Discourse Communities and Some Writing (*.*)

1. humans are social beings, and with that said we have tendencies to group together. each group differs from one to another usually, but from within the group, people tend to have the similar aspirations, languages, physical and emotional characteristics, and other things such as music, theatre, or even forms of communication. this is what we would call a discourse community.
2.Russel Baker found his calling to become a writer in high school after going through what most people would call an epiphany, he got a sudden burst of inspiration that led him to realize what he was most passionate about in this world. i can say that it was maybe the same thing for me as far as finding my passion for dancing. at age 12 i started dancing ballroom, salsa. i danced because my parents were Hispanic and they wanted to teach me a little bit about my culture. there was no way i liked it at all, i wasn't even any good at it. one day i went to a quincenera and someone asked me out to dance, i said hey i learned a few things why not? when we got out to the dance floor everything ended as a disaster. i stubbed her toe elbowed her shoulder and made her fall when i spun her. after all of that she stopped me and said, "you need to learn to dance." and walked away, leaving me alone on the dance floor. ever since that day i vowed i would never go through such an embarrassing moment again, i started taking real dance classes at studios, and as i continued i realized i really did like dancing. through one moment i discovered my passion maybe not exactly like Russel Baker but close enough.

The top 10

1. Recession- Its on everybody's mind! have we made it through the worst? when will we start to see improvement on the issue? and am i next to join the 9.3% of unemployed Americans?
2. Same Sex Marriage- is New Mexico the next state to legalize it? what does the federal government characterize a marriage as under the Defense of Marriage Act? being homosexual, this issue hits near home.
3. Cut backs on Financial Aid- Hundreds of students rely on it, and with the Tuition costs on the rise how does the average college student supposed to survive? this issue is definitely worth a second glance.
4. Supreme Court's Campaign Finance Ruling- We all know politics are bought; now with this new ruling, how are we sure were voting for a candidate and not the supporting company's C.E.O.?
5. Energy Crisis- With the discovery of Louisiana's "Spindletop" of natural gas, are things finally looking up for the United States in discovering a new cheap, reliable, and clean energy source?
6. Texting Used as a Learning Tool- New studies show texting improves literacy and composition skills. Will this popular form of communication be used as a new medium to assist educators in teaching important writing skills?
7. Stem Cell Research- Is the Controversial treatment on the brink of solving some of the greatest medical mysteries such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's or Multiple Sclerosis? Xcell British research has a few things to say.
   
8. Drug Violence- Happening in our own backyard, the drug violence between two of the worlds most dangerous cartel's continues. what has been done and what can we do?
9. WAR- Since 2001 we've still been captive to a third world nations cry for stability and our own vendetta against terrorism. what's the outlook on it by the American public and when will it end?
10. Global Warming- Is it another one of those hide under the rug issues? or are we really doing our best to see what can be done about this environmental time bomb?
    

English 1311 All About Me!

January 20Th 2009 9:08 a.m. My name is Gilbert Aguilar, full time student at the University of Texas at El Paso, UTEP for short. So this is my first blog ever written and i guess it has to be written about me. well in that case, my full name is Gilberto Alonso Aguilar Garcia de Lara, as seen on my birth certificate, very Hispanic. I was born and raised in El Paso, Texas but lived and visited all ends of the country in my most recent years. I'm newly 19 but live like i am 25. I've lived alone since i was 15 and just recently got a roommate, who by the way is not dirty nor annoying nor cheap, so we get along just fine. I'm a dance major here at UTEP so you might guess that my interests might include dancing. Ive been doing ballroom for about 8 years now, salsa being my forte = D. Ive now done more traditional dance styles like ballet, contemporary, jazz, and hip hop for about 3 years now and having a lot of fun just expanding my horizons. i shoot to be a strong versatile dancer learning everything i possibly can and being good at it. note: i don't want to be the best at anything because that's not what it means to be a dancer, the strongest dancers are the most versatile and quickly most dancers will learn that, example, try and get a ballet dancer to do bollywood or hip hop, quite a site to see haha. i also party a lot but not for the reasons most people have like to go out and have a good time and meet people or hook up, i go out to clubs and dance bars to "perform" and be seen by potential choreographers, directors, and dance coordinators and agents that might higher me as dancer in their company or show. you'd be surprised how many jobs I've gotten like that. my main goal with all of this show stuff though is to make it to Cirque Du Soleil. for those who don't know what Cirque Du Soleil is its is, it is the largest professional circus group in the world that has received world recognition for its inspiring shows that are a mixture of stage art and circus acrobatics that normally follow a theme that is considered unusual but highly original. working with Cirque Du Soleil is definitely not an easy task. you usually have to be invited to audition at their show which means you have to be a recognized entity in the dance/theatre community, and even after the first set of auditions you have the second set of auditions to overcome before you have to go to a 2 yr long workshop camp in France where you are taught acrobatics, foreign dance styles (i.e. bollywood, Celtic river dancing, African theme, etc...) and of course circus art and performance before your ever allowed to perform in one of his shows. being invited to this workshop means more than performing for Cirque Du Soleil but it also means becoming a world recognized performer that will definitely have a contract or teaching gig in any well known establishment around the world. yup, that's the dream. well that's seems to be enough or now. until next time ^_^ (BTW, that's my favorite smiley)