Freakanomics

Freakonomics is about a diverse and random pool of topics and how they strangely relate to each other.  I believe that the authors’ wrote this book to try and open people’s eyes to many different things. One passage that had a negative effect on me is the chapter that focuses on “What Makes a Perfect Parent.” I felt that it was very biased. It was speaking more on how older parents are more likely to have their children succeed more than younger parents. I felt offended by this because I’m a parent myself; I’m only 20 years old, and for me that’s not the case at all. In reality if you are a good parent, and you truly appreciate the opportunity to have a child; you would want to make sure that your child succeeds. No matter what the age of the parent, you’re going to take every opportunity to better yourself as a person and to better your child’s life. When I first started to read the book it was very interesting and I liked it but the farther I read the more I started to see that it was more opinions covered up by excess facts. It also had prejudice on the low. Even though I was intrigued by certain subjects, I wouldn’t want to read other books from the writers.  I wouldn’t recommend this book to a person who likes to read unless they love statistics and facts, but if they’re not a big reader maybe if they would like to know new things.

Self-Intended Death

There's an invisible uprising of tragic events among homeless youth. But the main one is the suicide rate among youth who classify as LGBTQ. More and more people are coming out and claiming themselves as “different” from the general public. Since it isn’t a part of the “norm” in the world many of these people are shunned away, ridiculed, bashed on, murdered, or ends up killing themselves. The day to day struggle of being LGBTQ and homeless has a great impact that can ultimately take over their everything. One of the main causes of this though is that they have no support. Most of the time their families or friends don’t want to deal with them or act funny-style. Some even get kicked out. When they end up on the streets, they have nowhere to go and no one to talk to so they only have themselves. For some that’s too much to bear. A major effect of this situation can lead to mental health problems and medical problems. As the years progress and they get older and the problems get harder, the pool of resources tends to dwindle down next to nothing. This is a story of someone who has experienced this issue

“ I grew up with my mom in Brooklyn. I came out to her when I was 15. She wasn't happy with it. My friends told me it takes two years for your parents to get OK, but two years went by and she still wasn't OK.

She attached all the negative stigmas to being gay. Doing sex work, having AIDS. She was always saying I was going to get AIDS. I wasn't even sexually active! I didn't lose my virginity until this year. I began doing research on transitioning. When I told my mom, she said, "I gave birth to a boy, not a transvestite." She wasn't cool with it and got more and more angry.

One day she said she was going to leave me. I thought she was joking, but three days later she packed up and moved. She told me I had to vacate the apartment that day, and left me $40. I was so shocked!

For the last six months I have been waiting for a shelter bed to open up. I walk all over the city at night until I get really tired, so I can hope to fall asleep on the subway. I try to sleep on the trains until the workers throw me out.

It feels horrible to live like this. You feel like you have nobody on your side. You think of your mom, and you think of someone always on your side. I try not to think about it because I'm like, "Oh my God!" I try not to get down when so many people are already down on me. I try to be inspirational.

I'm going on job interviews and am working on my music. I want the world to see who I really am. And when I get a lot of money, I want to open a drop-in center for other kids.” (Homeless LGBT Youth: The Next Battle For Equality 2012-http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/08/homeless-lgbt-youth-equality_n_1331171.html ).

Babies Pushing Babies?

Teenage mothers…a stigma well known and far from grace. Many people have their opinion on this but in reality it is an issue. One that’s been around for a long time. It wasn’t always like that though, back in time it was custom to get married young and have a child. But times have changed; now the law forbids underage sex and marriage. It’s seriously looked down upon. There are many different factors that come into play considering this situation but to most none of them make a difference.

Teen pregnancy is a heavy burden. One of the many reasons it happens is the fad of under aged and unsafe sex. Society considers young parents to be inadequate parents. Young mothers are “hoes or blinded by love.” Young fathers are for the most part, considered “deadbeats.” Over recent years statistics have dropped but the USA still holds the highest rate of teenage pregnancies and teen births in the world.

Some current statistics say:

•  8 out 10 teen pregnancies are unintended
•  3 in 10 young women in the U.S. will become pregnant at least once before age 20
• Over  80% to unmarried teens
• Adolescent pregnancy costs the U.S.  more than $7 billion each year
• 820,000 teens become pregnant each year
• The main rise in teen pregnancy rates is among girls younger than 15
• Close to 25%  of teen mothers have a 2^nd child within 2yrs of the 1^st birth

There are many things being done to help solve the issue. As of today 5/2/2012 is the 11^th annual national campaign to raise awareness and support of effective teen pregnancy prevention. The month of May is National Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month.   Personally I think it’s a great idea. Although it can’t stop early pregnancy it can surely grasp people’s attention.

In my case it makes me think of how I don’t want my 14 month old daughter to become a teen mother. When I was little I never wanted kids, it was never a goal in life. I wanted to be “independent,” I never thougt it would happen to me. That was a stereotype I promised myself I would never fall under. Oh but how quickly that was short lived, just 4 months after I turned 18 I found out I was 6wks pregnant. Earlier in that year I dropped out then later got my GED. Right after I got the big news i had been waiting for, I found out I was accepted into Year Up for class 6. So I had a choice to make....one that would change my life forever. And that decision has changed my life.

  

I’m a young mother, something I thought would never happen to me. Isn’t it funny how life throws curveballs at you? You have certain things set in mind but nothing goes 100%, I guess the real test is how you choose to adapt and overcome. Work with what you have to make a  positive difference. Being pregnant not even 6 months after I turned legal was such an unbelievable thing. It brought a lot of doubt and judgment. A good handful of people from strangers, friends, and even family didn’t understand or some not even wanting to know my pain, my thoughts, or my story. All they saw was "a girl that looked 14" with a big belly and no hope. But they forgot something whether I was a kid or an adult, I’m still a person. As well as all the other young parents. Humans with equal rights and feelings, more than capable to educate ourselves on whatever comes our way in life.

They were wrong about me; I was and still am a woman. Just because I made mistakes in the past doesn’t mean I can’t change. I’ve always made my own path whether it was good or bad. I do my best to hold down everything and everyone that’s a part of my life. At first being young and pregnant seemed like a “bad” thing considering what I had planned for myself. But I’m happy with the decision I’ve made . I don’t regret it and never will. I carried my lil' Lovely for 9 months, spent 3 days in constant labor, and pushed for 2 and a half hours straight. She’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me and I wouldn’t trade her for anything in the world. I want to build a strong foundation for my daughter...one that’ll inspire her to soar in life.

My 3 Promises

 I Corina Hill, PLEDGE as a student of YUBA, to strive to learn. I’m going to not just hear my class lectures but actually listen to them. To do my tasks with 110% effort and to complete them well before the deadline. Also to study hard and absorb as much as possible. Even though I love to learn, doing well in school was always hard for me. First it was out of my control but as I got older it became my responsibility and I really didn’t care anymore. Not realizing how it was going to affect me in the long run.

I PLEDGE to successfully complete the L&D phase so that I’m positively confident and ready for my internship. Everything that rises as an opportunity in these upcoming weeks will more than likely involve me as a willing participant. I know all the knowledge and experiences I gain now will help me to succeed with no fears what so ever .

I PLEDGE to graduate from the Year Up program. This is something I’ve been wanting for about 2 years now. So I’m not going to take it for granted. The last time I graduated was 8^th grade; I messed up all throughout high school and eventually dropped out. Three months later I got my G.E.D.  with no problem, I was asked to be a speaker at the graduation but I didn’t go. On top of that I went to my other high school’s graduation and felt so stupid for not taking care of my business. So now I’m doing everything I can to better myself and become an accomplished woman.

I

Where I'm From...

San Francisco, California...My home. It’s one of the most beautiful places to be. I love where I’m from. San Francisco can be described as many things but never boring. It has a vast diversity of people, history, amazing views and great food. Something's always happening. Although the neighborhood I live in now is not where I want to be. I live on the borderline of 2 neighborhoods...Sunnydale and the Towers. Which are within a one block radius of each other. Isn't that crazy....but you know what that means drama all the time. Violence and crime are everyday things where I live, and I don't even stay in these places, I'm smack dab in the middle. But besides that I feel like I live in a pretty cool neighborhood nice houses, a few restaurants, and nice neighbors. I just wish people would appreciate and respect the fact that we all live in the same place and would like it to be a positive place.

I've lived ALL over the Bay Area as well as Santa Cruz and Mississippi. Sometimes we would have our own home, most times we wouldn't. If we weren't renting from family we were in and out of hotels and countless homeless shelters. On top of that I've been to about 12 different schools in my life. Growing up I didn't really have any stability.  I met a lot of people and learned a lot of new things but I never let it change me in a negative way...I only let it better me. I am who I am DESPITE the neighborhoods I've lived in.

Don't Waste MY Time

I love Mexican food & i love well i want to love (when i turn 21 lol) margaritas!

It’s funny how ads are such a big part of everyday life. We do everything we can (well i know i do) to avoid them, like changing the channel to another program, going to the bathroom or fast forwarding the clip on your you tube video (so annoying). Personally I don’t really care for them. Some people I know love them...especially the commercials. I have a cousin who knows so many of them by heart. Whenever they come on she sings along and hits every note with a big smile on her face. I think it’s so funny and I love to watch her do it. It really brings her a lot of joy. On the flip side I like advertisements that have meaning and genuine humor. I can’t stand the ones that are disrespectful or single out and humiliate someone or something. The ones that disrespect God, those are egregious and should never be posted anywhere! For me to feel what the ad is saying or even catch my eye it has to be unique. And I’m not just saying the color is spectacular. 

This ad right here I AM in love with! It's so cute, it blends 2 of my favorite things in the world......Disney characters and R&B music! I never thought they would collaborate but they go together like PB&J :)


 It should be out of the ordinary with the idea, the message and the image that the company is trying to portray. If it doesn’t include any of those traits then it WILL be ignored and I’ll just keep going about my day as if it didn’t exist.  Overall a good ad really has to be succinct with a powerful hook and a tremendous look to make a prosperous effort. My deal is that ads are just trying to put you up on game or they're really digging in your wallet with an offer they think you can't refuse. That's what most ads are meant to do...make you freely hand over your wallet with your head in the sky thinking you just scored.  The majority of them aren't important and won't do a thing for you except waste your money. If you ever do get hooked by an ad l would say you should make it worth it...down to the penny. Because a lot of advertisers are out to get you so to speak. If ads were more about creativity and getting you to think outside the box or laugh 'till you cry, then i would love them but as of now they only irritate my life for the most part. The one to the right makes you think, like if i were to see this in the streets it would make me think of where I'm going with my life and what i want to accomplish. I don't waste my time on bull so if you ever try to sell me something you got to come with it & really be about your product with a smile of course. :)

My Steps To Success

I would like to say thank you to everyone who has given me strength to keep going. To everyone who keeps me smiling. And to everyone who never stops believing in me. My life has been such an unbelievable journey. Everyone has their stories to tell  but it all boils down to how you choose to go down in history.  As of now I’m still writing my tale. Only time will tell if I make my dreams, my reality. Little by little I’m walking in the right direction. I’m working on becoming an independent and accomplished WOMAN. So I’m setting stern goals for myself. 

• Beginning with my goal for my blog…….my aim is to connect with my readers. To have you all understand my perception and relate to my writing. As for my educational goals I have simple plans set in motion.
• In my Business Communications class I want to challenge myself to speak proper English. Every time I catch myself I’m going to correct my grammar and say the sentence over so I can instill it in my head.
•  Concerning CNIT I want to become computer savvy and computer literate. I love technology so I’m going to learn all I can and run with it.
• And last but not least my goal for my Pro skills class is to soak up all the knowledge that is available so that I can fully comprehend and perfect Business Etiquette. All that I learn will be applied to my everyday life so I may be the best I can be at whatever I choose to do in life.   

 It’s going to take me some time to accomplish these goals but I know giving myself new little challenges will help me to focus on my whole purpose.