Blog Post#4

If you were to ask a friend or family member who Alisa Harvey is, you might get the answer that she's funny, out-going, and spontaneous. If you were to ask a colleague or former employer they might describe me as hard working, well-rounded, and ambitious. I'd like to think that I am all these things mixed into one. What motivates me is seeing where I came from and what I don’t want to end up like. Growing up in a low-income family taught me that education is key and the only way to succeed. Throughout my years I have learned to enjoy the simple things life has to offer like reading, basketball, going to the movies, and spending time with family and friends. As enthusiastic as I am about enjoying life I am equally willing to put forth the effort in work as well. My future goals include me going back to college and receiving a degree in Broadcast Journalism, and hopefully a successful career in Radio Broadcasting. I hope to one day reach my goals and affect the world by giving back to my community and third world countries on a larger scale. I hope to have a legacy that lives on forever.

                    -Alisa H

Blog Post #3

Today on amnestyusa.org I found an interesting article about a man named Troy Davis. Davis was accused in 1989 of killing a cop named Mark MacPhail in Savannah, Georgia. MacPhail was an on duty security guard at a nearby Burger King, when according to several witnesses Davis & MacPhail got into an altercation & Davis shot MacPhail. While on trial 34 witnesses testified for the prosecution & Davis was convicted of murder.  Davis spent the next 22 years in jail on death row fighting for his life while maintaining his claim that he was an innocent man. While in jail Davis received support from many different groups, celebrities, & people. According to amnestyusa.org seven of the witnesses later came back to recount their statements that they saw Davis the night of the murders. In 2009, the Supreme Court of the United States ordered the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Georgia to consider whether new evidence could not have been obtained that establishes Davis’s innocence. Unfortunately all their efforts where in vain & Davis was sentenced to the death penalty even though there was no solid evidence, or reliable witnesses to tie him to the murder. Sadly Troy Davis was executed September 21, 2011 at 11:08p.m. Through the whole ordeal Davis maintained his innocent claim & thanked all his supporters who supported him. This story was interesting to me because it shows how the justice system goes. In my opinion they shouldn’t have executed him because they had no solid proof that he did indeed kill officer MacPhail. Our legal system was put together to help people but it seems that a lot of times where given the short end of the stick. Overall I think this article was a good learning experience, but gives insight on our judicial system.

Blog Post #2

I went to high school at Angelo Rodriguez high school in  Fairfield, Ca. In my opinion Rodriguez was a melting pot of all different ethnicity. Rodriguez was a school in such a small neighborhood that most of the kids knew each other. I would say coming from school in San Francisco and Oakland the most shocking thing was that people who wouldn’t normally be friends, or hang out knew each other and were friends. Rodriguez a fairly new school just being built in 2000, we were expected to achieve higher scores on standardized test and compete fairly well in sports competitions. Needless to say we were the best school in our district and were rewarded regularly. As far as facilities our school was new with a brand new football field, track, and swimming pool. The atmosphere was very friendly but disciplined, students had to wear a school I.D every day & weren’t allowed within five feet of a fight or you would be suspended also. The teachers were nice, friendly, & caring, but a few in my opinion were only there for a pay check. All schools have good points & bad but overall I feel that I received a decent education.

-Alisa H

Blog Post#1

The way you talk doesn't affect the type of person you are, it affects the type of person people think you are. The way I talk in my opinion is mainly influenced by my family and peers. Since I can remember slang/in proper English is something that’s always been a part of my life. I can remember from childhood hearing my older family members saying aint, yo, and wassup. This to me wasn’t in proper but just how we talked. My Language never affected me until I reached grade school ,and found that I was always being corrected. The way I speak is to get my point across, if that means cutting out words or using slang I just want to get my point across .As I got older I grew accustomed to talking one way with my family and friends, and another way in public. The speech habits I developed are I interact with my friends with more laid back language being free to say things how I want, but in a classroom it’s more of professional language and you have to be careful of how you speak. I think there’s a time and a place for certain type of language and it’s up to you as a person to choose when and where and how you use certain language.

- Alisa H