We Are the Future

We are the future
with our spikes and chains,
our baggy pants,
And unused brains
We are the future
With our belly shirts,
Hooker boots,
In mini skirts
We are the future
with our torn up jeans,
our rude t-shirts,
Wearing diamond rings
We are the future
With our high dollar clothes,
our rap music,
Pink polished toes
We are the future
And our parents hope and pray
That we'll all grow out
Of this someday

Kansas Johnson

Family Knows Best

I recently spoke with my uncle who is a family and child psychiatrist. Since I am majoring in psychology, I decided to ask him about his experiences in college. He said he did a lot of community service because helping people was his main concern. He is very happy with his career and now has his own practice. He only has to see a few people a couple times a week to make a significant amount of money. He makes his own schedule and sees his patients when they are both available. Most of his time is spent with his family and that is what I admire most about him. He was able to send both his kids to college and support his wife while she was out of work for many years taking care of the children. They didn’t go through times of struggle because they were always both well off. He also reassured me that medical school was no joke. It took up all his time for four years so he had to be very devoted. This would not work for me because I want to start having my children at the time that I would be in med school and I want the majority of my time to be spent with them. My conversation with my uncle was very enlightening and inspiring and I hope to grow up to have a life similar to his because he loves what he does and he is happy.

Wherever Life Takes Me

When I was younger all I wanted to do was become a pediatrician. I love children and all I want is to see them smile. Helping children is my fantasy career but we all can’t have our cake and eat it too. In order to become this dream profession I would have to attend medical school and complete a two year internship. I would also like to have my own practice and that takes a lot of time and patience, which I have a lot of. I would definitely be well off financially and not have to work for anyone. The only problem with this vision is that I want to start my family at a young age because I plan to have three offspring. Starting my own family is the most important thing on my agenda for the future. I want to live for my family, not for my career. If I was to attempt to pursue my daydream while beginning my family at the age of, let’s say 25, things would be a lot more difficult. Of course it is possible, but I would not be able to spend the time and focus on my husband and children like I would want to. I could get a live-in nanny, but I want to raise my kids, not some stranger that I would have to gain trust for. I could start my family and then engage in the continuation of my studies later on in life but, because it is such a long process to become a pediatrician, I would rather jump right into it right after undergraduate school.
I have given this topic a lot of thought and I have talked to many people for advice and guidance on the right route to take. I have decided to pursue a major in psychology which is my second choice of professions. Of course I would be a child psychologist and probably study diseases of youth such as autism, turrets, and other disorders that are not known much about. I am really interested in how the brain works and why things happen. Math and science were always my best subjects while growing up so I know I want to do something in the medical field. Helping people that are ill is important to me, whether it is mentally or physically. My other option is to become a physician’s assistant. They are just like doctors but without the medical school. Of course they do not have as much authority but they still can perform doctor’s tasks such as giving physicals, writing prescriptions, and making important decisions even though it all occurs under the doctor’s supervision. I would just try to become a physician’s assistant to a pediatric professional to incorporate my love of kids. I am still not sure of which path I will take but I know I still have time to make my decision.

Do they Deserve It?

The article Living Beneath the Surface, Unocumented and Unsure, reminds us that illegal immigrants are a major issue in the United States today. There are thousands of them all around us that try their best to blend in with society. Now Governor Eliot Spitzer wants to help these people accomplish this task by letting them get their driver’s license. According to him, this will reduce the rate of “hit and run accidents and other burdens imposed by uninsured drivers”. Even though this will not make them a citizen in any way, he thinks this is a good idea. Spitzer and his administration believe this will save $120 million a year in premiums that now cover the costs of those who are uninsured.
Undocumented immigrants are everywhere and would be extremely difficult to get rid of. But Governor Spitzer’s proposal is not the solution. I believe this is giving them an opportunity to stay in the United States. It makes them feel that we know about them being illegal, but its okay. And that is not the message we should be sending. This will only encourage more illegal immigrants to come across the border and over seas.
Most of these individuals use each other to become successful in this country. Because they do not have a social security number, they cannot do a number of things. It becomes impossible to get a credit card, a mortgage (due to no credit), automobile insurance, and even a telephone plan. Everything has to be done under someone else’s name that is actually a citizen. They network with each other to get by. And now the government wants to assist them.
According to Nicholas DiMarzio, the Roman Catholic bishop of Brooklyn, “There is a demand for the labor provided by immigrants, but no coherent system for recognizing their presence in society.” There is no straightforward solution to this problem that we face everyday. No one wants to admit that we subconsciously support their behavior by hiring them, buying their products, and letting them do things that “we” do not want to. They are around us and we see them everyday, but no one wants to say anything because, in the long run, they helped America to be what it is today. The reality is that it is wrong, but what are we as a society going to do?

New Years Ball

This New Year’s Eve will be the 100th anniversary of the custom of the ball dropping at midnight. It will also be the first time that the ball will be “green” according to environmental specialists. The new outer design of this ball will make it brighter as well as more energy efficient. The new structure also allows it to display 16 million different colors but only 25 vivacious ones will be used for this occasion. It will also be able to display video, such as flickering flames or the rippling stars of the American flag. Because of the new and improved lighting system using L.E.D.’s, they will use 87 percent less watts than the bulbs from last year but they will produce the same amount of light.
Dropping the ball has been a tradition for many years. It started as a way for everyone to synchronize their clocks. “Beginning in the early 1800’s, iron balls were lowered from poles in port at noon each day so sailors could set their clocks and calculate the rate of error of their chronometers.” The ball went through many changes over time, including adding rhinestones to make it more attractive. It used to be lowered the 77 feet in New York City by six men, but now cables run by computers do the hard work. And when the night is over, the ball goes into a vault 50 feet under 1 Times Square to rest beside the previous ball.
I can’t wait until December 31 at midnight so I can be part of the first generation to witness this brilliant and beautiful achievement. Not many people know what to expect, but they know it will be great and something they will never forget. I also think it is great that they are setting an example to everyone that new and improved also means friendly to our planet.

Black Friday

According to this website, "The idea behind the term "Black Friday" is that this is the day in which retail stores have enough sales to put them "in the black" - an accounting expression that alludes to the practice of recording losses in red and profits in black." During this day, stores will open early and and many discount promotions are offered to their customers. They also mark this as the beginning of the holiday shopping season.
I did not go out this Black Friday because of the hectic people that were going to be on the roads, in parking lots, and in the stores. I used to work in retail so I know how crazy it can get in there. It was the worst to work on this day because everyone comes out just to get the sales and save money on electrical appliances, clothes, shoes, and all sorts of merchandise. It is also the best day to begin your Christmas shopping due to these circumstances.
It is like heaven for shoppers but a hell hole for employees who have to stay long hours to clean up the horrid mess that all the customers have made. The other trick to this "holiday" is that the sales don't last forever. They normally are just morning sales so you will have people lined up along the outside of the stores with tents and chairs just waiting for those doors to open. All of this maddness is why I did not go out on the Friday after Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving Quotes

Thanksgiving dinners take eighteen hours to prepare. They are consumed in twelve minutes. Half-times take twelve minutes. This is not coincidence. -Erma Bombeck

I love Thanksgiving turkey... it's the only time in Los Angeles that you see natural breasts. -Arnold Schwarzenegger

An optimist is a person who starts a new diet on Thanksgiving Day. -Irv Kupcinet

The pilgrims made seven times more graves than huts... nevertheless, set aside a day of thanksgiving. -H. W. Westermayer

We're having something a little different this year for Thanksgiving. Instead of a turkey, we're having a swan. You get more stuffing. -George Carlin

I celebrated Thanksgiving in an old-fashioned way. I invited everyone in my neighborhood to my house, we had an enormous feast, and then I killed them and took their land. -Jon Stewart

Thanksgiving is an emotional holiday. People travel thousands of miles to be with people they only see once a year. And then discover once a year is way too often. -Johnny Carson

May your stuffing be tasty. May your turkey plump, may your potatoes and gravy have nary a lump. May your yams be delicious. And your pies take the prize, and may your Thanksgiving dinner stay off your thighs! -Anonymous

My mother is such a lousy cook that Thanksgiving at her house is a time of sorrow. -Rita Rudner

Thanksgiving, man! Not a good day to be my pants. -Kevin James

Gangs of New York Tour

The tour was not very exciting. It was a repetition of the tour we went on for orientation. There was hardly any refrence to the gangs of New York. I did learn new things about the city, but it was definetly not what I was expecting. Maybe the freezing cold weather and my inappropiate attire was affecting my participation and concentration level becuase I did not find the trip enjoyable. But I am still glad that I went for the experience. I saw many different types of people. From homeless individuals sleeping on the street to high classs business workers. Chinatown was the most interesting part of the trip to me. The culture there is so similar to actually being in China (I assume). even the streets and sidewalks look different from the rest of the city. I felt like the residents were looking at us differntly because they knew we were "tourists" in a way. Some of them were even trying to listen in a little. It seemed like they wanted to know if what our tourguide was saying was correct in their eyes. It was kind of humorous to me.

Death

Death is sudden or slow but always painful. If not to the person, then to the loved ones who care. It is never easy for anyone to cope with death but it is something that we all eventually have to face. It is a natural part of life but sometimes comes at the wrong points in time. No one can exactly predict death because it takes its own course and has a mind of its own. It doesn't care about who it is leaving behind because it has no feelings. It is unfortunate when a parent has to bury their child because it just doesn't seem right for them to pass before the elder. It is unfortunate to die as an innocent bystander that has nothing to do with the hostile situation around them. It is unfortunate for young children do die of diseases that doctors have no cure for and a cause unknown. Nothing heals the pain of death but time soothes it and thats all we have. Time and each other.

The Surcease of Sorrow

© By Kelly L. Delaney


Do not stand at my grave and weep.
I am not there, I do not sleep.
I am the sparkle in the snow.
I am the shredded leaves that blow.
I am the sunlight on growing grain.
I am the gentle summer rain.
I am the quiet bird at night.
Circling about; Taking flight.
So do not stand at my grave and weep.
I am not there, I do not sleep.

Beneath the Clock

Beneath the clock I’m waiting expectantly
Awaiting my blind date a little nervously
He’s late but I don’t mind, at least not yet
He’ll have a good reason no doubt, I bet
He’s here at last and only an hour late
A good-looking man it was worth the wait
A kiss on the cheek and a smile how terrific
Oh but his breath could stop the traffic
But nobody’s perfect and he has a kind face
And he’s booked a table at an exclusive place
The restaurant looks fine, very expensive
Let’s hope appearances are not deceptive
The food is poor, and the service shambolic
His conversation is dull and monosyllabic
He drinks too excess and slobbers his food
His table manners are nothing short of rude
His drinking is driving me around the bend
I really can’t wait for the evening to end
The bill arrives and I’m asked to pay half
My immediate reply “you’re having a laugh”
He leaps to his feet and explodes with fury
Then falls backwards into the shrubbery
I throw him a look of contempt and disdain
Embarrassed I leave saying “never again”
How could I have known it would go so amiss?
I just can’t believe I shaved my legs for this

Oprah

Oprah Winfrey is my role modle. She has been through so much in her life from living in poverty to being molested by her cousin, uncle, and close family friend at the age of nine. Ms. Winfrey is now the richest African American of the 20th century and the world's only black billionaire for three years straight! She does so much for the community with this money. She is not selfish in any way. She has her own charity and opened Oprah Winfrey's Leadership Academy for girls in South Africa in Janurary of this year.
She is influential to women of all ages and races. Her book club inspires people to read novels and books that change their lives. Her opinion is valued by billions of individuals all over the world. Oprah's show covers topics that intrest everyone and help them at the same time. I love her so much and dream of meeting her in the future. My life would then be complete.

Family

Today was Family Day at St. John's. My mother and niece were fortunate enough to be able to join me in celebrating this event. It was really nice to see all the loved ones of the students and the proud faces on the parent's faces knowing that their children are excelling in their educations and being involved with the St. John's community. My mom was especially proud to see me sing in the choir.
It's days like today that make you realize how important your family is and how lucky we are to have them around. People came from all over just to show us that they cared. My family is the most important thing to me because without them, I wouldn't be who I am today.

Experience

Experience guides us through life. Without experience with certain things, we can't form our opinions on them. You can not say that you don't like seafood if you have never tried it. This type of reasoning is obvious to unexperienced adolescents. Alcohol, drugs, and promescuity are all things that they know are wrong beacause that is what they are taught. But they must always try things for themselves to form their own opinions. This is when they get into trouble. I know understand the struggle and hardship that it takes to be a parent of a teens because I am now the aunt of one. My neice has just entered her first year in highschool, and my mind goes crazy everytime she tells me that she plans to go out on a Friday or Saturday night beacuse I know what is out there. I know because I have been through all the peer pressure and experimenting that teenage social events have to offer.
My neice would never think to take my advice on something if her friends have told her otherwise because of the age that she has reached. Peers have more influence on young people's lives than their parents and other respectable elders do at the adolescent age. I don't blame her because I was the same way a couple of years ago. But I have learned through my own "experience" what is right from what is wrong. You won't truely believe in something until you have actually gone through it yourself.

T.I.

Rapper T.I was arrested on Saturday just hours before his scheduled performance on the BET Hip Hop awards. He now faces ten years for trying to have his bodygaurd purchase firearms for him while being a convicted felon. He attempted to buy three machine guns and two silencers. The man who was supposed to sell him the goods was cooperating with the police. After a search of his house in Atlanta, Georgia they also found a walk in safe that required fingerprints to get in filled with weapons.
This is very disappointing to fans like me who would have never thought that half the topics he rapped about could have been true. Hopefully he will not be charged for this mishap and he will be able to continue his career, but I doubt it. By the time he comes out of prison, he will be 37 years old and probably looking to retire rather than start from scratch again after so much time.
This is also disappointing to me because I have younger cousins and friends who listen to T.I and now will get the wrong impression of rappers. You try to teach them not to do bad things, but then you have their idols getting arrested left and right. They think it is the only way to go now-a-days to make money. Sell drugs, rap, or play ball is the only life they know in the majority of the black community and its sad.

Crunch Time

And it's a field goal!!! Pure joy and excitement came over me when the oblong, brown ball went through the tall yellow posts. No one can explain the sheer happiness I felt. Jumping, skipping, clapping, screaming, laughing, not even crying could express my feelings.

My favorite sport to watch on television is football. I am a devoted Cowboys fan. They have their ups and downs but so far this season, they are undefeated. Tonight's game was close and Tony Romo threw five intercepted balls! The Bills were in the lead the whole entire game but just when everyone thought it was over for Dallas, they came through. Buffalo tried to call a time out right before the last kick, but they did it again with ease to win the game. I'm glad they didn't give up even though everyone was losing hope. The Bills even thought they won with only 20 seconds on the clock and began to celebrate, but fate had a different plan. It's always possible to achieve something no matter what the odds are. The cowboys always give me inspiration with their unique tactics and determined players and thats why their my favorite team in the NFL.

Man Power

According to this article, "On Saturday, British adventurer Jason Lewis finally came home, completing a 13-year, 46,000-mile human-powered circumnavigation of the globe. " He used inline skates, a kayak, a bicycle, and a pedal boat. There were many obsticles such as huge waves, winds, a car accident, a whale, crocodiles, imprisonment for being a "spy" and many other challenges. The trip was only expected to take three and a half years but numerous setbacks occured. Jason took breaks for weeks at a time and had 9 months in the hospital when he got hit by a car on his bike and broke both his legs.
There are many things that people set out to do but never accomplish. When you hear about those like Mr. Lewis, you are inspired and motivated to go after your dreams no matter how big becuase there are always people achieving the impossible.

Do You Remember?

According to Wikipedia.com, "memory is an organism's ability to store, retain, and subsequently retrieve information." Memory can be sparked by any of your five senses. If someone says something to you that reminds you of an event that occured, you will begin to reminisce. The same will take place if you see, smell, taste, or touch something with significance to the occasion. Humans store a lot of information in their brains. Everything that happens to us and that we learn are retained in our head. It depends on how often we go back to this information to decide how well we will remember it. If something major has happened to you, such as a car accident, it will go into your long term memory base. Everytime you go in a car, drive past that spot or someone brings up a related incident, you will be reminded of your tragedy. If you've lost a loved one, various things will stimulate the memory of them frequently.
We use our memory for many things in life. Work, and school are places where it is crucial to get ahead but we also use it without even thinking about. Life thrives on memory and without it we would be nowhere.

Shooting?

Yesterday, there was a gunman on the Queens campus. He was wearing a George Bush mask, black hooded sweatshirt, and carrying a rifle. No one knows what his intent was but the thought was terrifying. I'm glad the school was able to take control of the situation and arrest him. They also locked down the campus to keep the students safe. In this article, it states how security was able to unarm the suspect without harm. It also has a quote from the gunman's father saying he is on heavy medication from back surgery and he has been acting strange ever since.
Knowing that I go to St. John's University, my family and friends were worried. I got phone calls throughout the day making sure I was ok and that there was no disturbance in my area. The only person that didn't reach me was my mother, who I would have thought to be the first person to contact me. When I asked her reason for not calling, she said she didn't want to worry me. That was humorous to me because I was hesitant to inform her due to the same reason. One of my closest friends text me to see how I was doing because she says that on the news they didn't even varify which campus this event occured on and she prayed that it wasn't mine. When events like this happen, you realize how important your life is and how it can be gone in the blink of an eye because it easily could have been St. John's on Staten Island.

Literacy Autobiography

I’ve been writing for as long as I can remember. Throughout the years I’ve gotten better but I’m still not at the plateau I would like to be. The reason is probably because writing is not one of my interests or strong points.
In the first grade is when I wrote my first book. It was about five pages long with about two sentences per page. Filled with mostly colorful drawings and large hand written font, it was my biggest achievement at the time which took me about a month to complete. I was excited to share it with the class and have my family and friends read it.
Since then, writing has been a more of a burden than an enjoyable task that I have had to accomplish to get through the education system. I don’t have much writing experience because I would always find ways to avoid taking classes where writing would be a major part of the curriculum. But we all have to take English for four years to graduate high school. And those research papers are mandatory to pass the class. So gritting my teeth and biting my nails, I would fight through it. Writing has become slightly more placid through the years but it is still not my idea of fun. I am always open to learning new ways to better improve my skills so writing will be more pleasurable.
Hopefully I will soon come to the point in my writing career where I can say that I take pleasure in composing assignments.

Pressure

There is always pressure in life. The pressure to be a good daughter, friend, and student are my biggest ones at this point in my life. Now that I am in college, it is my duty to keep in touch with thoses that are still at home. Friends at different schools, friends that moved away and new friends on campus. Parents put pressure on me to make the good decisions while I am away. They count on me to be the perfect role model for my neice and always do the right thing. Staying out of toruble and doing well in school are their major concerns for me. Professors have high expectations for new college students and want to see them succeed.
Pressure is what gets me through life. Without pressure there would be no motivation to move forward and get ahead. My strive to do better comes the pressure that everyone puts on me and the pressure that I put on myself. I know the goals that I wish to achieve and pressure helps me reach them.

Transition

The transition into college is smooth so far. There are only a few major changes. One being that I can't see my family as often as I used to. I've decided to go home every other weekend so I don't get too homesick. I speak to them on the phone frequently to cath up on current issues at home but this is not the same as coming home from school and seeing them after work. Cooking is another major obstacle that I have to face. None of my roommates or myself can be considered chefs. So we feast on snacks and fast food. The cafeteria is a safe haven to get something more nutritious, but they don't have a wide variety and their weekend hours are not as convienent as I had hoped. Sandwiches, salads, snack wraps, and burgers with fries get tiring after a while. I can't eat the same thing for too many days in a row because I get fed up with food very easily. Another thing we all have to get used to is cleaning. No one is around to tell me to tidy up or wash the dishes, so everything becomes a mess after a while and the task becomes more and more of a pain. Managing my time is one more thing I have to get used to. Classes are longer than in highschool and they are not held everyday. So I have to know when to do each subject's homework and keep up with the classes so I don't fall behind. There aren't a lot of consequences when you are out on your own so you have to learn to deal with a lot of things by yourself and make wise decisons. Knowing that everyone around me is dealing with all the same stressful changes makes it a lot easier to cope with my transition. That's why I know this new chapter in my life will be a successful one.