have to say is what’s the point of living if you can’t really live?

This brings me to a debate called the right to die issue. I think the right to die is a personal choice that should be made by the person willing to die. In other words they want to be euthanized. The very definition means assisting in the death of a person suffering from an incurable disease (Page 410, para 4). I never really knew the difference between suicide and euthanasia until now. People who are suffering and barely holding on to life call it a mercy killing. Out of all the states in the U.S., Oregon is the only state that assists in suicide and euthanasia (Page 410 and 411, para 5). The Death with Dignity Act was was made in 1997 by the state of Oregon (Page 410, para 5). I think the only thing worse then death is suffering on your death bed while your loved ones watch in sadness and helplessness. I’ve seen my baby nephew suffer and it was so heart breaking that he never had a good chance to live. If death means eternal peace then I see no reason why not to let go. You can always love someone forever no matter where they are. Dead or alive they are still in your mind and heart. If it was suicide it would be a different story because if nothing was physically wrong with them I’d want him or her to live. Being around death has taught me that I’m not that important and I should put other people’s needs first. No matter how crazy it sounds I have no problem with it.

Everyone I’ve lost turned me into a better person with a new look on life. Yes they were the sadist moments in my life but I got through them. I wasn’t the only person that was strong when I lost three family members. Family and friends united to show love and support in a time of need. Reflecting isn’t always fun when you’re thinking about sad memories. Positive and negative consequences are all a part of death. I could have gone out to seek vengeance on my mother’s killer but I didn’t. Vengeance is a road that leads to no where and some see it as pay back. The most positive thing you can do is letting go. As for the right to die I still think it’s for the best to let people who are suffering go.
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urn:uuid:ea25e77a-8d36-3a01-e17c-bb4b3298fed6 2009-07-01T00:13:48-04:00

 
I’m sure most people know about teens as young as thirteen engaging in sexual activity. I’m so sure because we take in so much information a day from TV, radio, the news, and the internet. To many it’s very upsetting and disturbing to hear. It can be a parent’s and teen’s worst nightmares come true. People are fighting the sex education system because of the young age groups they teach it to. Sex education has been around since the sexual revolution in the late 1960s to help young people learn about sex. It’s an issue that has a history with anyone who’s becoming sexual active. Doing this kind of history research really helped obtained a solid position with the sex education school system. I can honestly say I know instead of I think. I can say I know sex education should be permitted in all high schools. I really think we need to break down this taboo on sex and get over these sexual barriers. When time comes parents have to be ready for the talk with their sons and daughters. I believe if we make sex education programs acceptable in all states then we could give teens without parents a chance to learn about the dangers of sex. There are a variety of problems besides teens catching STDs and or becoming pregnant.

I really think if we encourage sex education that there would be significant changes in teen’s sexual behavior. They are constantly being blamed for the rise in abortions and teen pregnancies. Kirby Anderson (2005) says, “Teaching teens about the mechanics of sex without informing them of the moral and psychological implications of engaging in sex merely encourages teens to experiment sexually”. He believes abstinence is the way to go because it is 100% effective against preventing STDs and pregnancies. These maybe true but not too many teens want to wait until they are married to have sex. When teens are going through puberty and peer pressure they end up making poor decisions. Chances are when a teen hits puberty he or she will feel those strange sexual urges and may not know what to do or how to handle it. This is why teens are in desperate need of sex education. They teach you what you should do in a sexual situation if you can’t wait. What they don’t know can hurt them and we see these effects on the news, TV, and in movies like Juno. Kirby had come across Barbara Dafoe Whitehead, a journalist who also believed sex education was wrong. Whitehead had chosen New Jersey out of the seventeen states that allowed sex education for analysis. Her analysis was that sex education had left out issues such as abstinence, marriage, self control, and virginity. Instead of using these flaws to bring down sex education they should be used to strengthen the weakness. I just think it’s just pointless trying to fight an education program that teaches teens important information about sex.

The fact is not all sex education programs are perfect. There was a lot of information on the success and failures of the sex education school systems. There are reports of both increases and decreases on sexual activity among teens in the U.S. So it’s hard to say if sex education is right for everyone. It has shown reductions in unprotected sex and increase in use of condoms and other forms of contraception (Finger 2005, p. 4). Even abstinence only programs are fighting to stay in school districts. Schools that have abstinence only programs are rare because people argue that they are inaccurate or incomplete. Some are even being removed from their schools. When compared studies have shown that both abstinence only and sex education are inconclusive (Roleff 2001, p. 1). If they are inconclusive then why are my other sources saying they show signs of success? I find myself asking the same question but I guess this is why it’s so arguable. I don’t think its right to deprive teens of an education that can save their lives. It’s not their fault that they don’t know anything about sex. We should leave the two programs alone and let them teach because they are trying to help.

It’s the difficult questions about sex. Most parents do not know what to say to their teens about sex (Bennet 2008, p. 1). Since basic sex questions are explicit it makes talking about sex uncomfortable for both the parent and teen. The problem is lack of knowledge and sex taboos. This taboo and lack of knowledge can be solved with a simple sex education course. Not to mention most teens don’t have parents now a days. Teens without parental teachers really miss out. I’d have to argue that we can’t leave everything up to the parents. It may sound wrong but if a teen doesn’t have parents or has parents that don’t get around to the talk then their chances of having a normal sex life decreases. They are forced to find out the hard way and it’s just something teens shouldn’t have to bear especially at their age.

It’s more then just lack of information that teens are having sex. It’s the easy accessibility to sexual information such as the internet, TV, advertisements, music, radio, and music that influence them. A more biological answer shows that hormones are involved as well. I think it’s way more likely that hormones plus TV and internet is more believable then a failing sex education system. All sex education does is give teens right information on safety and protection. Today’s teens and technology are inseparable. They know a heck of a lot more about the internet then most parents over thirty. Sex is being advertised by any way necessary and can be so easily accessed by anyone. A little more restriction on any sexual advertisement should be there because teens and even children can accidently be exposed to some explicit material inappropriate for their age. I believe any parent would feel better now that their sons and daughters are a little safer from any sexual material that is advertised.

The people who oppose sex education the most would be the people of the the Catholic and Christian faith. They have a little more to say on sex education’s failure. They believe that the traditional values of chastity and abstinence have been sacrificed for new attitudes of sexual permissiveness inherent in these sex education programs (Likoudis, 1999, p. 1). Likoudis claims that they are destructive sex education classes that should be removed from the schools with the replacement of chastity and abstinence instead. Even the Vatican opposes any form of sex education and calls on all parents to oppose and to remove destructive programs (Likoudis, 1999, p. 2). The Church believes it is the parents moral right to supervise and control the sexual education of their children. In 1995 a document was made by the Vatican called The Truth and Meaning of Human Sexuality. The new document excludes any class room sex instruction. I’m of Catholic faith and I completely disagree with what both Likoudis and the Vatican said. Not everyone believes in God or has good parents. This is only something believers want to hear. The Church should be more open towards people both believers and non-believers alike.

I honestly feel that if sex education doesn’t expand to every state in America, today’s teens and future teens will literally be screwed. It’s a serious issue because teens especially young teens are too immature and irresponsible to be trusted with infants. Instead of focusing all of their attention on school they now have an even bigger responsibility. They are just not qualified yet for the full time job of a parent. The chances of catching STDs or AIDS are even greater unless they were properly informed. Should teens attend a sex education program? I’d say yes because if teens are doing then I see no reason not to educate. In a world of sexual advertisements and ill informing parents seems like both the right and smart thing to do. Hitting puberty with the rush of hormones is inevitable. Instead of removing sex education and abstinence only programs I think we should combine them (Roleff, para 3). It would give them more options besides protection and educate them on all facts about sex.
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urn:uuid:2801c441-8bd6-443e-49c3-1d74ec81993c 2009-05-08T00:44:23-04:00

away and feel freed. They are people
I love to see sometimes more then
family. What makes my friends one
of a kind is their heart, soul, and mind.
Most new some old, they are my friends
which can never be sold. A friend of mine
is a friend for life. Good friends become
great friends and the relationship never
ends. Talking and laughing is all that
matters to us. With all the love and ties
the friendship never dies.

My closest friends are Kyle, Dan, Mike, Joe, Jordan, Deana, Linda, Adriana, Jane, and Sue.]]>

urn:uuid:cbaaac33-8d90-3092-ba7a-674fa7705fde 2009-05-04T22:33:26-04:00

even if I said I think about you everyday?
Would you give me a chance with your
judgmental stance? Am I worth your time
because you are worth mine. I see no
limit, just possibilities. There will be nothing
but unity between you and me. It would be
ashame if you didn't feel the same. Sleep
won't be lost knowing that I tried. I'll just
wake up to another single life feeling like
my heart got stabbed with a kitchen knife.
There is no need to worry. I know I'll live
another day, some how, some way.

My heart is tired of hearing me speak so it told me to shut up and listen. So I did and this is what my heart said.
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urn:uuid:185d45f6-45e1-24a6-d0a6-c60cd57b6e70 2009-05-01T03:29:13-04:00

For those of you who found love you should cherish it. Married or not love is love. I cherish the love of family and friends but I would like to fall in love already. I've just always felt incomplete even with the love of family and friends. I know what I need, it's just a matter of catching and keeping love for as long as possible. Being single has more downs then ups and is kind of hard to deal with. I may look calm and and happy on the outside but on the inside is a whole other story. Anyway that's my dilema. Hope you enjoyed reading it and learned a little something.

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urn:uuid:386f9f0c-163e-cf84-115a-384785ada74c 2009-02-11T14:54:29-05:00

People can try and take that power away from me but they will fail. Sometimes they are successful on other people by telling them they can't. It's better to stand up for yourself and scream shut up then not saying anything at all. Sometimes all it takes to overcome anything is a little bit of fire. Stand tall, look them in the ugly beaty eyes and raise a little bit of hell if you have to. Just make sure the message is delivered.  The message that your in control and have the power and it's your damn life.               ]]>

urn:uuid:cfc6ea64-04d7-9411-16ca-0cc71cf07783 2008-12-27T01:31:57-05:00

always meaningful to me even the
bad. Your heart broken, mine incomplete
as we tell each other in the comfort of our
seat. Best of friends miles apart bound
together with love from our heart. Chatting 
hours on end with every little IM we type and
send. From hello to goodnight we sit happy
and tight. Hope to chat soon my friend from
Texas with a happy holidays and a Merry X-Mas.

The reason it's unamed is because I don't know what to name it. My friends name is Linda and we've never met.  Everything in the poem is true about us. We are the best of friends and getting to know her was the best thing that happened to me.   ]]>

urn:uuid:9beb7387-3ffd-2eec-cb55-a2be1b60a039 2008-11-29T18:17:08-05:00

All alone but no one to
hold. Memeories of what
could have been, never
forgotten like an evil sin.
On my back deep in thought
thinking of the battles I lost
and fought. The pain when
love got away haunts me
till this very day. Still I fight
with hope by my side and
faith as my light. Cold and
dark, I have nothing to fear.
As long as my light is shining
and hope is always here.

Just old memories that mean very little to me now.]]>

urn:uuid:af23d8eb-da57-a95b-a768-434afed00a6f 2008-11-14T22:40:13-05:00

No one is safe from the bathrooms from the underworld. The toilet I hate the most is the automatic flusher. No matter where I go there is no escape from the automatic flusher. I’m sure everyone has felt their wrath of cold dirty water splash up like a title wave onto your dry sensitive cheeks. It’s scary how unforgiving those toilets are. It’s like they have a mind of there own and it says, okay you have ten seconds to get off me or I will start the title waves of doom. And once you’ve finished you start reaching for toilet paper that’s the size of a tire and never turns.
We all share the same problems with public restrooms. I know this is going to be a scary memory to bring up but does anyone remember the manual flusher where you had to reach your hand all the way behind the toilet to flush? Well I remember and I also remember the surprises I found when I walked into one. I think people that don’t flush are proud of what came out of them and like to show it off. Sometimes it’s not in the toilet. Sometimes it’s on the floor, wall, or ceiling.

There are people who think that all public restrooms aren’t bad. They are starting to make restrooms more sanitary and clean for everyone to use. Some people think that public restrooms are fine the way they are. The automatic flusher is good for when people don’t feel like flushing or if they forget to flush. They are good to have around when there is an emergency and they are always reliable. They have all sizes for adults and children. Some restrooms have soothing music to relax all who uses them and plenty of stalls and urinals.

Who really believes that all public restrooms can be sanitary and clean for everyone to use? They don’t do a really good job at cleaning up their restrooms. They leave graffiti on the stall walls and never fix anything that’s broken like the stall doors and the flusher. Sometimes the automatic flusher flushes either too much or doesn’t flush at all. Putting music was a bad idea because people need silence to concentrate no matter what they are doing in a bathroom. With all those stalls and urinals it just makes it harder to choose a good one to use and the sizes are either too big or too small.

I’ve come up with a solution to the problem, restroom police in every public restroom big or small. Police that are actually brave enough to check if you flushed and had accurate aim. There would be a can of Lysol in every stall and Clorox wipes. Every stall would have automatic toilet paper dispensers and paper towels. You would never worry about going to a public restroom ever again.

Only we can make public restrooms better by cleaning up after ourselves and flushing away any surprises big and small. There is no good reason why public restrooms should have sticky floors and broken doors. So next time you have to use a public restroom you should run in and hold your breath or hold it till you get home, it’s you choice and privacy.
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urn:uuid:b1336eb0-832c-ff4b-4d8d-dc03a3273962 2008-11-11T23:02:27-05:00

It doesn't end there.  Next day on the 16th I walk into school and saw almost everyone crying, sad, and depressed.  So I finally find Dan and ask him what's up.  He took a deep breath and said you know James Puskac right? I said yes and he said, "James had killed himself lastnight.  Dan said he hung himself.  I was in so much shock cause every time I saw him he looked like a happy normal guy with no problems.  I wasn't prepared what Dan was going to tell me next.  He said his younger brother was the first person that found him hanging not too high off the ground.  That just made me want to cry but I didn't.  A few days later Dan and I went to his wake to pay our respects.  James was surrounded by friends, family, and even teachers.  I did what I was always taught to do which was pray for the dead and I did.  I prayed with the rosary in my hands because I knew he was going need it.  Later on I found out that James was an atheist.  Atheist or not I still pray for the dead.]]>

urn:uuid:dacc7aee-a27d-ad26-cef9-e11f10ac6b7e 2008-11-03T22:29:43-05:00

urn:uuid:9778af9b-7204-40cc-c6b5-9bdb9d06b1cd 2008-10-30T21:27:55-04:00

This may sound silly but I
never thought that Athena
would fall in love with a guy
named Billy. I see him as
tall and funny but Athena sees
him as sweet as honey. The love 
that the two share is a love that
they better take care, because
a baby with no care will be any
parents worst nightmare. Billy
the father Athena the mother
your baby will come one way
or another. ]]>

urn:uuid:9ebac65f-e770-21b1-f310-cb21356c03c1 2008-10-26T00:17:44-04:00

to live long. Hope to give and recieve
but never to decieve. Trust is a must
especially to me cause I can lose it
so easily.  Trust, hope, faith, and
love can be found on earth and in the
heavens above. These four words
I never forget cause it will all catch
up to me and make me regret. The
same applies to all but it's your
choice so you make the call. 

Trust in others and hope to achieve. Faith shows courage and strength. Love more for happiness for yourself and others. ]]>

urn:uuid:26cb4dd9-e1d0-25ae-a125-a5e6a34a770b 2008-10-24T01:18:39-04:00

Like many others I started my life simple and care free not knowing
of the dangers that awaited me.
A death in my family was about to
take place with all the pain and agony
nobody was ready to embrace. Without
notice or warning the harsh truth started
forming. My mother wasn't the only person
that died that day. She had three kids
that loved her and  their names were
Evelynda, Sebastian, and Jose. With the
cascet opened we stood there depressed,
sadened, and broken. As tears and years
passed I still can't believe it happened so
fast. 

A poem of my mother's unfortunate death. Her name was Evelyn Rivera and she will always be missed, loved, and remembered. I can't wait to be reunited with her in heaven. But first I must live my life.   


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urn:uuid:179b3fa9-cd26-2f21-df7c-d9b5353ad7f9 2008-10-19T23:50:06-04:00

heart gets cut in half,
I weep and moan to help
realize that I'm alone.
On the look for love
with hopes from help
from above. Need to find
her soon before my heart
permenently turns black like
the dark side of the moon. So I
lay in wait feeling like bait for
the girl I'm hoping to date. Alive
and well with lonelyness I dwell.

The single life taking its toll on me. Lonleyness still sinking in but not much longer. Love is known to arrive sooner then expected.  



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urn:uuid:275a6229-fafb-ec1f-54a6-25b7b8bcc788 2008-09-27T18:16:23-04:00

urn:uuid:1027f46c-9771-7229-54e7-6201d3d4e2a3 2008-09-27T01:21:07-04:00

These are just some crazy things I saw when I was in high school and even grade.  I graduated in 08 of June so all of this stuff that I mentioned in the 1rst paragraph is still going on strong today.  You maybe wondering why I'm writing obvious facts well the reason is that I wrote this is because these kids that through their lives and bodies away sickened me to a point where I couldn't stand to look at them.  These kids are so stupid they make it so obvious to let everyone know.  They came to school drunk and or high.  They talk about what they do out loud and even where drug symbols on their shirts.  The schools aren't getting worse the kids are because the kids represent the entire scool and their neglectfull parents.  Chances are kids that do these things have bad or no parents.]]>

urn:uuid:412c58cb-db99-b4cd-3635-4ea4beef2a14 2008-07-24T23:46:36-04:00

After what seemed like an eternity of hopelessnes I staggered  to my feet and took a few long deep breaths.  I came to the realization that I was alive.  I was alive but in less pain.  I mean my point of view was sharper and stronger then ever before.  My coping with death and anger towards the world had transformed me into someone strong and beautiful.  It had felt like I was reborn like a pheonix from it's ashes.  My sight on the world had changed and so had my onlook on life and death.  Against all Odds of rage and sadness a stronger me was unlocked along with the strength to forgive myself.  I had no idea all of that tremendous strength was buried within me. 

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urn:uuid:82a82b62-d3f5-46e8-64d8-a68f69bfffe1 2008-07-10T23:32:28-04:00

It was in August a few weeks before school started.  I was about to go into the seventh grade.  I think I was thirteen.  I remember the day because I had gone to Six Flags.  It was only me, my older sister, my younger brother, and my dad that had gone.  The reason my mother wasn't there was because they split up a long time ago.  So I was sent to one family and my brother was sent to another and my sister stayed with my dad.  It was mostly cause of how my mom was but I'm not going to get into that cause that's too personal for this blog.  Any way after the all of the fun at Six Flags my sister and I wanted to go see our mother for a suprise visit because we rarely see her.  Our father agrees to take us but we know he's not going to be happy to see her.  As we get closer to her apartment I start to sweat from nervenous and excitement.  My dad honks the horn and as fast as that she was comming out the door.  She was short with long hair down to her shoulders like an older version of my sister.  She was saying how big I've gotten and handsome.  All I did was blush and smile cause I didn't know what to say so I just gave her a big long hug.  The hug made me calm again and it made me feel at peice.  Then out of no where a conversation about the movie Freddy vs Jason comes up.  I immediatly said Freddy was going to win but my mom responed with a laugh and said "no Jason will".  My little brother backed me up about Freddy and of course my older sister took my moms side about Jason.  We talked about it outside the whole time until it started getting late and I had to go home to my other parents.  I gave her one more hug, this one was longer then the last.  We smiled at each other and said out goodbys. 

That was the last conversation and time we had together.  Almost a year later my other mom, the one that I lived with, had gotten a phone call.  All I heard my mom say on the phone was "Oh My God".  She hung the phone staired at me and said take a deep breath and give me your hand.  She said your mother is dead.  I staired back with disbelief.   She said someone broke into her apartment and strangled your mother to death.  I got up and walked away holding everything in till I went to bed.  And then I just let it all go.  My pillow was drenched in tears.  My parents didn't know I had cryed.  I didn't want them to.   ]]>

urn:uuid:a8168754-fb44-03e4-9e34-4811d8c13dac 2008-07-06T23:46:57-04:00

Now I will tell you what I'm looking Seeking and Searching for.  I am looking for a relationship with a female in between the ages of 18 to 21, likes to be active and play any kind of sport, has any type of hair color and hair style, doesn't like to argue or start arguements, has some taste in alternative or metal. and has beautiful unique facial features that really stands out in a large crowd.  They don't have to have all of that stuff but it would be nice.]]>