TOBACC-OH?

Image credit: nycva.org

Smoking in public areas has become a serious problem for smokers and non-smokers in California. Is sharing the same smoke a deal or deal breaker?

”It’s time to finally put the harm of smoking where it belongs — on smokers, smoking in public spaces ought to be punishable by a fine at least equivalent to that for littering,” The NY daily news said.

So how might one regulate the smoking on public school premises? It’s quite simple, just fine individuals. Students attending De Anza College in Cupertino, Calif. are  part of a smoke-free community college, which has designated smoking areas throughout its campus. 

Majority thinks that this would be the solution to this problem, but in fact De Anza students aren’t very pleased with the idea of being fined and is seen as an even bigger problem.

De Anza College, occupies approximately 22,000 active students each year. With this many individuals attending one campus, policies towards regulating the use of tobacco on school premises are “very exigent,” says 20-year-old,  philosophy major, Natalie Johnson. 

The article states that the dangers of second-hand smoke are much more serious than people think. Those who oppose believe that if skydiving and motorcycling are just as life-threatening why is that OK with the rest of society, but second hand smoke isn't?  

"I'm not saying I'm gonna go ahead and smoke my cigarette where ever I want because I understand not everyone likes the smell of it and it is a disgusting habit which I'm not proud of, but there are many other dangerous things on campus like those who drive 40 mph in the parking lot who can hurt me in an instant, or even the guy who sexually abused a girl in the bathroom, go worry about those guys, not the already polluted air that surrounds your campus ," Ryan Thompson, a future advertising major said.

Image crdit: deanza.edu

New laws, call for new policies, which then call for new fines. According to De Anza’s Smoking policy, anyone who is seen smoking outside of the designated smoking  areas marked with a star, will be fined.

For some students who are usual smokers said they find this policy a bit unnecessary and pointless. 

“Were all adults here, I understand the policy of only smoking in designated areas, but fines are completely pointless and selfish,” according to 22-year-old,  Francisco Villalobos, a business administration major.

 Not only are students upset with this policy, but the high paying price for these fines are an even bigger issue to most. 

“I’m not 12 years old to be punished for what I do wrong, and I am sure not paying more money to a school that already makes enough from my parents salary,” 23-year-old, accounting major Lisbeth Virrueta said.

“Being a college student is already enough money being spent, I can't afford paying for classes, books, parking, transcripts, and unfair fines” said Andrew Nguyen, a psychology major. “I don’t mind following these rules, as long as they are adequate and fair,” he added.

Most of the students said they would much rather prefer another punishment like receiving later registration dates, DASB card suspension, and even on-campus community service.

“I’m sure who ever came up with this policy did not consider a smoker’s perspective and probably didn’t care either, we’re college students, I'm a part time student I don't make much money but I also pay for my own education and I can barely afford to pay my gas for the week,” English major Tyler Bento said.

Not many students favor these rules but there are a few who appreciate it.and believe De Anza is doing the right thing not only for the school but for the community as well. So is this smoking policy a good idea?

Students agree the fees aren't as expensive and"many should consider themselves lucky to only have to pay a  fine under $100 and not a fine that's at least 3 figures, people pay over 5 dollars for a pack of cigarettes, 25 dollars isn't much," 19-year-old, engineering major Nick Lewis explained.

“I couldn’t agree with the smoking policy any more. Not only will this make a difference in our school, but I think this policy might want to actually make people quit smoking, we all want to live a long healthy life, and what better way than to start off at school?” Selina Garcia, 19-year old, business administration major said. 

   22 -year-old, film major  Hakwoo Kim, understands the way society is trying to have a "smoke-free" environment, but he feels that fining people is the most effective way.

Picking up the pieces

    It was a good day to be me today, although the weather had me wishing I never got out of bed this morning, I had a good breakfast and a positive attitude to get me by. To top things off, I got to spend time with one of my oldest middle school friends (who I haven't seen in 6 months.)
 
   I reflected on my day and I realized I probably had one of the best conversations with my friend than I've ever had in my lifetime.
                                         

    Can you forgive, and really forget?

   This question stuck to me all day. I've forgiven but have I really ever gotten over it? I mean we go through a ton of crap in our lives, but there are certain situations in which you can literally feel your heart breaking into little pieces, more than any other "devastating moment" you think you've ever had. Maybe this was caused by a huge disappointment, cheating scandal, death of a family member, or even a lie. Whatever the case may be have you ever asked yourself if you've completely gotten over it?

    I can relate very closely to this question. I know I've had some rough patches here and there, but there is one event that I knew broke my heart to pieces. When I look back at that moment all the same emotions run back through my body. Some of these emotions consist of an intense anger, and deep sorrow. Even though this "person" tried to make up for the mistake, a little bit of remorse stuck with me...and I can't help it. I can see why trust has been such an issue for me, along the sides of loyalty. 

   So why am I lying to myself, If I know I'm not happy?

   Who am I doing this a favor for? 

   Pretending that situation no longer hurts me has gotten me no where, imagine how much differently my life could be if I can take another route that doesn't involve me lying to myself.

   I'm typically the type of person who doesn't believe in second chances, so why am I being a hypocrite and contradicting myself?!

  I guess I do it because I feel too old for change and by change I mean starting over completely. I've lived my life in this routine for so long why change it now? Sometimes I don't understand why I'm not selfish. I tend put others before myself, but at the end of the day you realize life is too short to suffer. 

    You know when we were little kids and we put our imagination to use to create our dream goal? What happened to that side of us? It's still there, all you have to do is channel your inner 6 year old and have the sky be the limit. If you believe it you will achieve it, and I know how cliche that can sound but if you once believed you could color inside the lines, you can believe you will once again reach that state of genuine happiness. The kind that's so genuine you forget about all the other bullshit that ever got in your way.  

   I've promised myself to be the person I know I can be. There is no such thing as giving up. Slowly but surely I am picking up the pieces of happiness that shattered but I know I can put back together. Happiness hasn't really left me behind, you have to think of yourself as an inspiration. do what makes you happy!

It’s a bird, it’s a plane, It’s a Superman reboot worth watching!

With the ever popular fad of superhero action movies it is tough to standout from the pack, but Man of Steel is top tier even rivaling The Dark Knight Trilogy. Zack Snyder, the visionary Director of "300" and "The Watchmen," captures a different perspective of the Clark Kent (played by hunk Henry Cavill), that we have come to know and love from the comic books. With his flair for the dramatic and stylized way of filming Snyder’s superman is like nothing we have ever seen before.

Synder’s portrayal of Superman begins on Krypton where civil war has broken out over the destruction of the planets core. Jor-el acted by Australian tough guy Russell Crow, is the leading scientist who is pleading with Krypton’s counsel at one final attempt to save their planet until a coup, lead by the films antagonist, General Zod, played by Michael Shannon, has a few demands of himself. Flash forward thirty-three years to a grown up Clark, who must fight for the survival of planet earth once Zod and his gang of soldiers carry out unfinished business, add a couple of mind boggling CGI actions scenes, cue damsel in distress Lois Lane, and you have  Man of Steel in a nut shell. 

Zack Snyder has become known in the movie industry for his unique high-end comic book inspired cinematography and ruthless fighting scenes. Man of Steel is not any different. From start to finish it is a visual masterpiece. Snyder is able to capture emotion with strong character development during life changing events in Clark’s upbringing. Where as an audience feels as if they really understand Superman’s morals and ethics once that country boy from “Smallville” officially puts on the red cape. With a breath of fresh air, Man of Steel interpreted a modern day Superman, diminishing the juvenile fantasy feel that so often accompanied the previous Superman movies. 

With a run time of just under two and a half hours, audiences may grow weary as to the predictability of the progression of the story. With the ever simple, bad guy seeking revenge while one man must stand and fight for the sake of the world, there are not many places for the story to take a twist.  However, audiences seemed too distracted by Henry Cavill flying around in blue spandex to notice the cliché climax.  

Snyder has created an emotional understanding of Clark Kent while delivering breath taking visuals, that has left audiences mesmerized. Man of Steel is a must see and definitely worth the price of admission as a legitimate blockbuster, whether it is your love for action, cutting edge cinematography, good looking actors, or if you are a sucker for the sensitive stuff, Man of Steel delivers. 

Got Fall Out Boy?

Who ever knew Fall Out Boy would have such a GREAT comeback as they did this past Sunday night, at Oakland's Fox Theater?! Besides being a forever faithful fan, Fall Out Boy blew me away in awe. Sunday's show had me wishing the night never ended. The band was great at playing some of their all time hits, and showing an immense amount of energy for those fans who waited throughout the hiatus of 5 years. Besides not being able to move a single arm with all the people that literally had me suffocating and slowly crushing my bones, I had the time of my life. Words really don't do this night any justice, the excitement that filled my heart that night is indescribable. Releasing their album just 3 weeks before this show had me and other fans excited for the next world tour starting in San Francisco this September, in which I will also be attending. I am so happy my favorite band made an amazing comeback after all these years of waiting, and I am more happy to have witnessed this amazing show front row and center!

Blog #10

The three most valuable things that I learned about feature writing is the creativity, the engagement and the structure behind it. I think feature writing is probably the most fun I've had writing in a while. I feel like this class has improved my writing in a way where I was able to find myself. I figured out what tone I set for my readers, how my writing describes the type of person I am, and how everyone's writing techniques are unique. This course helped me decide that Feature Profile's are my favorite type of writing. I like to ask questions, I like to engage in conversations, I like to write about other people, and most of all I like to get to know individuals on a personal level. This is probably the most fun I had writing this course.

My least favorite type of writing is the Investigation/ Enterprise stories. Although mentioned before, I like asking questions, I do not like the research that is involved with enterprise stories. I feel like this writing style is very time consuming and possibly boring. Maybe my topic didn't interest me as much, or maybe I really just don't like researching, but enterprise stories and I don't go well together.

What's next for me you ask? I will continue to keep a blog, take other writing courses, and eventually get a job where I would continue to write Personal Profiles.

Blog #8

I have the perfect person to interview for 6.9. I am interviewing a friend of a friend named Gianni Ullio. I chose Gianni because although we hang out with the same group of people, I've never really gotten to know him on a personal level. He is a very interesting guy full of personality and there is never a dull moment when he is in the room. Through out this interview, I hope I learn what his plans for the future are and what kind of guy he is at home and to his close friends. He is very open and friendly and I have a few interesting questions for him, so I know I won't have any problems trying to capture any quotes. I am really looking forward to writing this profile because I've never done an interview before and because I get to know someone I know a little better.

Blog #7

In the handout titled “What is enterprise reporting," I learned a few things I found helpful. One of them was that reporters always tend to look for changes. A change , is considered  something new, which is what reporters write about. Also, reporters try to look for changes that occur over time, in other words a "trend." These changes or trends make great enterprise stories, considering the amount of information that could be gathered. This information will really help me out on my 6.6 exercise in a way of picking an angle for my story, this way I can be able to elaborate and include more detailed information. 

I personally am not a fan of enterprise/investigative reporting because I don't think I have the patience for it. It is a very time consuming activity, and although it is a very interesting form of reporting, I don't feel very strong about my performance in this area.