What's Good

I really like a book called Speaker for the Dead. It is the sequel to Ender's Game and is probably one of the best written science fiction books ever written. Orson Scott Card did an amazing job on it. It is so good because it combines science fiction, much of which is possible today, with psychology of many different groups. There is always one person who feels that it is her responsibility for everything, that if only she had done this, something wouldn't be how it turned out. There is also the rest of her family who really increases the damage that she has done. There is just one big problematic family on a foreign world having to deal with a peculiar pig-like group of aliens who are "seemingly" hostile. It also involves mob psychology, as well as numerous other speeches or statements said by Ender, who is the symbolic peacemaker, ironically, as he blew up a species' home planet. Now, he is considered the one who is the key role model in everyone's life. The plot, characters, and overall atmosphere of the story is great. The fact that it gets me thinking about possible astrophysics questions and certain possible science fiction elements is also a great experience. I would recommend this book if anyone has read Ender's Game and liked it.

Stories for the Quest of Civil Rights

http://www.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=4794

This article attempts to show how far we actually have come in the civil rights movement today. It suggests at the beginning that whites and blacks alike actually wanted a change, and they worked for that change. But, even with all that has been done, there is still segregation and discrimination today. Even though there are laws against it, it seems that many African-Americans still don't have decent housing, even those who can afford it, because the real estate agent "forgets" to show a good house. That is racism. Even schools are still segregated, because they usually go to school where they live, and blacks and whites still usually live separate. Even so, it seems like the public schools in the black neighborhoods tend to be on the poorer side, and so many receive less than adequate education. That is racism and segregation, as well. Even with the laws, it won't really make a difference until we have more blacks going for their beliefs. Just as Baldwin stated in "My Dungeon Shook", the difference will only be made when the blacks actually start to show their longing and actually go for it. At the end of the article, it talks about many more blacks voting for their cause and many who are actually representing the US in the government. Even our President is African-American, and that is a huge step right there. That should help them account to something to improve. However, in my opinion, there are many African-Americans who actually discriminate against other African-Americans, and that does make it worse.

Harlem

Harlem was a place that was full of innovation. Some of that innovation was in the black rights activism, especially in the Crossroads of the Black World in Speaker's Corner. Many activists made their thoughts count here in Harlem, with speeches, demonstrations, and parades or marches. An example would be Marcus Garvey, a right's activist who came from Africa, and who admired Booker T. Washington very much. He was a member of the NAACP, and his Universal Negro Improvement Association gave the very best street parades and speeches in Harlem. Garvey stood on the intersection of West 135th Street and Lenox Avenue preaching his speeches for Black rights activism. Because of the atmosphere in Harlem, activism flourished, and it was very easy to gain large numbers for speeches or parades for that Black activism.

Having My Say

Something that I feel strongly about is my faith. It is the personal aspect that really makes me up in my life. I can't do anything except by GOD who gives me strength is an excellent Bible verse to compare here. Without my faith I am nothing, just an empty shell. All those people who are atheistic: how can they not believe in anything? To me, having a faith is what assures me of the afterlife and makes me want to try to succeed in this life. If you are an atheist, then why try, because all that you are is an evolved ape who doesn't have any more purpose in life than a rock and you can do whatever you please, because when you die, you die. I couldn't live without my faith in God, and sometimes that is what keeps me going in life. You have to have faith to have an assurance of hope that something good will happen. If you don't have any faith, then what are the chances that something good will happen? You must be the one to choose that faith so that you can hope for the good. I believe that some day Christ will return and all the world will be judged. I am hoping for Heaven someday, and it makes me want to have a purpose in life.