Friday, April 16, 2010
Eyes On the Road
What the current laws are that are for Massachusetts, is that they don’t have a law that bans hand-held cell phones, young drivers all cell phone ban, or texting ban. All they have is that school bus driver’s cell phone ban (Cell Phone Laws). Also the laws that they have now for cell phone bans, is only a primary law. This means that it hasn’t gotten passed yet by the State Representative. While you are texting while driving, it takes your eyes off the road so you can’t see what is going on around you. After interviewing Officer Dineen, he had also said the same thing. But he gave an example, which was that “he saw a women driving and she was swerving all over the road and he had thought that she was under the influence of alcohol. But when he had pulled her over and asked her what she was doing, she said that she was texting” (Dineen). How I think that the laws should change would be that they should not have a hand-held cell phone, all young drivers should all have cell phone bans and lastly, there should be a texting ban. Now a days everyone knows how to text. Rather then back in the day when it was the 90’s people didn’t know that texting even existed. When I was younger, I didn’t know that texting was invented. I didn’t know what texting was until I got to middle school, because my older siblings used to text all the time.
I believe that texting while driving is the most dangerous thing that you could possibly do while you are driving. I think that because you can get into any accident at anytime. When you are texting, your eyes are off the road for possibly for a split-second. Even if you think that you are fast at it and you don’t have to look at the keys, you could hold it up infront of your steering wheel, which could still cause you to get into an accident, “civil infraction, possible cause to pull you over also” (Dineen). One must stay focused on the act of driving, distraction could cost lives. What I think that he is relating to is that besides texting, you should have another reason for being pulled over. So if they see that you are texting, they couldn’t automatically pull you over, you have to be doing something else for the reasoning to be pulled over. “A civil infraction would be speeding, driving erratically; your car hasn’t passed an inspection. He said that even when he is “on the job” he even texts his daughter. He says that even though it is bad, but when his daughters texts him he usually always answers them back. Which would take his eyes off the road but then he would also be stopped somewhere. He also said usually when he is replying to one text message; she sends another one because he is slow at texting “(Dineen). I think that since he is a police officer, he shouldn’t be texting while driving either.
There are no laws against using your cell phone while driving. I think that there should be a law that has to ban cell phone usage while driving. If I were to write the law about cell phone usage while driving, I would say that you shouldn’t be able to use your phone at any time. Unless you had an ear piece, and then you should be able to. But the major thing that they should ban is texting. Even if they don’t have another reason to be pulled over, if they do see then texting while they are driving they should be pulled over automatically. After interviewing Officer Dineen and asking him what he thought the laws should be, he said that they should have a civil infraction, and possible cause for being pulled over. So if they are speeding they should be pulled over, but also if they are found texting at the same time as they are being pulled over they should be given a ticket for that too. After hearing what he had said about the law and what he wanted it to be changed to, I think that it is a good thing to do, because if they are just texting, then it wouldn’t make sense to be pulled over for. They should have another reason for being pulled over besides texting.
I think that not only teenager’s text while they are driving, but I think that adults do it also. I also think that teens do it more often and that they are fast and they can move there fingers faster than adults. Even though I am fast at texting, I don’t do it. I have been in the car with someone while they are texting and even though they are fast at it, they were still driving erratically. As they were texting, they would have me hold the wheel for them. Teenagers sometimes don’t have to look at what they are typing while they are. But also I’m sure that adult’s text also as they are driving, even though they aren’t fast. “Adults do it also, they do it worse because they can’t text fast enough” (Dinneen). After hearing what Officer Dineen has to say about adults also that text while driving, besides teenagers doing it also. I think that it is a bad thing for both teenagers and adults to do because it takes both of the teenagers and adults eyes off the road. When adult’s text I think that it scarier because they have their eyes off the road for a longer amount of time then a teenager would. Adults are slower at texting then teenagers are because they have to look at the keys while they are driving. Teenagers remember where the keys are on their phone so they don’t have to look at the keys when they are typing. But it should also become a law for not texting while driving because you are more paying attention to what the text says than rather what the road is like in front of you.
This is an important topic to me because teenagers now text all the time. They can cause accidents while they are texting because they take their eyes off the road. When they take their eyes off the road they are dangerous to themselves and to other drivers. After looking at the statistics and what my interviews have said, they make it seem like the laws have to be passed. Since I am a young driver, I think that the law should be changed so that Massachusetts is a safer state.
Works Cited
Officer Dineen, Personal Interview. 9 April. 2010
Cell Phone Laws. “Laws restricting cell phone use and texting.” 1 April 2010. http://www.iihs.org/laws/cellphonelaws.aspx .
Cell Phone Statistics. “Car Accident Cell Phone Statistics & Driver Text Message Facts.” 1 April.2010 http://www.edgarsnyder.com/car accident/cell/statistics.html
Sunday, March 7, 2010
The Contender Reading Review
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Is Long John Silver a Violent and Friendly?
When you see a pirate or hear about one, you would automatically think that they are rude and wouldn’t care about anything else but them. Majority of people probably do think that pirates are rude and don’t care about anyone else. After reading the book and watching parts of the movie, the pirates act violent towards each other but then they also act friendly. Some of the pirates never got along so then in that case they were always violent towards each other and they weren’t as friendly as other pirates were. Jim and Silver have always stuck together ever since Silver held him hostage. He told him to go onto the other ship to see what they were saying and what their plan was so that when they would have bombed them, they would know what to do. So he hid into a barrel until they were done and then he went back onto his ship and told the captain what they had said and what their plans were.
After reading the book and also seeing parts of the movie, I thought that Long John Silver is both violent and friendly. In
Since Long John wanted everyone to follow what he wanted, even though he was the cook, he didn’t want them to disagree with what he wanted to be done. He would always tell them even though he was the cook, he would treat them like they were handsome and a common mutineer and pirate. If they didn’t want to do that then he said for them to go hang themselves. "You're either my ship's cook-and then you were treated handsome-or Cap'n Silver, a common mutineer and pirate, and then you can go hang!" (p. 190). This is showing what he wanted to be done. And if they didn’t follow what he wanted then he told them to go hang themselves. Even though he was the cook on the ship, he still wanted them to treat him like he was the captain and to follow the rules that he wanted to be done. If you didn’t follow what he wanted to be done then he would send you to be hanged. He didn’t care what u were towards him, if you didn’t follow him then you would have to leave and go get hanged.
After Long John and Jim met up with Billy Bones, all they thought about was the ‘black spot’."And now, shipmates, this black spot? 'Tain't much good now, is it? Dick's crossed his luck and spoiled his Bible, and that's about all" (p. 289). This quote is showing that even though all of their shipmates that they had, they are showing them where the black spot is and that’s where they have to go to find the other pirates. Even though after Smallett showed them the black spot, he had said that it wasn’t as bad as they had thought it was going to be because of how much they didn’t know how to get there and what to do to fight them. Also how that Dicks crossed Smalletts luck and spoiled his bible and that’s it meaning that after showing him where the black spot was, that it wasn’t as bad after showing him everything about it and that he knew what to do with the other pirates and what to do when they found the other ones so that they could fight them and show that even though there are two different types of captains and also that Long John tries to act like a captain, he gets the pirates follow what he wants to be done and not just have the captain do all of the work. He can be a cook but he can also act like he is the captain of the ship and get everything done the way that he wants it to be done.
Captain Long John and Jim have always been close. At the beginning all of the pirates though of Silver as a mean pirate. At the middle and the end of the book, he wasn’t like another pirate. He was always kind, friendly and he was also a Villon at the same time. He would always have these talks with Jim, but once he had had a talk with him and this is what he had said to him; "Now, you see, Jim, so be as you ARE here," says he, "I'll give you a piece of my mind. I've always liked you, I have, for a lad of spirit, and the picter of my own self when I was young and handsome. I always wanted you to jine and take your share, and die a gentleman, and now, my cock, you've got to. Cap'n Smollett's a fine seaman, as I'll own up to any day, but stiff on discipline. 'Dooty is dooty,' says he, and right he is. Just you keep clear of the cap'n. The doctor himself is gone dead again you — 'ungrateful scamp' was what he said; and the short and the long of the whole story is about here: you can't go back to your own lot, for they won't have you; and without you start a third ship's company all by yourself, which might be lonely, you'll have to jine with Cap'n Silver "(p.180). This is saying that Silver has always liked him and that he has the spirit like no other and when he sees Jim, he can picture himself as a young boy. He has always wanted a young and handsome gentleman for himself. He wants Jim to always be there because they barely have anyone left, since the doctor is gone and Smollett isn’t the same as Jim is.
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Crunch Time Reading Review
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Siddhartha's Adventure to America
On a warm breezy night around 5 o’clock at
We landed in
After meeting with Siddhartha and spending time with him, I thought that the best lifestyle that best fit him would be when we went to Seattle. After being at the beach I figured that being there when it was quiet and he got to meditate for a little while. Then maybe he would have wanted to go somewhere where there was a lot of entertainment. I think that he liked the Space Needle because once your up there, your able to see the whole city and its a beautiful view. After being up there eating lunch and walking around through the shops, he really enjoyed spending the day there. After spending a couple days in America Siddhartha had really enjoyed himself and got to see a different side as to what he is usually used to when he is back at home.
Monday, September 14, 2009
The Travel Across the Country
This Fall Apart (Okonkwo)
The Setting of the story is taking in place in Tucson,Arizona and Pheonix,Arizona.
One fall afternoon while Taylor was traveling across the country to get away from the early pregnancy and a more interesting life style, she stopped at Tucson, Arizona at a gas station to take a rest. As she stopped there for a quick stop this young man came up to her and started talking to her and he had introduced himself, his name was Okonkwo from a village from Umuofia which is from a native tribe.
“Hello, what is your name?”
“My name is Taylor Greer, I am originally from Oklahoma.”
“Where are you from?”
“I am from a small village of tribes from Umuofia, I’m trying to leave the village and start to go off on my own and not be so close to my family that is still in the village.”
“Oh, well I’m from a small town in Oklahoma.”
“Well I think I’m going to grab a couple of things here and start to head back to the village and tell them that id like to go somewhere else that isn’t so crowded and close together.”
“Okay, well I think I’m going to do the same thing and head to Phoenix, Arizona to go meet my aunt at a diner because that’s were I told her Id meet her for a meal.” Taylor then pays the cashier and starts going out to her car for the rest of her drive to Phoenix. While he says he’s heading back to the village he holds the door for her and watches her go to her car and he goes back to the bus stop where he got dropped off and waits for the bus to come back to get him. Taylor notices that he has to wait for the bus to come, but he just tells her to go on with her driving and to make sure that she gets to meet her aunt at a close time then when she wanted.
As Taylor is driving to Phoenix, she is thinking about many different situations. She is wondering if Okonkwo really likes her and if he wants to meet her again. In addition, about what he is leaving behind in Oklahoma, and if it’s a really good idea to be leaving and to go to another part of Arizona to live there. At the same time, Okonkwo is thinking about whether he should go back to his village with his family or if he is truly interested in Taylor and wants to go after Taylor and try to get to know her better and maybe start dating.
Taylor has met her aunt at the Diner at 6:00 p.m, she met her aunt and gave her a big hug and a kiss on the cheek. She was so happy to see her because she has not seen her in a while. When they were seated, they started to look over the menu. After they placed there order and they started talking to one another they started talking about Okonkwo and Taylor was telling her aunt Lou Ann how she felt towards him. Taylor did not know what to say to her, all she kept saying was that how they met at her last pit stop and that they started a conversation and she was interested in him. As they were going into a deep conversation, Okonkwo walked through the doors and looked around to see if Taylor was there like she said she would have been. Therefore, when he saw her he slowly walked towards her and she swooped down into the booth that she was sitting in. When he came over she was a little nervous at first but then he introduced him to her aunt.
“Aunt Lou Ann, this is Okonkwo.”
“Hi Okonkwo, it is so nice to meet you!”
“Yes, it is a pleasure to meet you too.”
“Would you like anything to drink or eat; I can bring the waitress over for you if you need anything?”
“Yeah sure ill have something, I can go up to the waitress myself if you’d like me to.”
“No its okay, she’s already on her way here anyways.”
As the waitress comes over to see if they need anything she asked if Okonkwo would like anything such as a drink or a bite to eat. Which then he places his order. After he does place, his order he notices that Taylor looks over at him and smiled. He smiled back at her with a wink. He looked over at Taylor’s aunt and smiled at her too. In the meantime, there waitress was bringing their meals and Okonkwo’s drink out. After they were all done eating they went outside to go back to their cars so that they could go back to the places that they were going to. As they went to the cars, Okonkwo gave Taylor a big hug and then gave her a kiss, which she was not expecting so she was happy about it.
“Would you like to come back to my aunt’s house and maybe spend the night there?”
“No it’s okay; ill go to a hotel, so that you can spend some quality time with your aunt because I know that you haven’t seen her in a while.”
“Alright, are you sure about that?”
“I feel bad for just leaving you like that.”
“Taylor, it’s totally fine, I offered if you wanted to spend time with her because I know you haven’t seen her.”
“Okay, well that’s good, I’m hoping that I’ll see you tomorrow sometime, just call me tomorrow and let me know what your plans are.”
“Yes, I most definitely will!”
“Okay, I can not wait to see you!”
Then right after they end there conversation, Okonkwo opened the door at her car for Taylor and he went off to the bus stop so he could get to the hotel he was staying at.