This week i wrote about different things.  Heres the count:

Peer review day : 148

Education Reform Obama vs Clinton : 835

OH…Life : 369

Total : 1352

I need to take some time today to write about the things that have been going on in my life.  I feel things have been going out of control.  I am so tired and fed up with everything.  Lately, I have been trying to find a new apartment and it is so unbelievably hard.  The first time I looked for an apartment was easy.  I went online and saw the apartment and took it.  Now, its like I cant find anything.  It is very stressing.  I feel like I am working like crazy and I fell like I cant complain because there are people at my job who are dying for more hours and if I give up my hours, what if they don’t schedule me and what if I don’t make enough money.  At school I feel like the work just keeps piling up.  Some of my classes this semester require so much work, hence the reason I am writing this blog.  Some classes have so much reading involved, like my philosophy.  We read like 100 pages a week.  I no that my not sound like a lot but, that English, speech, education, and science plus working 40 hours a week.  Sometimes I think it is too much.  I think can I really handle work and school.  My friends go out all the time and party and have fun.  I just do the school thing and work.  I do go out every once and a while but not compared to my friends.  I also have a boyfriend, which I have been with for like ever.  We have been together for 4 years.  That is a long time.  It is also one more important thing I have to balance out with work, school, and family.  I have to say, he keeps me sane.  I don’t know what I would do with out him.  He also helps me keep my priorities straight, but lately he has been busy with work and school just like me.  I wish things could just be easier.  I honestly cant wait for summer break.  I would love to go on a vacation and relax on the beach.  Is it just me that feels like this??? 

Everyday on the news we hear about the potential candidates for president, the primaries and caucuses, the speeches they make, how they argue with each other, and about their debates.  But from all this information I never seem to understand why I should vote for them.  From watching television, I never hear anything about their plans for change and why they should be president.  I mean then again I’m not one to sit down and watch the debates or speech and I’m am sure that many of you don’t either because of our crazy schedules with work and school and homework and social lives, we just don’t have time.  So I would like to take the time to let everyone know about Barack Obama’s and Hilary Clinton’s ideas and plans on how to make our education system better.  

So currently there is policy called no child left behind, I am sure that many of people have herd of it.  This policy was made to help improve the performance of the US elementary and secondary schools.  Obama feels that the goal of the law is good, but it is not being carried out properly and it is under funded.  Obama wants to start funding the law.  He wants to improve the assessments used to track student progress.  Obama also will starts supporting the schools the need improvement rather than punishing them.

Obama also has many plans for early childhood development.  This includes the zero to five plan, which is a plan to provide support to young children and their parents.  It places emphasis on early care and education for infants.  He wants children ready when they enter kindergarten.  He will create an Early Learning Challenge Grants to promote state efforts to move for voluntary universal pre-schools.  Obama also wants to quadruple Early head start and in crease head start funds.  He also feel the quality for both need to be improved.  Head start is a program which helps children that live in low income families.  Along with head start, Obama wants to provide affordable and high quality child care to ease the burden on working families.

Obama wants to help out the teachers.  It said on his website that 30% of new teacher change profession within the first five years.  He will create scholarships for young people who want to become teacher by either paying for 4 years of undergrad or 2 years of grad in exchange for them teaching in a high need area for at least 4 years. He will require all schools of education to be accredited.  He will also make a plan that pairs new teachers with more experienced teachers, to have a mentoring program.  He also will create a plan that will increase teachers pay and reward teacher who are great with better pay.

For higher education Obama will simplify the process for financial aid.  Yes, this includes the dreadful Fafsa form that college students need to fill out every year.  He plans on making it an option to check when you do your taxes so we would no longer have to fill out a separate application with same exact information.  He also wants to create the American opportunity tax credit which will make sure that the first 4000 dollars of a child college education is free for most Americans.  He also wants to make community colleges free for most students.   This all sound great right? 

Well Clinton also has some great ideas for education reformation.

For early childhood education, she plans on getting children ready for school.  She wants to have nurse home visitation programs to help new parents develop parenting skills.  She also wants to improve quality child care and head start.  She wants to require Pre kindergarten for all four year olds.

For K-12 Clinton wants recruit thousands of more outstanding teachers.   She wants to cut the minority dropout rate in half.  She will create more green schools to reduce energy costs and eliminate environmental hazards in schools.  She will expand early intervention mentoring programs to help children aspire for college and successful jobs.  She wants to double after school programs so that child can have a safe and stimulating place to be between 3 and 6pm. 

For college education Clinton plans on making college more affordable and accessible to all Americans.  She wants to create a new college tax credit and also increase the maximum Pell Grant.  She wants to strengthen community colleges.  And she would like to challenge selective colleges to expand access for students from low income communities.

Both Obama and Clinton have great ideas for education reformation.  It just makes a difference on whose idea you like better.  The ideas of these people are the reason everyone who can vote should go out and do it.  WE HAVE the power to choose who we want to vote for.  To find out more about the ideas of any presidential candidate you should check out their websites (Obama, Clinton), they are very easy to navigate around.

In english class today, we had a peer review on our essays.  We got into small groups of about three or four.  Then everyone in the group read their essay out loud.  Next, the people who were listening took about two to five minutes to answer: what works, what doesn’t work, and any questions that they have about the essay.  Then we asked each other questions that we had personally about our own essay.  Unfortunatley my group ran out of time and was unable to ask each other questions and how to change our papers.  One thing that I felt about my essay was that my interviews we not the greatest and the feed back was that I should chop it up a little and insert directions.  My group members were Matt and Josue.  If you want to check out there blogs they write on some interesting things.

Here is my peer review draft of my second essay.  I think it has gotten better since the first time i wrote it.  Enjoy and leave any comments that could make it better. Thank you!!

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This week i wrote about many different topics, this is the word count! 

Arius and The Council of Nicaea: 972

My father, my hero: 624

Blogging 102: 202

total word count:  1798

Something I came across while trying to figure out how to promote blogs is the content of what is written.  The content is extremely important.  I can see for my own experience that when I write things that people care about or find an interest in, they read what I have to say.  I feel that it also applies to the blogs that I read.  When a title is catchy I will read what is written, but when the title is boring or something I don’t find interest in I don’t even bother. 

I also noticed that when I wrote things from the heart, things that really meant something to me people had more of a tendency to comment on what I had to say.  Now when I when I was writing things just to write assignments for English class people didn’t read my blog posts.  By writing on an everyday basis about things that matter to me and to other people I could better promote my blog.  Although I do admit I tend to be a bit busy to write everyday, I am going to try harder, to increase my readership and I am sure it could improve my writing skills.

My father and came to the United States from Argentina when he was six years old with my grandmother and two aunts.  My grandfather had moved to this country three years before they did.  When the four of them arrived to New York City my grandfather told my grandmother that he no longer wanted to be with her and was leaving with another woman.  This left my grandmother with the hassle of caring for three children and paying all the bills all on her own.  In order to pay the bills and try to feed the children, my grandmother had to work three jobs a day seven day a week.  She was home only six hours at night.  My father being the oldest was forced to take care of the house, go to school, and take care of his two little sisters. 

            They lived in such a bad area that at night my father and aunts had to stay up and sleep in front of the door with a baseball bat and kitchen knives to keep degenerates from breaking into their apartment.  With my grandmother never being home my father had to cook and clean.  Once he told me the hardest part was the cooking.  He said there were times when there was not enough food for all of them, sometimes there was nothing at all.  He would give up his meals to makes sure his little sisters had something to eat.    My father was flooded with responsibilities that weren’t his.

            When my father turned thirteen he had to get a job to help my grandmother with the bills.  At this point my aunt, who was the middle child, was old enough to take care of her younger sister.  This made it possible for my father to help out.  His first job was stuffing pillows in a factory.  He would go to school during the day and after classes he would work until eight at night.  Then he would go home cook dinner, clean the house, and then do the same thing the next day. 

            My father worked hard all through high school and when he finished was offered a position as an automotive mechanic at a car shop around the corner from where he lived.  Life for his family had gotten better.  My grandmother no longer had to work three jobs because her other children also started working and helping out in the house, so things started to look up.  My father had more of a life for himself.  A few years later my father was able to open his own automotive shop.  He struggled to get himself out there but he did.  He was successful for a long time until he was forced to give the shop up due to bigger companies putting him out of business.  One of his friends had told him that a union called Local 29 was hiring new people and he should go try out for a job.  Local 29 is a blasters, drill runners, and laborers union.  My father did get the job there.

            Shortly after his new career change my father met my mother.  After a year of dating they were married and two years later they had me.  After my birth my parents decided they wanted to buy a big home.  They moved to Pennsylvania and bought a beautiful house.  My father continues to work in New York and commute home to Pennsylvania everyday.  All through my life my father has told me his stories of hardship and that he never wants me to be in a situation like he was.  He wants me to work hard and follow my heart to do great things.  My father is my inspiration.  He is my hero.  

            The Council of Nicaea was put together by Emperor Constantine.  Constantine united all of the Roman Empire and become the only emperor.  Constantine decided that now all of the political problems were at peace and now all religious problems needed to have peace.  The business of the council was to discuss the divinity of Jesus.  They needed to address the wording of the New Testament.  

            Emperor Constantine wrote to bishops of every country to come to Nicaea.  It is said that there were three hundred and nineteen people at the council but according to records only three hundred and eighteen names were recorded.  Every time the bishops rose there were three hundred and nineteen but when everyone sat down there were only three hundred eighteen.  It is suggested that it was the Holy Spirit.  Most of the bishops who were at the council were Greek, although some were Latin. 

            It is not exactly sure the date when the council first came together.  It is unsure because of Constantine and the dates of arrival.  By multiple sources it is said that the council convened on May 20, 325.  The year is not disputed in any way but the dates are.  The Emperor arrived on June 14, when it is said that the sessions properly began.  The date of May 20 is indicated by Socrates and by the Acts of the Council of Chalcedon. 

            The Council met in Nicaea.  This is modern day Turkey, a small town Iznik.  Originally the council was supposed to meet in Ancyra, but Constantine wanted it to be closer to his military headquarters.  The place of Nicaea was also chosen because of its location.  It was easily accessed from the locations of most of the bishops.  It was especially easy for the places of Asia, Syria, Palestine, Egypt, Greece, and Thrace.   It was also a great place to assemble a large number of bishops.  The council was held in the principal church, and in the central hall of the imperial palace.

During the councils meetings, the members came up with the most important document of Christianity, The Nicene Creed.  The wording of the creed is mainly taken from the New Testament.  The Nicene Creed is a written formula of belief of Christians. 

It was meant to strengthen the fellowship of the churches.  The Nicene Creed summarizes the biblical facts of the bible into one easy memorized saying, so everyone can follow and practice it. Also the creed makes the point of Jesus’ divine nature.  The choice of the wisdom of God over the wisdom of humans is considered the single most important theological decision.  This creed has been recited for nearly seventeen centuries.  It is a secure foundation of Christianity belief.  It is a result of long deliberations and struggles.  The Nicene Creed wants to show that the saving action and the trinity is worked out in the body of Christ.  Throughout history the creed has been altered in terms to make it easily understood.  At first the creed was only said during sacred times but eventually became a daily reputation of faith.

As soon as this creed came about all but five were willing to sign it how it was.  They felt it held all the ancient faith of the Apostolic Church.  Soon the number was reduced to only three people who wouldn’t sign.  They were exiled and works were destroyed.  This creed was brought about by a unanimous voted forced by Emperor Constantine.    

Arius was born in Egypt and became a priest in Alexandria.  Arius was taught by St. Lucian of Antioch.  Arius is seen as the “Father of Arianism” because he taught almost all of the followers of this belief.  Arius’ problem was with the trinity.  He thought that Jesus was not god himself but, a quality of God.  Jesus was a creation of God and not held in the same standard.  Jesus was an agent in creation.

            Soon after Arius’ teaching started to spread, problems began to arise.  Alexander the bishop did not like what Arius was teaching and brought it to the attention of the priests and deacons.  Alexander disagreed with what Arius was teaching and wanted it banned.  Alexander held a synod of the bishops in Egypt and Libya.  At this synod they argued of what to do with Arius.  They decided to condemn and exile Arius.  This desion was eighty out of one hundred.  With this Arius fled to Palestine.  In Palestine, Arius was accepted because some of the priest and bishops agreed with his point of view.   With Arius’ gain of followers he condemned Bishop Alexander’s view of Jesus being one with God.

            Arius’ opinion was looked at seriously by the council.  They did not know at first of how to regard his views.  The wording of the bible did make a bit of a point in his favor.  Arius even used words and quotes directly from the bible to make his point come across stronger.  The opponents on each side were very well versed in all

the scriptures.  Arius was called to council many times and questioned.  It was argued about for a long time.  Eventually Bishop Alexander point of view and change of wording won over the point of view of the over all bishops.

The council was made to have every member agree and sign the final product.  The majority of bishops agreed with the final product but a few did not want to sign it.  Emperor Constantine told them few who would not agree that if they did not sign they would be condemned and exiled.  When this was said all but three people signed the document.  These three people were two Libyan bishops and of course Arius.  In the end

all three were exiled.  By orders of Constantine Arius papers and belongings were burned and destroyed.

This is my profiling discovery draft.  Please leave any suggestions that could make my paper better.

 section-123-villalba.doc