Group Project

I found a non profit organization that was actually referred to me by a close friend, and who is also in the program right now as I am typing this blog.  This particular program helps men overcome addictions. Once there done with the recovery program, the organinzations helps them to get reestablished in the work world and also helps to find them housing.  They have several other programs that just don't cater to men, but also women, children, and teenage mothers. Judging from the website and the area of location, I would have pretty good chance to may get some one on one insight.

Blog Assignment #11

After reading Chapter 1, the author made me view writing a research paper in a different aspect. I for one loathed research papers, especially when the topic has no interest to me or anything that will help improve my life.  Now, if I were asked to research the best shoe stores or True Blood, then I am sold. In my opinion I think that key to a good research paper is simply good timing and preparation. If the topic is not really your cup of tea, like most things, you can always find the good in it.  The community that I choose to research was Hyde Park.  What interested me the most about this particular area was the stereo types that I had heard about the people lived in the area. And that fact some elite class African Americans lived in this area, which I was not accustomed to growing up in the Austin Area. Growing up in the west side the "thing" was that people that lived on the South Side were considered to be bourgeois or had a tendency to look down on people from the west side.  Since I have now become a resident of Hyde Park, I have now noticed that my view has changed, to a certain degree.

Questions:

If you were influenced by someone/something in your community, how were you influenced? Was is negative, positive, or both?

Did the influence make you view your current community or group differently? If so how.

How would you compare/contrast certain stereotypes to the community you grew up in to the one that you live in now?

How do individuals view your community? Do they believe in the stereotypes?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyde_Park,_Chicago

What do Hugh Hefner & Barack Obama have in Common?

Hyde is considered to be an elite area for some African Americans, and considering that Chicago is one of the most segregated cities, Hyde Park is considered to be one of the most diverse area in all of Chicago,  43.5% White, 38% Black. This area is the home to some of Chicago's education institutions, such as the University of Chicago, Dusable Museum of African American History, and the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago, along with others. During the 1930's Hyde park had established a very successful run in the hotel business. This included over 100 hotels and resorts. Post World War 1 a lot of African Americans settled into Hyde park from some of the southern states, which offered affordable housing.  Hyde park  has also been the home to such celebrities as our very own President Barack Obama , Louis Farrakhan, Mahalia Jackson & Hugh Hefner.

To My Surprise

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/09/18/gop-frustration-grows-with-obama-approach-to-jobs-deficit/

To My Surprise

The article that I chose talks about how the GOP is not pleased with Obama’s proposal to raise taxes for wealthy and the lay out for job proposal.  Initially when I read the title of the article, I was expecting the GOP to have some concrete evidence or just a valid reason as to why they were so “frustrated” with Obama’s ideas.    The president wants to raise taxes for people who make million dollars or more, and not raise taxes for the middle class, who are the most affected by today’s economy.  Senator Dick Durbin, D-IL, stated that, “a new tax rate on those making a million a year is certainly a good idea, for those who are wealthy and comfortable wouldn’t even notice it”.  I think that this is a great idea, but let’s be honest, if you are making over a million a year, and you pay about 40-60% to taxes, you roughly have about four-hundred thousand dollars to live with.  The last time I checked, that was pretty damn good.  They don’t have the everyday worries of an individual like myself.  They don’t have to worry about were there next meal is going to come from, will I be able to fill up gas tank this week, or how am I going to rob Peter to pay Paul.

It’s not a secret that Fox News is not exactly on the Obama bang wagon, but to my surprise the particular article is not as one sided as I anticipated.  It gave you an insight as to how both parties viewed the Presidents plans. The author focused more on how the GOP viewed the president’s decision.  The article was almost predictable, of course the GOP was not pleased with the president proposal, and of course the democrats came to the rescue for Obama. I think that anyone could agree/disagree with what the author is saying, it basically depends if you’re either a democrat or a republican. The article was very neutral considering that it was from Fox news.

http://realglitz.blogspot.com/2011/08/students-and-status-quo.html?showComment=1316222395205#c2281742474472418770

http://elizabethkyoung.blogspot.com/2011/09/news-he-said-she-said-here-say.html?showComment=1316221203909#c6542863900968247358

Somewhere in the Middle

There are two types of schools that would best describe the type of education that I received. One would be the working class school and the  middle class school.  I attended a small private school that was located in the Lawndale area on the West side of Chicago.  Now anyone that is familiar with the Lawndale area can attest that this location is not the absolute worst area, but it definitely doesn't come in comparisons to Hyde Park.  This community had a mixture of social classes.  Most people living in Lawndale were either middle class, living in poverty or a pay check away from being impoverished . As I stated, I attended a private school, so you know my parents along with everyone else's parents  were paying tuition. The tuition was very expensive and with that being said, the majority of my classmates parents were considered to be middle class.  My mother was a school teacher, one of my classmate's mother was a doctor, and some of my other classmates parents were clergymen. The classroom size averaged around 12-15 children, so the teacher was allowed more time & energy to give each student equal amount of attention. We had homework almost every night, most weekends and even during school breaks. I think that it was structured that way simply because my parents were paying for my education. And I think that goes back to the saying, "You get what you pay for".  During that time, the teachers were allowed to give us spankings, so discipline was a major factor .  Not only did I have to worry about my teacher spanking me, but I was even more terrified of what my mom would do to me. Now that I look back, I am glad that I had teachers that were more of a mother figure to me, and they instilled a certain level of fear in me to strive to do better and also do what was necessary in order for me to pass with good grades.