Google Advanced Research

Today we practiced how to research using search operators to narrow down results. This is to help for any research paper that we will be doing in the future, such as the Capstone Research  Paper. To start of, we were given a question from the teacher and then, of course, we typed the question. The question was "How do the democratic and republican positions differ on fiscal cliff?" To begin narrowing the results, I first used the quotation marks on the word "fiscal cliff" to narrow down the results, which gave me a result of 7,090,000. I then added a tilde before differ, but sadly, still got 2,9100,000 results. I was determined to narrow the results as much as possible so I looked for different ways to narrow it down.
I then began using the advanced search and decided to only include results from the United States and in English. I continued to experiment on what search operators to use along with the search tools provided by Google. Eventually, I decided to type " Republican and Democratic 'positions on fiscal cliff' -video" with the same advanced search that eliminates videos on any website result, and got only 6 results. To narrow it further, I decided to add "-opinion" to remove any opinions about the topic. In the end, I got up to only 5 results. It is necessary to narrow down results, but the results must answer, or related to your topic or research question.

A Fallen Hero: Anakin Skywalker

Literature has always used the idea of fallen heroes in novels and tragedies that it is also used in movies today. A fallen hero can be identified as respected, well-known figure, who suffers a fatal conscious decision that has led him to change into someone who he, initially, isn’t and to what he despises the most. A simple yet popular example of a fallen hero is Anakin Skywalker from the Star Wars saga. Anakin Skywalker was once a popular hero, or Jedi Knight, before he turned to the dark side of the force and became Darth Vader. Anakin’s determination to save Padmé from death, and awareness of his abilities and that he’s the "Chosen One" has caused him to consciously attain for far greater power, and this leads him to his fall, which is portrayed at the 3^rd installation of the saga, Revenge of the Sith, even though he has multiple chance to remain as a Jedi.

 Anakin becomes Darth Vader when he decides to kill Mace Windu just when he’s about to end Chancellor Palpatine, who is Darth Sidious, and accepts to be Palpatine’s apprentice. Anakin’s first decision that has led to his fall is disobeying Mace Windu after he is asked to stay at the Council Chambers. Even prior to this event, Anakin has already shown his loyalty to the Chancellor and his dissatisfaction with the Jedi Council. He feels that he is being restrained and not trusted by the Council, which causes him great unrest and leads him to have a closer relationship to the Chancellor. During this self-crisis, the Chancellor has shown support and influenced Anakin’s mind to distrust the Council. After disobeying Mace Windu, he goes to the Chancellor’s office and encounters the battle between the Chancellor and Windu. Deciding to end Windu to save the Chancellor or let Windu kill the Chancellor is the moment when he is totally lost that cost him the most fatal decision he has made and caused his fall.

His most fatal decision is caused by his determination to keep Padamé alive and to not have the Council restraining his powers. Anakin sees the Council’s actions as restraining him from becoming powerful because he thinks the Council doesn’t want him to be more powerful than them and that they don’t trust him. The Council has always given the idea of Anakin as the Chosen One huge consideration. They don’t disagree with the prophecy of the Chosen One or Anakin and they know Anakin’s abilities, but they want to be sure he is the Chosen One and will choose the right path. Anakin sees it the other way and thus, Anakin continues to greed for power. Another factor that has made him want for greater power is the thought of saving Padamé from his nightmares. The Chancellor enlightens him that great power from the dark side could save Padamé from death. His nightmares tell Padamé’s going to die just like his mother and he wants to prevent that from happening. He is lost but those two factors blind Anakin and lead him to his most fatal decision, killing Mace Windu and then becoming Darth Vader. His fatal decisions, however, don’t end there because he continues to plunge himself to bottom pit of his fall even though he still has chances to remain a Jedi and stop himself from further going to the dark side.

Anakin’s last fatal decision happens during his duel with his mentor, Obi-Wan, that costs him his lungs, legs, one arm, Padamé and his kids. When Padamé confronts Anakin, she realizes that Anakin has changed, and when Obi-Wan Kenobi reveals himself after hiding at Padamé’s star skiff, Anakin is engulfed with anger and vengeance against both Padamé and Obi-Wan that lead to a duel between the student and the mentor. Obi-Wan doesn’t want to fight his apprentice and tries to enlighten Anakin. Obi-Wan states, “You were the Chosen One! It was said that you would destroy the Sith, not join them! Bring balance to the Force, not leave it in darkness!" Anakin, however, doesn’t falter and replies with anger, “I hate you!” The battle between the two continues until Obi-Wan gets the high ground and advantage, but Anakin refuses to lose, continues to thirst for power, and tells Obi-Wan, “You underestimate my power.” In the end, Obi-Wan wins the duel that left Anakin without legs and one arm. He is given chances to remain a Jedi or at least, stay out of the dark side, but he refuses to give up his power. Padamé has offered him to run away with her and stay at the country side but rather, he suggested overthrowing the Chancellor and taking over the empire that shows his continuing greed for power. Also, he has multiple chances to pick whether he should go to the dark side or not, but he still continues to create his own fall. By the time he loses to Obi-Wan, he’s at the bottom of the abyss of the dark side, too late and prideful to go back.

Anakin Skywalker becomes Darth Vader in the 3^rd installation of the saga, Revenge of the Sith, after his fatal conscious decisions to achieve power he so desires to save Padamé and overcome the Jedi Council. He’s a well-known fallen hero who from being a popular Jedi becomes the villain as Darth Vader after his conscious decisions cause him to his fall. Anakin makes several decisions and each has a chance to remain a Jedi, but still chooses to plunge down the dark side for power. It is in his and our hands to choose our own paths though there are times we are controlled by greed, or blinded by our feelings. All decisions, however, whether for the better or for the worse, have consequences that in the end, may cost us everything that we worked hard for.

California 2012 Propositions 34 and 36

The election is drawing near and every vote, as everyone says, counts and can affect our future. Each state has propositions to be voted by citizens. Propositions can be compared to amendments of our Constitution. It goes to process to be in the voting ballot and is for the interest of the public. What intrigues me the most, is Proposition 34, which is the repeal of the death penalty and replacing it to life imprisonment without parole, because it can either tie or contradict with Proposition 36, which states that no life sentence for criminals who commit a non-violent third strike. Proposition 34 is proposed because the death penalty contradicts our morale, is not in use, and has been taking California’s budget, while Proposition 36 is believed to save budget that are going to prisoners and avoid overpopulation of our prisons.

Both Proposition has an effect on our state budget, especially in this time period when there is more budget given to prisoners than to our students. One main point both propositions state is saving state budget, because we are spending a lot of budget on prisoners. Proposition 34 plans to save state budget by taking off the death penalty and rather, put prisoners on life imprisonment. The death penalty hasn’t been used for about a decade which means that the prisoners on the death row are prisoners and are most likely serving for life imprisonment. Not only we are spending on keeping the death penalty, we are also spending on those prisoners in the death row while waiting for their time, which won’t happen. Taking out the death penalty will save money, but it will not lower our budget on prisoners because it will be the same. On the other hand, Proposition 36 will resolve our state budget problem on prisoners by not overpopulating the prisons and thus saving our state from spending on those prisoners. Both propositions, however, have a backlash on their policy.

Releasing criminals out of either death row or prison may cause a split reaction from the public, depends if they are related or affected. Repeal of death penalty will abolish the death row and what most people might think is that those criminals escaped justice. While other people will most likely agree to abolish the death row because it is against our morale to kill. Although it is not an electric chair used to kill in our state, Asphyxiation is still, for other or most people, inhumane. Proposition 36, on the other hand, can let criminals or ex-criminals on the loose and can still continue to break the law. Both propositions may, in the end, let criminals off the hook and have no justice.

Repealing the death penalty might have a positive outcome in the long run, while Proposition 36 may cause increase of crime rates. Whether or not I agree to either or both proposition as of now doesn’t matter until I am able to vote. These two propositions interest me and this blog article doesn’t state that I believe and agree with these propositions. In the end, it is up to our current California voters to choose our future and what they believe is most suitable. This is why voting is one of our fundamental rights; our future is in our hands.

As a Royal Cook during the Middle Ages

            The Middle Ages has occupations that can be still found today but with today’s expectations, has evolved that requires a higher education or experience. The Canterbury Tales introduced a variety of occupations during the Middle Ages. They are, however, mostly stereotypes of the type period. If I live during the Middle Ages, I would be a Royal Cook, because cooking is my hobby and I would love to serve the Royalties during the Middle Ages.

             My occupation is a cook and I work for the Royalties. I am from the outskirts of London and ever since I was five, I have been helping my mother with cooking. Cooking has been my hobby and my interest on it grew as I grow older. At the age of 10, I started to look for a job experience. I would go to cafés and taverns that serves food around the area and ask if I could help or get a job. At the age of 24, I am working for the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester as their cook. This was my greatest achieved until I was recommended to be the Royal Cook for our King and Queen.

            Ever since I started working for the King and the Queen, I have faced many challenges. Providing the best culinary skills while guaranteeing the safety of the Monarchs has been a daily challenge. Many tries to bribe the cooks to poison the King and the Queen and it takes a great deal of loyalty and dedication from us cooks to guarantee their safety. The monarchs, also, have a peculiar and high standard of taste; they wouldn’t hesitate not to fire a cook, which they have done before. They fired Dianne for not meeting their standards on a day when they were not in the nicest mood. Sadly, Dianne is the person who became my first friend when I was entered the Palace, and it was one of the saddest moments of my life when she was fired. Working for the Royals gave me no time to visit my family in the outskirts of London and the only thing I could do is reminisce.

            I grew up in a small family of four with my mother and father, and my older brother. I was the youngest in the family and to sum it up, I get most of the attention and what I want. My brother was very hard working, which left him no time to play with me outside. I would always spend my time either playing with my neighbors or cooking with my mother. I barely go outside until I decided that I should fulfill my dream to be a Royal Cook. My world was limited and small until I searched a job outside our area. Even though the place I grew up at was small, I was comfortable and I actually prefer it than the Palace. The Palace has all the glamour, but that’s all to it. The people around you are usually cold and do not care about other people. This is different from my belief that I have acquired from my birthplace. Our place values family and the people around you because we are the only we can lean on and get support from. So far, my life in the Palace as a Royal Cook isn’t what I was expecting. I will, however, try to do my best while enjoying my hobby and getting the best out it.

            The job of a Royal Cook isn’t easy. There are responsibilities and expectations to live up to. Also, it takes a lot of work experience to be a Royal Cook. I have worked up to this position and in my opinion, I deserve this position. I will continue to surpass the expectations and try to be the Head of the Royal Cooks. Hopefully, I will be successful in this next challenge and soon, be able to visit my family.

The Canterbury Tales: The Squire

Online Description

The Squire description

The squire is training to be knight. He is a man of passion and full of love. At twenty years of age, he has a curly hair and is not a short man and not a tall one either. Although he’s not tall, he is muscular, strong and fast. He has traveled before overseas for training experience, where has managed to be successful even though there is little time for his lady’s heart. He is a happy and musical person. He can play the flute and write songs. He is also a literate and talented person and he is  well trained in riding horses. He wears a gown that stops shorts to his thigh with long sleeves. His gown has red and white colors with flowery clothes that show his personality. He is yet to follow his father’s footsteps to be a knight.

Generation Screwed: Redefinition of the American Dream

Every generation faces an obstacle related to the current events and issues the nation is facing. Our generation today faces a challenge due to the Great Recession that busted out last 2008. Youngsters are forced into debt, unemployment, and competition to all working age groups and with different level of experience. In response to these issues, they are forced to change their initial career path and what they call their American Dream.

Past generations have defined the American Dream as freedom of religion, rags to riches, opportunity and success, and having their own house, car, and family. Today’s generation, however, has to redefine their American Dream as the United States enters another challenge with the global Great Recession. Like past generations, my American Dream is to have a career in the field I’ll study in college, support my mother, and have a family. I am forced, however, to alter my dream.

As of right now, I’m still struggling to what I should take in college since I want to stick to one major until I graduate college. I’m ripped between choosing a major of my interest and a major that is currently in demand in the society. I don’t want to have a degree and not able to use it in the job I will be taking. According to the article “Generation Screwed,” “Among 2011 law-school graduates, half could not find a job in the legal field nine months after finishing school ” Other graduates also couldn’t find jobs while others gave up on college. Saeed Alwan, a grocery-store employee, from “Generation Screwed” said, “I quit high school because everyone that I went to school with was getting lousy jobs with their college degrees. It sucks to go to college just to do that.” Many of this generation graduates compete for jobs that may not even require a degree and many are now reconsidering whether or not to go to college and what course to take.

At times, it occurs to me whether if it is still worth it to go to college. Also, the course that I’ve been reconsidering to take is related to the Age of Technology we experience today. Technology has been a part of this generation and will be to the next. The demand of technological advances has been going up and is proven by Aboujaoude from the “iCrazy” article, “one in eight showed at least one sign of an unhealthy attachment to the Net.” People will continue to be indulged to the internet and technology. With this, the demand for new technology and services related to it will keep on getting higher and it won’t stop there because this is only the beginning of the Age of Technology. Apple, a company that is famous for and produces iPhone and iPad, is an example of the growing technology demand. Today, many, especially the youth, buys and demands Apple’s products and new releases. Those are the reasons why I reconsider what major and career I should take after high school. Today’s issues also modified my dream of supporting my mom and having a family just like other youths today.

Many still dreams of a house, car and family, however, those dreams are blurred out to our generation. After college, graduates look forward to getting a career and fulfilling those dreams, but the unexpected waits the youth of this generation today. According to Forbes in “Generation Screwed”, “The average student already carries $12,700 in credit-card and other kinds of debt.” By the time a graduate gets out of college, he or she is already in debit and now, has to compete with other graduates for a job or career that might not be in their field of study. It seemed impossible to have a house of our own in this generation and according to Katherine Newman in “Generation Screwed,” “I’m hoping the millennial generation doesn’t set its sights on home-ownership as a benchmark of economic stability because it’s going to be out of reach for so many of them.” The dream of having a family has also been out of reach because many wants to have economic stability before settling down and focuses on their career rather than looking or having a partner. In the article “Generation Screwed,” it is stated that many delay settling down, “Nearly a third of people between 18 and 34 have put off marriage or having a baby due to the recession.” I have taken the dream of having a house for my mom and family out of my list and I’m still contemplating whether to have a family or not, and when. The issues our generation face today has changed the past generation’s American Dream to a simple dream of having a stable career that will enable them to achieve something more.

My American Dream, just like other youth in my generation, has changed to just having a career in my field of study, and to try my best to help and support my mom. The dream of having a house and family became blurry and out of sight. My choice of major may seem to be unclear for now, but sooner or later, I’ll eventually have to pick my final decision, work as much as possible to achieve success, and of course, have the career in my field of study. Youth of this generation, like me, will just have to strive harder to compete with others in the battlefield for jobs once we are out in the real world.

A Senior's Unclear Road

Colleges today have stepped up their requirements of those who are able to attend in their campus, and this is because of the demand of the society and the budget cuts from the state. Higher requirements and standards mean that students in high school have to also step up their game. Colleges, sadly, can take away acceptance of those who applied when suddenly, for some reason, starts to fail to meet the college's standard. Seniors, in their last year of high school, feels the pressure of going to college and, sometimes, could encounter challenges and failures along the way. Colleges can decline students who they think are unfit, but it is unnecessary for colleges to pull out acceptance of seniors, who have worked hard throughout of their high school years, but failed to meet the standards campuses required, when they encounter mistakes and miscalculations of their abilities.

If a senior is originally accepted from a campus, it means that he or she is able to meet their standards and requirements. A senior would not be accepted in the first place, if they don’t meet the demands of the colleges. It is justified that he or she can attend the college if he or she gets accepted, and that the college cannot pull out the acceptance, since they know she has the qualities to be in the college. Therefore, it is unfair for colleges to take back their words of acceptance to a student who worked hard to deserve the acceptance letter in the first place. However, colleges has their right to not give acceptance to a student to their campus, if they judge the student unfit for their college and could cause a negative reputation for their campus. Seniors who works hard can, however, also have their own downfall or mistakes.

Seniors often tries to challenge themselves or relax for their last year of school, and either way, it can cause to a miscalculation of their abilities or show lack of growth. Some students decide to take challenging classes, but ends up not achieving the grade the college is expecting from them. While other students decide to take the easy way out of their last year, but ends up not showing the growth as an individual and can be judged as someone who does not challenge themselves or not takes risks. Those who does not work hard at their last year of high school may not deserve an acceptance for their college, however for those who worked hard throughout, has to be accepted because of their quality of taking risks and giving full effort, which are the qualities most colleges look for. Colleges have their own expectation for their students and have a reputation they want to preserve.

Many students apply for colleges by showing the qualities the colleges want and by impressing them with what they have achieved. Seniors have to work hard in order to impress a college fit of their interest and be accepted to that college. For example, if a senior is trying to go to a UC, he or she has to take the SAT test or and the ACT test. The SAT test is time limited and the questions have different levels of difficulties, but can show a student’s average knowledge. If the senior trying to go to the UC, does not take any of the test and his or her experience and transcript in high school does not show effort and growth, then a college has their own right to refuse the senior who applied. Those are just some requirements most colleges require and it takes a senior who works hard to meet those requirements. Like what said earlier, if they get accepted, they surely do deserve it and is unfair for the college to take back the acceptance.

Colleges often reject students who do not meet their requirements and they can do that, however they cannot reject a student that is accepted initially, but in the end, rejected after few stumbles in their last year of high school. Students have to prove themselves to colleges that they can attend at their campus and the level of difficulty in applying can vary, but in the end, each and single student has to work hard for the position in that college. If students cannot show certain requirements to college, then it’ll be difficult for them to show much more difficult requirements a workplace would require them by the time they start working. 

Senior Year Highlights

Senior year has started and all the excitement and fear of what is to come, builds up with each passing days. I am quite excited to see how this year will turn out and scared that I might make mistakes that I would regret later on. When Junior year ended and results came out, I was pretty satisfied as to what I have done last year and I’m determined to keep it up, or even better, step it up. 

This year, I challenged myself this year by taking AP Calculus and Economic Honors/AP Government. The first week of school, as of now, did not previewed what is about to come this year. My AP Calculus class is, for now, somewhat laid back. This added to my fear, because I had AP US History last year, and the first week was already busy and full of work, but AP Calculus is staring out too slow and might go on full blast after I let my guard down. Unlike last year, I have two AP classes and I'll give more effort to fulfill a score of "5" and pass on both classes. Passing all of my classes and graduating, will be my biggest senior highlights of the year. After all the hard work, crossing the stage will be the most suited prize for not just me, but for everyone in my class. 

Another highlight of my senior year is when it is time to see the results of college applications we, the students, will be working hard for. Not everyone may be applying for the same college or university, but I do know that we all will be applying for some sort and its result will be one of our senior highlights. 

It is most likely that my biggest senior highlights will be the same as others, but my personal senior highlight is seeing my friends be proud of ourselves, and making the most special person in my life, my mom, proud when she sees me cross the stage.

Photo credit: www.free-extras.com