Monday, April 19, 2010

Exit Essay

I have learned many things in ENGLCOM. ENGLCOM has also taught many things. I think that through the ENGLCOM course, I was able to improve my writing skills. I was also able to improve my grammar and I was able to improve in how to organize my thoughts. ENGLCOM has also helped me in improving my skills in researching and to value these researches by not plagiarizing them. I think ENGLCOM has also widened my vocabulary because of the new words that I have learned and used in my essays. ENGLCOM has also improved in my weaknesses such as reading and comprehending text. In evaluating my blockmates' essays, I was able to improve my comprehending skills and now, I think I can better understand texts. I think that my expectations for ENGLCOM were met. It involved very very many english and it served a purpose for me. ENGLCOM has taught me many things and has improved my weaknesses. ENGLCOM also achieved my goals which was to improve my writing skills and how I would use it in the near future. I think that ENGLCOM is a great course that all students of DLSU are required to take. ENGLCOM will definitely help you in many ways and can teach you many things.

Entrance Essay

For me, reading and writing in English is a challenge to me. I am the kind of person that is not fond of reading books. I like to read magazines and news articles. When it comes to writing, I love to write especially notes in class. It helps me understand and remember the things I write.

For me, there are still some things that I still need to improve on when it comes to reading and writing. When i read stuff, I easily get bored and not interested, so I tend to skip . I also do not understand the story after I read it. Reading comprehension really is not the thing for me. I might really need to improve my reading comprehension and my eagerness to read. When it comes to writing, I some times misspell words. I also make mistakes on my subject-verb agreement. I think I need to improve my vocabulary and my grammar.

Among my friends and the people within the campus, I have heard of many things about ENGLCOM. Many say that there so much paper work and subject itself is difficult. There are many things to expect such as the teacher, the subject, and your blockmates. My expectations for ENGLCOM are that it will be hard and so much english will be involved. I also expect the subject to be interesting and that it would serve as a purpose to me in the near future.

ENGLCOM, I think, would help me in achieving my goals such as writing my own resume and job applications. Having a good resume might give me and opportunity to work in a big company. It will also help me in comprehending important documents that I might be involved in in the future. ENGLCOM has many things to offer and I hope that everything I learn from ENGLCOM would serve as a great purpose on my bright future.

Saturday, April 17, 2010

Pro-Abortion

One of the many issues that strike people of today is abortion. Abortion is the process of removing the placenta from the uterus. Many women today resort to abortion due to various reasons. Some people favor abortion and some do not. This essay will discuss the pro-side of abortion. Pro-abortion is a movement which fights for the rights of women to have a choice to end their unwanted pregnancies. Control over a woman's body and the freedom to decide the course of her life is among a woman's civil rights, therefore, women should make their own choices about abortion.

Abortion is a moment which gives women a right to choose if they want to end their unwanted pregnancy. According to Patricia McCarthy (2007), the right to choose means the right to choose not to have a child or to have a child in circumstances where that means that neither mother nor child suffer materially or socially for that decision. Women choose to have abortions for all kinds of reasons such as poverty, rape, incest, or too many children. Some women choose to have abortion simply because they do not want to have a child at that point in their lives. "When a pregnancy is unwanted, its continuation can take a heavy toll on a woman's physical and emotional well-being, says UNICEF (2004)". Decisions one makes about one's body, lie squarely in the domain of private decision making, says UNFPA10. Only a pregnant woman knows whether she is ready to have a child, and governments should play no role in making that decision for her.

Abortion is pro-life. When having abortion, the life of the mother and the life of the fetus are at stake. Pro-abortionists believe that unless the woman's life is in danger, she has the duty not to kill her unborn baby. Everyone has their rights and so do women who abort. Rights apply to human beings, unlike a fetus which is not a human being. When a woman is pregnant, it is her body that goes through all the stress of pregnancy (Debopriya Bose, 2009). If she decides not to have a pregnancy, she should be able to do so (Debopriya Bose, 2009). Denying her the right to her body is violating her most basic freedom, which is a right for every person (Capitalism Magazine, 2009). According to Debopriya Bose (2009), forcing the woman to bear the added responsibility of the child she conceived would only add to her mental stress.

In countries where there are many cases of abortion, no civilized society permits one human to intentionally harm or take the life of another human. The government does not allow the people they govern to take another person's life which is under the law. In this case, the government has the control whether to allow the abortion or not. This raises the question of abortion on demand. According to Patricia McCarthy (2007), a woman must have the right to abortion on demand. It is the woman, not the government, that is having the abortion which means that it is the full responsibility of the woman to decide whether to have abortion or not. Women should not have to answer to anyone, not the church, not the government or even the doctors for their decision (Patricia McCarthy, 2007).

People have the right to decide on their own, which also applies to women. Women should have the freedom to decide the course of their life, which includes in making their own decision about abortion. Women have the right to decide to push through with the abortion and end their unwanted pregnancy. According to Katherine BradStreet (2007), a woman's unqualified right to control their own bodies remains a critical question for feminists. For a woman to even begin to have control over her life, she must be able to choose if and when she wants to have children. Having control over reproduction means always having the option of a safe abortion.

References:

1. Capitalism Magazine (1996-2004) "Abortion is pro-life, Anti-Abortion is anti-life."
2. Debopriya Bose (2009) "Arguments for Pro-Choice Abortions"
3. Patricia McCarthy (2007) "Abortion: It's Every Woman's Right to Choose"

The Internet

The Internet, which was used by the military before to hide important information, started in 1969. The Internet was designed to provide a communications network that would work even if the sites were destroyed by a nuclear attack. The Internet began by only having four host computer systems and is currently increasing in number. As the Internet evolved, more computers were able to connect and communicate with each other. Today, the Internet has millions of users that communicate and share files with each other. Jeff Tyson (ND), says that one of the greatest things about the Internet is that nobody owns it. So what is the Internet? The Internet is a massive network of networks which connect millions of computers around the world to communicate with any other computer that is connected to it.

People have different perspectives as to what the Internet is. Some define the Internet as something that can be used as a means of communication. Some define the Internet as a network where people can share files with each other. There are many definitions of what the Internet is but one of the famous definitions that the people think of is that the Internet is the World Wide Web. The terms, Internet and World Wide Web, are commonly interchanged by people and are often used in everyday speech without much distinction. These two terms are not synonymous and are two separate but related things (Jeff Tyson, ND). "The World Wide Web, or simply the Web, is a way of accessing information over the medium of the Internet. It is an information-sharing model that is built on top of the Internet" (Jeff Tyson, ND). The Web is one of the services communicated via the Internet. It utilizes browsers, such as Mozilla Firefox or Internet Explorer, to access web pages. The Web is just one of the ways that files and information can be shared or sent over the Internet. The World Wide Web and the Internet are two terms which are not synonymous and and should not be confused.

The Internet, as defined by the dictionary, is an interconnected system of networks that connect computers around the world via the TCP/IP protocol. The Internet is a global network connecting millions of computers in around more than 100 countries which are linked into exchanges of data, news, and opinions (QuinStreet Inc., 2010). When people log on to the Internet, they are given access to other computers that are connected around the world. Once a person is connected to the Internet, they are able to do many things such as sending and receiving e-mails and browsing the World Wide Web (Dave Kristula, 2010). Today, people use the Internet because of social networks such as Facebook. People are making use of the communication services that the Internet has, which is one of its main purposes.

Many people access the Internet every day and most of them do not know how the Internet works. The Internet is based on a series of standard technical protocols which allow various computers to access and view specified files on other computers (Marnie Webb, 2000). There are many technical protocols and the one responsible for allowing computers to describe data to one another over a network is the transmission control protocol (TCP). This protocol takes the information that the person wants to send over the Internet and breaks it down into small chunks of data called packets (Marnie Webb, 2000). Another kind of technical protocol is the Internet Protocol (IP) which takes over and routes those packets through computers to get them to their destination. According to R. Kayne (2003), every computer that is connected to the Internet has a unique Internet Protocol (IP) address. When one clicks or enters a link his browser sends a request to the website that contains the content that he wants to view. Routers are the ones responsible in relaying the data packet's address to the best route possible (QuinStreet Inc., 2010). When the data packet arrives at the website, the server reads the request and returns it back to the person's computer via a return address in the data packet (QuinStreet Inc., 2010). The data packet is then routed back to the person and his browser interprets the content and displays the page for him (QuinStreet Inc., 2010). These protocols provide the technology necessary for a person's computer to hook into the Internet.

Many people use the Internet for various activities such as downloading music, streaming videos, and playing online games. The Internet has also enabled entirely new forms of social interaction, activities, and organizing, thanks to its basic features such as widespread usability and access. Social networking websites such as Facebook have created a new form of socialization and interaction. The interaction and communication of people with one another is evolving and so does technology and the Internet. How do you think will the Internet be in the years to come?

References:

1. Definition of the Internet
2. Dave (2010) "What is the Internet?"
3. Jeff Tyson (1998-2010) "How Internet Infrastructure Works"
4. QuinStreet Inc. (2010) "What is Internet?" http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/I/Internet.html
5. R. Kayne (2003-2010) "How Does the Internet Work?" http://www.wisegeek.com/how-does-the-internet-work.htm
6. Marnie Webb (2000) "How Does the Internet Work?"

Friday, April 16, 2010

Obesity

Obesity is a growing health problem and is a leading cause of preventable deaths all over the world today. It is a prevalent problem that every person encounters at least once in their lives. Obesity is a condition characterized by the excessive accumulation and storage of fat in the body. Being obese means that a person's body is overweight and is not physically fit. There are several causes that can tell if a person is obese. Lack of exercise, improper diet, and excessive eating are some of the leading causes of obesity. This essay will take a look at each of these causes and how they lead to obesity.

Lack of exercise is one cause of obesity. Daily exercises help people get their bodies physically fit and they get to burn calories as well. People tend to be either busy or lazy to rise up early in the morning and exercise for a while. This is one reason why people lack exercise. When people lack exercise, the food and calories that they take in are not burned and they become body fat. When this body fat is not burned, it accumulates inside the person's body which makes him gain weight. As the person gains weight, he will eventually get overweight and that would make him even lazier to get up and exercise daily. Exercising daily is beneficial to a person's health, but because of laziness they suffer the consequences that sometimes they realize when it is too late. When exercising, there is also a need to maintain a proper diet. Maintaining a proper diet is also a problem that people find difficult to do.

Improper diet is basically a diet that is unbalanced and lacks the vital vitamins and nutrients which are part of a proper diet. Having an improper diet is another cause of obesity. Nowadays, improper diet is directly related to the eating of junk foods and fast foods because of the taste that the generation today find. These junk foods and fast foods are oily which is needed in order to maintain their taste; thus, resulting in excess calories which results to obesity. People are sometimes lazy to find time to cook their own food and they look for food that is already prepared which is why they just go and buy food from a fast food restaurant. Junk foods and fast foods contain more fat, salt, and sugar than the vitamins and minerals required for a person's body. Too much intake of fast foods and junk foods is bad for our health which can lead to obesity. Having the proper nutrients for the body and having a proper diet is essential to prevent obesity. When maintaining a proper diet, we must eat what is just enough and not excessively.

Most people, if not all, love food and love to eat food. Sometimes their love for food is too much that they become unaware of the amount of food that they take in. This eventually becomes a habit which can result to becoming obese. Eating too much or excessive eating is another cause of obesity. People tend to eat very many when they are hungry. People also tend to eat between meals especially when they have skipped a meal. Many people nowadays do not eat at the right time because they are busy. Not eating at the right time can cause a person to eat too much which can lead to obesity. People like to take extra meals aside from the three meals maybe because they have nothing to do or are hungry because of too much work. Many people have this habit and this is common especially in a workplace. There is a saying that goes, "too much of something is bad for the health". Eating food is normal for all people but eating too much can be dangerous to our health. When eating, we should be conscious of what we eat and how much we eat.

Today, obesity is one of the most common, but most neglected health problem in the world. Obesity has many causes including lack of exercise, improper diet, and excessive eating. To sum it up in one word, irresponsibility is the root cause of obesity. If in the first place people took responsibility of their bodies, there wouldn't be many cases of obesity worldwide. People are caught up doing other stuff and forget the responsibilities they have for their bodies. Obesity can eventually lead to other health issues and can even lead to a person's death.

Monday, March 22, 2010

Jollibee vs. McDonald's

What are the names that come into your mind when someone asks you about fast-food restaurants? Most probably, it would be McDonald's and Jollibee. These two fast food chains have been in the business for a long time and up until now they are still known to be rivals. Today, there are conflicts as to which is the better food chain. Jollibee and McDonald's, two of the major food chains in th world, have many similarities when it comes to their menu, services, and branches.

Jollibee and McDonald's have similar items in their menu. Some of which include fried chicken, hamburger, and fries. Although they have similar items in their menu, they have some items that the other does not have. For instance, Jollibee has items in their menu that McDonald's does not have. Jollibee's famous sandwich, the Jolly Hotdog, is one of the few items that McDonald's does not have. Others would include lumpiang shanghai and arroz caldo. On the other hand, McDonald's also has items in their menu that Jollibee does not have. McDonald's has their famous McNuggets that Jollibee does not have. Others would include twister fries, hashbrown, and fish fillet burger. We can see that there are slight differences between the two when it comes to the items in their menu.

Jollibee and McDonald's have service that appeal to their customers, especially to kids. Both food chains have programs in which they cater birthday parties for children. Jollibee has its Jolly Kiddie Party and McDonald's has its McDonald's Children's Party. Both of them aim to make your child's birthday party fun, enjoyable, and memorable. Both food chains also have special meals for kids. Jollibee has its Jolly Kiddie Meal and McDonald's has its Happy Meal. Both of them aim to help the kids finish their food and at the same time enjoy the toys that come with the meals. Both foods chains ensure the kids' happiness and satisfaction. We can see that the two are similar when it comes to their services among kids.

Jollibee and McDonald's have many branches here in the country and in the whole world. Jollibee originated here in the Philippines and is widespread in different parts of the world. With its Filipino influence, Jollibee branches can be seen in the United States, Saudi Arabia, Brunei, and Vietnam. On the other hand, McDonald's originated in the United States and is widespread here in the country and in the whole world. Today, McDonald's has more than 30,000 branches scattered in 119 countries around the world including the famous McDonald's Taft branch. We can see that both Jollibee and McDonald's are known all over the world and that is what makes them the top two food chains in the world.

Jollibee and McDonald's have served over millions of people in over thousands of different branches worldwide. They are both known to be the top two major food chains in the world. Both have many things in common and both are loved by the people. So who do you think is the better food chain? Jollibee or McDonald's? It all depends on the person's taste and love for food.

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Mango Float

Mango is one of the sweetest and most delicious tropical fruits and makes the perfect refreshing treat on a hot summer day. Mango is suitable for making many recipes and one instance is the mango float. Mango float is a very popular dessert here in the Philippines. It is primarily made of mangoes, graham crackers, condensed milk, and cream. If you want to make your mango float into a sweet and delicious dessert, a few steps can teach you how to make a delicious mango float.

Quality ingredients are needed for the mango float to be sweet and delicious. The ingredients that you will be needing are 2-3 packs of graham crackers, 2-3 fresh mangoes, 2-3 cans of Nestle condensed milk, and 2-3 packs of Nestle All-Purpose cream. The materials that you will be needing are a glass container or a tupperware where you can prepare your mango float, another tupperware where you will be mixing your condensed milk and cream, and other utensils that you will be needing.

Before you start making the mango float, you will be preparing the mangoes and mixed cream that you will be needing later on. In preparing the mangoes, wash the mangoes first, peel it and slice it into thin strips. In preparing the mixed cream, mix the cans of condensed milk and packs of cream into a separate tupperware until smooth in consistency. With the mangoes and mixed cream prepared, you can now start making the mango float.

First, put graham crackers at the bottom of the glass container evenly. Fill the bottom with graham crackers without leaving spaces. Next, pour the mixed cream on top of the layer of graham crackers and spread it evenly. Then, lay the strips of mango evenly distant from each other. Repeat the same process until you could make up to 3 layers of it or until you could fill up your glass container. The top layer must be the strips of mango. Refrigerate the mango float, slice it evenly with a knife, and you can now serve it to your friends and family. Mango float is best served right after it is made.

Mango float is easy to make and by following these steps, you are sure to make the perfect mango float. Try this recipe this summer with your family and friends and rest assured your summer will be as sweet and as cold as mango float.