English 114 Portfolio

After having completed my first semester of college in a new city, I find myself looking back at all the accomplishments and growth that I have undergone over these past few months. One of the most notable changes is the found again love of writing that came very directly from my first year English composition class because there I was given the liberty to use the tools I was given I high school and express them with my own voice and ideas. In high school we were forced into writing to fit a mold making it hard at the time to really enjoy the work I was producing, which consequently made me dislike ever having to write. During this first semester of college has been able to see myself develop as a writer because they have allowed me to express myself and play with the typical forms so that my own voice could flourish through my writing, while still sticking to the basic concept taught in high school.

Looking back at our first big essay from this class, the literacy narrative, I can really see the tangential shift that has taken place in my writing. Before, when I would be graded for writing, I could never seem to get grades better than a C or D, and for the narrative I received an A; but that is not the truly exciting part. I could see that I was getting better grades on what I was doing because I was able to write about what I wanted to in a structure that did not follow the normal ideals. It was the first essay in a long time that I was able to turn in thinking that I was proud of my work and obtain a grade that I think reflected the work and creativity I had put into it. From there my confidence in my writing only grew.

When we started our blogging segment I was extremely excited because for the longest time I had wanted to start a blog of some kind but my fear of thinking that I was not good at writing held me back and kept me reserved from the idea. At once I was hooked on blogging, from the designing our layout to the short little blurbs about the topics of our choosing every week. With blogs each post is small and concise allowing our work to be fresh and exciting every time rather than writing a longer and strenuous essay where eventually I start to lose interest and my conclusion ends up seeming very basic. Also because every post was a new idea I could change around the way that I phrased things or how I used different types of sentences, enabling me to expand my repertoire of words and structures. With the start of the unit and blog post one, I was obviously trying to find my feet working my way around a blog. I found it extremely interesting to look up articles about specific drugs then countering their egregious accusations about the effects of the drugs with cold hard facts. With my blog I looked to open the eyes of whoever stumbles upon it to the true nature of drugs and dispute the prescribed idea of what they were told drugs would do.

One of my favorite tools that we used during this course was the book, They Say, I Say. By reading this I was able to piece together the ideas on how to structure a typical essay. I would have never thought that it was important to “enter a conversation” before going on to express my own thoughts on an issue. The only problem that I had with the book was it gave too many models and I felt the use of one would be inauthentic or wrong because it would not be coming from my own thoughts or ideas. For me they were like skeletons, already dead waiting for you to reanimate them by simply filling out their flesh, while I would rather create something fresh and new on my own. Because the book was set up in sections beginning with using what they say to start up a discussion on the topic of the paper, this way there is an unbiased presentation of the issue before delving into one side or the other. Next, you use your own thoughts and ideas along with your research to discuss the stance you are taking. After learning how to frame my essays in this way, it became easier to produce ones that had proper structure and organization.

Another challenge I know I grew from was the research paper of our own choosing. Admittedly, it took me a long time to formulate the perfect question to compose my research around, but once I did I found that taking the time to look up documents and facts was not challenging, and partly fun. I struggled to get a firm grasp on the direction of my essay because I could not find enough information about the psychological and physiological effects of taking LSD making it impossible to only write on that subject. By tying in the drugs in with the coercion of the U.S. government I found a new direction to expand upon and really explore the veil that has been pulled over our eyes.  Because I was able to choose what I wanted to look up I became eager to see if there were any academic sources on my topic and explored the library database, along the way learning how to use it for my advantage; skills that will aide me for the rest of my college career, and possibly on. Then using the steps from They Say, I Say, I pulled together a great essay, so that once again I can be proud of the work that I am turning in.

Knowing that I earned an A last time that I turned in work I was proud of in this class, I am assuming that this time should be no different. I think that I deserve to get an A in this class because I have been working hard and can see a visible improvement not only in my writing but my attitudes towards writing. As a matter of fact, it was because of this course that I am thinking about pursuing journalism as a possible major. The proof is in the pudding it seems and I believe and there may have been times where it became bitter or flavorless, but after revisions and taking the time to add the right ingredients, my pudding is the creamiest I could have possibly made it during this course.

literacy narrative

In our first essay, I express my relationship with writing thus far, commenting on how I had slipped out of the favor of writing. Beginning with my initial love for reading and writing, i slowly weave the tale of how my work throughout High School was deemed as poor and not up to par with where I thought it should be. Also, I comment on how i have always had a intrinsic knowledge of computers and how my brother is the end all be all gurus of computers; in my world.

As I was revising my work I did not want to change much because I have never really been one for revising my work. I found spots here and there where i was able to add more detail and flush out the narrative, for the most part keeping it as is, for I liked the way I had worded it in the first place.

Cannabis

In this blog post, I focus on an article about  how people are being told that the use of cannabis is harmful to the body and should be seen as an awful plight we must overcome. Then I turn the argument around, noting its flawed logic and lies, showing that the use of marijuana is not as bad as people make it out to be.

When I revised this post, I added a section on using cannabis as a medical treatment option for people who have to deal with pain; like AIDS patients. In addition marijuana is used in a therapeutic setting to help those with repressed memories that haunt them.

LSD

With this blog post, I began the same as the last. By using the tools from TSIS I open the conversation by merely talking about the generic facts about the drug, such as its chemical make up and how it is produced. Then I interject with slightly more opinionated facts that describe how LSD is only detrimental to ones psychological state not his or her physical body.

I added a new section, during revision, which describes the use to LSD in situations of spirituality and awakening ones inner connection to the world at large. LSD has been used for generations as a sort of gateway, to view the world from a new perspective and you can alter that perspective depending on the journey you want to take while under its influence.

Speech Writing Assignment

To be honest this was one of my least favorite parts of the semester because I have very poor oratory skills and therefore feel that my work on writing speeches is no good. But, it was interesting to learn about Proposition 35 which was on Human Trafficking and how passing this prop was actually not good because its wording is vague and the punishments were wrong. People who are convicted of human trafficking are now going to be put on the Sex Offenders list, even if their crime is non-sex related; this will mottle up the list with unnecessary people.

Upon my revisions, I tried to add more of the rhetorical devices of ethos, logos, and pathos  because I could see that I was lacking in those departments. Also, I tried to make the whole speech seem more cohesive by pulling together to paragraphs with better transitions that created an easier flow.

Research Paper

Finally, we finish off the year with a research paper, and I chose to continue on with the theme from my blog and focus on drugs; LSD in particular. As I was doing the research, I was beginning to find that there was not enough information on just the effects of the drug. So, I expanded my topic to include the government program MKUltra where they experimented with LSD and mind control, behind the public’s eye.

As I revised my essay, I had found that there were some rocky parts in the beginning and that i had become lazy in the end, not properly concluding my thoughts.  By adding a few more paragraphs on making informed decisions and who to trust, the paper really become rounded out.

LSD Research Paper

In 1983 Daryl F. Gates initiated the program D.A.R.E., Drug Abuse Resistance Education, to address the raising drug problem that the nation faced. The approach D.A.R.E. took was to use fear and intimidation to influence young minds so they would stay away from gangs, control violent behavior and prevent the use of drugs for recreational purposes. The program lasts ten weeks which includes an immersion of police officers into local classrooms to teach students about the dangers and risks that are involved in the use of drugs. By focusing on the more harsh and drastic effects that can come from the over use of drugs and alcohol at an early age, D.A.R.E. hoped to stop drug related issues before they even start. (Drugs)

Unfortunately, the program has not been able to meet the federal requirements of being effective, based on preset goals, since 1998 and has lost all federal funding. The problem with D.A.R.E. was that they were unrealistic about the true effects of using certain drugs because they thought that if the intimidated everyone no one would ever try different substances; but they did. For example on the official D.A.R.E. website they claim, “Ecstasy is a stimulant like various classes of amphetamines, but the popular club drug is more likely to kill young and otherwise healthy users”. Many people know from experience or by hearing about others who have tried ecstasy, that its use in a smart and reasonable way will not kill you one hundred percent of the time. Because of contradiction like this many young people throw out all the ideas being taught by D.A.R.E., even if some are true, and assume they will be safe if they try other substances; thus creating a reverse effect of the desired outcome from the program. Society has created a problem for itself by trying to gain an upper hand in the war on drugs when they started exaggerating the true effects of drugs on the human body, which is why we must look into for ourselves what the true effects are of questionable substances and what else the government has done in the past with drugs but has been kept secret to most of the public. (Drugs)

LSD is one of the most commonly used psychedelic for recreational purposes, and is also considered to be the most powerful. It came on the raise in the 1960s as part of the counter culture movement which started as a fight from the people for peace and equality. The true “hippies” of the time would use LSD, more commonly referred to as acid, as entheogens in religious or spiritual contexts as an aid in transcendence, mediation, and psychedelic therapy. The main effects of acid are mind altering and can include an impaired perception of time and space, allowing the user to view the world from a different and extraordinary perspective. Its doses come in what are called tabs which are blotting paper that has been soaked in Lysergic acid diethylamide and cut into small squares. All tabs are different and depending on the strength and the purity each trip can be different, not to mention that each body reacts and metabolizes the chemicals differently. However there are some common occurrences, such as sensory enhancement, closed and opened eyed visuals, life changing spiritual experiences, and a feeling of connectedness to the universe at large. (Erowid)

Although LSD has no physiological effects on the body, there is a negative side that happens within the mind. Because of its intense change in perspective of things, acid can produce psychosis or worsen depression on the user. Acid being a psychedelic means that it works only on the mind, not the body so as much as it can amplify the good feelings of life, it can worsen the bad. Some confess that the use of acid has lead to increased anxiety and paranoia while under the influence, while others say they are not able to shake the feeling of impending doom. If you are unaware or not wanting of the effects, it can cause a jarring of the mind and some have been reported as losing touch with reality for good, which is why it is important to understand an prepare yourself for the trip if you chose to take it. Some elect to have a ‘sitter’ who is a sober individual who is there to help a guide you away from the negative emotions that you might encounter along the trip. Another good way to avoid despair would be to plan out the time and day you want to trip, picking the people and the environment very carefully because it can be relatively easy to veer off the path you want to take if there are unexpected surprises or stressful situations. (LSD-25)

Hippies and curious individuals are not the only ones who sought after the mind altering effects of LSD; in fact they were not even the first. In 1938 acid was first synthesized by Albert Hoffman from the ergot fungus, which grows on grains, most typically rye. By the 1950 the CIA, Central Intelligence Agency, became interested in its psychoactive properties and thought that if used properly it could be a tool for behavioral control. Allen Dulles, head of the CIA in the 1950s, befriended the psychiatrist Ewen Cameron because they both shared the idea that with the use of drugs, hypnosis and shock therapy one could, “eradicate an individual’s original personality and install a new, improved one” (Nickson). So, Cameron set up shop in a hospital in Montreal where he initiated these trails to see if it was in fact possible to change a person’s personality and control them. He was given funding secretly by the CIA through a program called MKUltra, but most of the original documentation had been destroyed during the Watergate scandal.
MKUltra was founded when President Eisenhower saw that the Soviet Union was making great strides in the field of mind control and he demanded that we too must be as up to date with any weaponry that they may use against us. So Cameron was sent to Canada, where it was easy to cover up because most citizen had little care at the time for what their neighbors to the north were doing, to perform experiments on the locals in order to see if it was at all possible to alter someone’s personality. The ultimate goal of project MKUltra was to create an army of individuals who would be programmed to perform political assassinations. But, before he was able to program anyone to do that, he had to experiment on people with behavioral problems to see if he was able to eliminate their disorders; the problem with this was many of his patients did not have severe behavioral problems before they entered treatment. (Cornog)

The process that Cameron took to alter the person involved a series of steps that in the end ultimately broke the person down mentally. First he would induce a coma with the use of certain chemicals such as PCP and LSD for days on end. He would keep them in their sleep for sixty-five days so that when they would awake, they had no sense of who they were or what they were for that matter; essentially he wiped them clean of all knowledge they previously possessed. Then next step was to use shock therapy to eradicate the ‘bad’ behavior. Using the Paige-Russell shock treatment, a method that involved one initial shock followed by five to nine supplemental shocks, more than the required amount, two to three times a week, Cameron wished to overwhelm the previous behavioral patterns by administering the shocks three to four times a day. After they had been broken mentally, they would move to phase three where they would be forced to listen to the bad behavioral thoughts over and over with shocks at the end of each message for twenty hours a day. Then after three weeks the message would change to the more positive thoughts they wanted to force the patients to keep. At the end of all of this they would be kept in a sleep for two weeks to have the messages soak in and the changes take hold. There were many other procedures going on at the hospital where Cameron work, each one just as odd as the next, yet he continued to get funding for his experiments by the government up until 1961; Cameron died soon after. (Nickson)

Many people do not know of the horrors that went on during MKUltra because the government has done everything in its power to cover up the truth from the masses. There even was a trail and a settlement over the Montreal Experiments where the CIA was forced to concede a great deal of money to the victims and yet still it is kept quiet. Because of things like this, and the much smaller, but still important, lies that we are told and made to believe makes it hard to truly take what the government says at face value. We must understand that the only information that can be trusted, it seems, is the ones we uncover on our own. So, if drugs do interest you then do the research and find out as much as you can about what you are going to be doing to your body and take care in the things you do.

 

Works cited

Nickson, Elizabeth. “Mind Control.” Guardian (1994): n.pag.ProQuest Newspapers. Web. 25 Nov 2012.

Cornog, Martha. “The Sinister Truth: MKULTRA.” Library Journal 136.9 (2011): n.pag. Academic Search

Complete. Web. 25 Nov 2012.

“Drugs In America.” D.A.R.E.. Los Angeles: 2012. <http://www.dare.com/home/default.asp&gt;.

“LSD-25.” The Vaults of Erowid.N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Nov 2012. <http://www.erowid.org/chemicals/lsd/&gt;.

Research Sources

http://library.calstate.edu/sanfrancisco/metasearch/record?group=2012-11-13-007314&resultSet=070407&startRecord=1

This source includes information on the government program MKULTRA, where many unsuspecting Americans were given LSD and other psychoactive drugs without their consent.

http://library.calstate.edu/sanfrancisco/metasearch/record?group=2012-11-13-007314&resultSet=070407&startRecord=4

http://library.calstate.edu/sanfrancisco/metasearch/record?group=2012-11-13-007314&resultSet=070407&startRecord=7

Both sources explains how Dorothy Proctor, along with 23 other women, were given three doses of LSD while imprisoned at Prison for Women in Kingston.

 

Possible Research Questions

Which substances are the safest to try?

What psychedelics have the least negative effects as compared to their positive affects?

Is LSD safe to try?

As a Result of Blogging

As I had traveled the last four years through high school, I came out the other end wiser and more in tune with who I was and the capabilities I possessed. Then enter college all of that was shattered. For the longest time I had given up on my writing, maintaining the idea that I did not have the skill or creativity to truly call myself a good writer. Because of this, I ended up focusing and enjoying math and science because I assumed they were just easier for me to comprehend and produce answers. Since starting college I had never been given as much positive affirmation for my writing, and now that is mostly what I have been receiving from peers and professors alike. As a result, I now am able to take pride in my work and enjoy expressing my thoughts and ideas onto a page, knowing that others appreciate what it is I have to say. Which is why I believe it was beneficial to have a course on blogging for me because it gave me a chance to cultivate writing in my own way. In addition to providing a medium to write free form it also was exciting to have readers of my blog, and I was able to learn a lot by reader others. My eyes were opened up to the world of sports and the 49ers as well as the organization that are out there to help in the fields of cancer research and treatment. Blogging has helped me enjoy English once again and for that reason alone it is my favorite type of writing.

The Weight Issue

Our nation is fat. With a staggering thirty-five percent of the American population being obese, California has twenty-three point eight percent. If nothing else we can all agree that we as a country with an extra large problem in need of a radical solution. But who is to blame for this travesty; the consumer or the government? The point is brought up in Radley Blanko’s article, What You Eat is Your Business, that because we have a more socialized medical system where people do not have to take full responsibility for the negative consequences of their actions. The idea of socialized medicine is that taxes will be higher for everything so that there is little to no cost when you have medical ailments that need to be fixed or looked at. He proclaims that, “Your heart attack drives up the cost of my premiums and office visits”(Blanko). When you are not paying the price for the medical conditions that you bring upon yourself, then you suffer no repercussions and therefore see no need to change the way you behave. In spite of this, our government is only making matters worse by passing legislations that further push us into socialized medicine and by limiting personal choice.

Another argument about this matter is brought up by David Zinczenko in his reading Don’t Blame the Eater. David asserts that the blame does not lay with the consumer for the obesity that they face. The way that our society is set up, we have been lead to believe that eating fast food is convenient and will have no negative ramifications upon our bodies; this is untrue. Eating fast food may be an easy route to go when planning your next meal, especially with the fast pace lifestyle most of us live with, but eating these foods too consistently can really damage your body. Part of the problem is also the lack of alternatives to the fast food for younger people to chose from. Eating fast food is faster and cheaper, which is more appealing to this younger crowd who don’t have the time or money to eat healthier, so they say.

In my opinion, people should be educated to make the right choices when it comes to healthy eating and there should be less options for eating things that are unhealthy. I do not agree with the methods that are used to teach the masses about healthy eating because they are often clouded by the bombardment of advertisements for places like McDonald’s, Carls Jr., Burger King, KFC, ect. and the list goes on and on. I agree with the idea that it is your body and you should be allowed to make the choices concerning your own life, but I don’t think that everyone is as informed about how what they eat affects their well-being. My solution to the problem of obesity would be to cut out the big corporations who are only trying to make money off of the ignorant people, and to educate young people how to make healthier foods and healthier decisions.

http://www.cato.org/publications/commentary/what-you-eat-is-business

To Be Forewarned

First and foremost, this blog is not for those of feeble minds. I have intended this blog to be for the individuals who want to be more informed about how to be safe with drugs, and which ones to take in order to not harm oneself or others around them. The first time I became interested in this topic was when I did the extra research and found that many of the ideas that I had towards illegal substances were proved to wrong.  Throughout my blog, I want to discus the actual facts surrounding the mystery, that has been shrouded around drugs. In my opinion it is unfair to only expose people to part of the information in order to control their actions in a way that favors you in the long run. Through my research of sites such as erowid.com, I hope to discover interesting facts that actually contradict many peoples perceived definition and notions about certain substances. As a fair warning out to everyone who may stumble upon these writings, I am not encouraging the use of any substance I write about, I only wish to expose the facts so that you may make your own decisions as an informed citizen.

The Beginning

Throughout recent years blogs have started to grow in popularity, building up so that now anyone with access to the internet can post their thoughts feelings and ideas. The blog that I will be posting is intended to be a comprehensive guide for anyone feeling adventurous or simply just curious, about which drugs are the safest and the most fun to use. The drug world is shrouded from many people with lies and propaganda used to scare people away, admittedly they are only a choice but I feel that people deserve the right to the information so they can have the ability to make these decisions for themselves. I chose to write about uncovering the secrets around drugs because many people make careless assumptions by either never experiencing or hurting themselves with the inappropriate use of different substances. I am hoping that along the way of my blogging adventure that I can pick up the skills and knowledge of writing through this new medium, which seems to be the next step towards the future.

Blogs can be anything you want them to be, that is the true beauty of having your own web site you can say what you want. Most everyone in the world feels the need to express themselves whether that is through vocal transactions, artistic works, or what have you. It is our simple desire to be heard and understood, and blogging gives you all the power because you are holding all the keys. When people blog there is a true, raw sense of the person that stays behind on the screen for they can manipulate their page with images, videos, or simply words to drive home the points they try to make. Because there is no mandatory structure for a blog, and because they are short little snippets of information, the writers are able to play around with form and wording to pass along information, while not getting too bored trying to write something lengthy, like a book. I am excited to start a blog so that I can learn and grow as a writer, and at the same time not have to worry if my structure is up to par; I am free to simply express myself.

http://oddlots.wordpress.com/2010/09/19/smoking-legal-drug/

http://now100fm.cbslocal.com/2012/09/20/lady-gaga-smokes-weed-on-stage/

http://jerseyteapot.wordpress.com/2012/09/20/three-states-lead-the-way-on-re-legalization/