Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Finally...
after messing around with blogger and HTML codes for about an hour, i figured out how to put a music playlist on my profile...oh yeah, and i don't work till friday so yeah, finally i get to relax...now, this playlist is on random play...there's a little bit of everything....rock, hip hop, and some '80s music...it's on random play so it all depends on if you get lucky and a song you like comes up...enjoy!!!
Friday, March 20, 2009
took me a while, but here it is....definition/persuasive essay
Capital Punishment: Fair or Unfair?
"Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made man.” This is found in the Old Testament on Genesis 9:6. It is the first commandment of the Bible that has a common legal character. According to this quote, one who murders destroys the “image of God” in a fellow man and therefore commits an indirect attack on God himself. This is the religious view of the death penalty. But what is the death penalty? Who gets to decide if it’s right or wrong? The death penalty should be avoided at all costs. It is unfair and it really isn’t punishing a person. Some countries have abolished the death penalty as they see it unfair. Killing a convict is just doing him a favor. He won’t pay for his crime at all. There is also the convict’s family. What about them? Before convicting someone to the death penalty, think of their families. The death penalty is unfair and should be avoided at all costs.
Many people might ask themselves what is the death penalty and why is it applied? Capital punishment, the death penalty or execution, is the lawful imposition of death as punishment for a capital crime. The word “capital” comes from the Latin “capitalis” which means “regarding the head”. Because of this, a capital crime was originally punished by cutting the head of the convict. To this day, the death penalty is applied in four of the most populous countries in the world, such as People’s Republic of China, India, United States, and Indonesia. The death penalty is usually practiced when a criminal is convicted of murder, espionage, or treason. In some countries, rape, adultery and incest are also punished by the death penalty. In China, human trafficking and serious corruption are punished by death as well.
Some countries have abolished the death penalty as they consider it unfair punishment. Venezuela abolished the death penalty in 1863, San Marino in 1865, and Portugal in 1867. The United Kingdom abolished it in 1998. France abolished it in 1981, Canada in 1976 and Australia in 1985. Here in the United States, some states have banned the death penalty. Michigan was the first state to do so in 1846. Currently, 15 states and the District of Columbia ban capital punishment.
Is it right to use the death penalty as punishment? There are some pros and cons to this. Some see it as immoral while others see it as only encouraging violence. Some feel that allowing the government the power of life and death is wrong. Only God, they feel, should have this power, since, as Catholic sister Camille D’Arienzo said, “…all life, not only innocent life, is sacred.” One the most recent arguments is that the death penalty is poorly administered and mainly affects both minorities and the poor since often they cannot afford legal help. Sergeant Dutta states “Killing a criminal will prevent him from committing another crime- but so will putting him behind bars forever”. This is the opinion of those against the death penalty. Those in favor of the death penalty also have something to say. Those in favor say that capital punishment is a just and appropriate punishment for those who commit the most heinous of crimes. It ensures that the murderer will not kill again and provides closure to the family and friends of the victim. Jeff Jacoby, Boston Globe columnist, says that the death penalty “sends a powerful moral message.” He says that the message is “that the life he took was so precious, and the crime he committed so horrific, that he forfeits his own right to remain alive.” No matter what those in favor of the death penalty say, it isn’t the solution. Death penalty is applied to “scare” those who are thinking of committing a crime and yet crimes still occur. If criminals were scared of the death penalty, there wouldn’t be any murders occurring and yet they still are. While some argue that killing a murderer brings “comfort” to the family and friends of the victim but what about the murderer’s family? Most likely the victim’s family will say that they do not wish anyone the pain they are going through for losing their beloved one. Yet, they agree on killing the murderer. What will his family feel? Won’t they feel the same as the family of the victim? What happened to the victim’s family not wishing their pain on anyone else? For surely the murderer’s family will suffer just like the victim’s family. Like my mother says “para una madre, no hay un hijo malo”, which means “for a mother, there isn’t a bad son.” The murderer’s family will suffer just as bad as the victim’s family. This is a very controversial topic and will continue to be controversial maybe until man ceases to exist.
By killing a criminal, he will not pay for his crime at all. You’ll be doing him a favor. If he is put in prison for life, he will have all the time in the world to think about what he did. If he raped someone, it will most likely be “an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.” Other convicts will probably rape him and make him really pay for his crime. Most likely he will be picked on by others and will hate prison making him regret his decision of committing that crime and truly will be sorry. By killing him, he will experience none of these situations and it will not solve anything. It might ignite even more violence. The convict’s friends might take retaliation on the families of officers or on the officers themselves. It will end up being worse than just putting him in jail. In jail he will have a chance to rehabilitate and change for the good or just dig himself into a deeper hole. That’s his choice. The best thing we can do as a people is to give them that chance and it is up to them if they will take it or leave it.
The death penalty has been a controversial issue for ages. Some are with it and some are against it. The death penalty is unfair and unjust. A criminal will not suffer if he is put to death. He will not experience any of the pain of being in prison and will not learn his lesson. By killing him, he will avoid the horror of prison immediately. The death of this criminal could also spark more violence and hate. Those seeking revenge for their fallen friend might go on a killing spree and God knows what will happen. The death penalty has been an unjust punishment and will continue to be so until it is completely abolished. It seems impossible for now, but maybe one day, just maybe, the world will come to their senses and get rid of capital punishment.
Friday, March 13, 2009
Final Draft for process essay
Francisco Magana Jr
Joel Murphy
English 51
14 March 2009
Quick and Easy
Who ever said making money was easy? It takes work. There is the old fashioned way of making money by getting a job, or doing illegal things, which will get you in trouble. If you need fast and easy money, there’s many ways to do that legally. One way, is by mowing lawns. Of course, if you plan on mowing lawns, make sure you have a lawn mower. You have to be good at mowing lawns or else you will do a bad job and people will want their money back. Try to have lower rates and be competitive with the neighborhood gardeners, clean up all the grass clippings, have a place to dump the grass clippings, and do not dump it on someone else’s trash. Mowing lawns could a source from which quick and easy money can be made.
One has to be good at mowing to start earning some cash. Find out what type of grass that will be cut. Certain grasses require to be cut at different lengths. Winter Season grasses, such as fescue, rye or bluegrass, should be cut from 2.5 inches to 3.5 inches. Warm Season grasses such as crabgrass, goose grass, and foxtails, require cutting from .5 inches to 1 inch because they can tolerate lower cuts. There are certain techniques to mowing lawns. The mowing patterns should be varied. Mowing in the same pattern time after time causes soil compaction and wear patterns. A varied mowing pattern also can prevent continuous scalping of high spots and uneven mowing where sharp turns occur. Leaving some grass clippings on the soil would be a good idea. Grass clippings return a valuable source of nutrients back to the soil. Research shows that up to 1/4 of a lawn's nitrogen requirements can be provided by recycling grass clippings. The clippings should be fine enough to disappear into the turf.
Next, think of how much to charge. Charging lower than other gardeners will give you better chances of people hiring you to cut their grass. Find out how much those gardeners charge and figure out how much would be fair for the costumers, charge a lower rate, but make sure you leave a good profit for yourself. For small yards, the price should be about $15, medium yards at about $20, and large yards for $25. With these prices, costumers will be asking for your services.
Finally, clean up is an important part of the job. Grass clippings can be used to fertilize the soil, but some people don’t want them on their lawn. Of course not all the grass clippings are used. Throw the rest away in the trash but not the neighbor’s trash. The grass clippings can also be used to fertilize other plants but beware. Do not use grass that has been treated with herbicides as a garden fertilizer because it is no longer an organic source. Plus, the herbicide may harm your garden's plants.Getting rid of grass clippings can be a problem unless you are prepared. If you have compostable wheelie bin collection in your area, commonly know as the brown bin, take advantage of this to dispose of the lawn clippings. Of course, this is limited in volume, so the average country-garden lawn owner could fill this many times over in one mowing session. Many people will put the grass in their standard wheelie bin, but this is to be avoided. Sending clippings to landfill is an expensive and sinful waste of landfill space.
Mowing lawns is a quick way of making money. By mowing 10 lawns a day you will have very good profit. It is easy to do and most importantly, it is legal! Mowing lawns won’t get you into prison like other things. Once you start mowing lawns, it might start you on your way to owning your own landscaping company. Have fun with it and think of ways to use the money you make. Don’t invest into the stock market though, or you will be back where you started!
Joel Murphy
English 51
14 March 2009
Quick and Easy
Who ever said making money was easy? It takes work. There is the old fashioned way of making money by getting a job, or doing illegal things, which will get you in trouble. If you need fast and easy money, there’s many ways to do that legally. One way, is by mowing lawns. Of course, if you plan on mowing lawns, make sure you have a lawn mower. You have to be good at mowing lawns or else you will do a bad job and people will want their money back. Try to have lower rates and be competitive with the neighborhood gardeners, clean up all the grass clippings, have a place to dump the grass clippings, and do not dump it on someone else’s trash. Mowing lawns could a source from which quick and easy money can be made.
One has to be good at mowing to start earning some cash. Find out what type of grass that will be cut. Certain grasses require to be cut at different lengths. Winter Season grasses, such as fescue, rye or bluegrass, should be cut from 2.5 inches to 3.5 inches. Warm Season grasses such as crabgrass, goose grass, and foxtails, require cutting from .5 inches to 1 inch because they can tolerate lower cuts. There are certain techniques to mowing lawns. The mowing patterns should be varied. Mowing in the same pattern time after time causes soil compaction and wear patterns. A varied mowing pattern also can prevent continuous scalping of high spots and uneven mowing where sharp turns occur. Leaving some grass clippings on the soil would be a good idea. Grass clippings return a valuable source of nutrients back to the soil. Research shows that up to 1/4 of a lawn's nitrogen requirements can be provided by recycling grass clippings. The clippings should be fine enough to disappear into the turf.
Next, think of how much to charge. Charging lower than other gardeners will give you better chances of people hiring you to cut their grass. Find out how much those gardeners charge and figure out how much would be fair for the costumers, charge a lower rate, but make sure you leave a good profit for yourself. For small yards, the price should be about $15, medium yards at about $20, and large yards for $25. With these prices, costumers will be asking for your services.
Finally, clean up is an important part of the job. Grass clippings can be used to fertilize the soil, but some people don’t want them on their lawn. Of course not all the grass clippings are used. Throw the rest away in the trash but not the neighbor’s trash. The grass clippings can also be used to fertilize other plants but beware. Do not use grass that has been treated with herbicides as a garden fertilizer because it is no longer an organic source. Plus, the herbicide may harm your garden's plants.Getting rid of grass clippings can be a problem unless you are prepared. If you have compostable wheelie bin collection in your area, commonly know as the brown bin, take advantage of this to dispose of the lawn clippings. Of course, this is limited in volume, so the average country-garden lawn owner could fill this many times over in one mowing session. Many people will put the grass in their standard wheelie bin, but this is to be avoided. Sending clippings to landfill is an expensive and sinful waste of landfill space.
Mowing lawns is a quick way of making money. By mowing 10 lawns a day you will have very good profit. It is easy to do and most importantly, it is legal! Mowing lawns won’t get you into prison like other things. Once you start mowing lawns, it might start you on your way to owning your own landscaping company. Have fun with it and think of ways to use the money you make. Don’t invest into the stock market though, or you will be back where you started!
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