May 24, 2014

     The complicated relationship I have with my family fuels the fire I have in my soul that ignites at a moment's notice. I know that doesn't make sense, but whatever. I really do love the relationship that my family has,at least my grandmother on my mom's side. We are all unrealistically close and some people even find it a little weird. I spend so much time with my cousins from first to fifth. I am constantly surrounded by family which could be a good o bad thing depending on the day. This past weekend I spent Friday night with my cousin Jack watching movies while our mothers drank wine in the kitchen, Saturday helping my uncle move into is new apartment while my grandparent who wee supposed to be helping just complained about everything, and Sunday just spending the day with my aunts and letting them buy things for me. Overall I really love how ridiculously close we are and I wan to stay that way so that my children's children will have the same experiences I have.

May 17, 2014

      Today is May seventeenth 2014. It is an okay day with no much to do. I know that I only have like a month left before finals, but I'm not really nervous or scared about it at all. I like to think of myself as a chill and laid back, but today my brother told me I am always super hyper or super stressed. I think its just a way of life for me. I have ad will always be mood swingy. I don't know why but I am I have grown to love how one day I can be overly excited about everything and the next I hate the world and everything in it, including my mother at times. My mother and I have a very complicated relationship. I love her and she loves me, but sometimes we don't like each other just because we have different personalities. Although I think we are very different everyone else says hat we are exactly the same which makes sense since we both but head so much.

Acceptance speech

Jaunai Parson

8^th

Citizen's Excellence in Community Involvement Award

This award is not a celebration for me, but for the many people who make small sacrifices each day to help the community. Our communities are in danger because of how little community members care about the place they live. We as people all live in neighborhoods and communities where we should care for ourselves and our neighbors.

   “I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.” ― Mother Teresa

            This quote signifies how a community is not the area, but it is the people that make it a community. We all have to come together in order for change to sustain. We can fundraise, clean-up, and promote activities in communities, but they people are what keep it going. Community members have to really care about the place they live in order for it to become a better place to live.

     Communities are places where children are raised and families are grounded. In order to keep the ideals of a family structure in our communities we must care for and sustain our schools, community centers, and the environments we live in so that our children have a safe place to be.  

“Heroes didn't leap tall buildings or stop bullets with an outstretched hand; they didn't wear boots and capes. They bled, and they bruised, and their superpowers were as simple as listening, or loving. Heroes were ordinary people who knew that even if their own lives were impossibly knotted, they could untangle someone else's. And maybe that one act could lead someone to rescue you right back.”

― Jodi Picoult, Second Glance

            We all have to work together to better our communities, the places where we live, raise children, make friends, and unify our families. The community cannot keep itself afloat, we all have to help it and set a good example for those to come. If the children of the community see one person make a difference it can change that community forever. That is why this award is not only for me, but for the entire community and the work we have all done. 

First Draft

When using popular search engines, such as Google, to ask a simple question there are millions of sites that offer information. The problem is knowing which website is reliable and gives accurate information. There are many unreliable resources available on the internet that give inaccurate information to the general public. These inaccuracies are why choosing sources for valid  information is an issue when using the internet. Sites such as Wikipedia.com, Yahoo Answers, Ask.com, and Youtube.com are examples of sites that use crowdsourcing as then main function of their website. Generally, these sites are greatly trusted throughout the internet community, but the reliability of these websites is not what the perceived standard is.

The reliability of the website Wikipedia.com, an online encyclopedia, has been questioned by many. The site that allows anyone with an account to edit a webpage, has been criticized many time for its inaccuracies and the credibility of the encyclopedia has been questioned many times. Wikipedia.com is not a reliable source because any person that has no expertise or valid knowledge on a subject can pass off incorrect information as accurate, especially since Wikipedia is an encyclopedia .

In a test study done to determine the credibility of Wikipedia there were two groups under two conditions.One group was a group of experts that read articles from Wikipedia that were in their field of expertise.The second group were randomly chosen people that may or may not have had a large field of knowledge about the topic of a random Wikipedia article. “The article’s credibility was measured with five items: believability, accuracy, trustworthiness, bias and completeness” (Chesney). Chesney, an accredited researcher, found that the experts and random participants both found inaccuracies in the Wikipedia articles. Wikipedia can not be seen as a credible online encyclopedia if there are flaws in what is supposed to be credible information.

Wikipedia has been ridiculed a myriad of times because of its well known feature that  allows anyone to edit a webpage,but although the site says that anyone can edit the page it does not always let any editor change the webpage.Timothy Messer-Kruse, a professor at Bowling Green State University and the author of "The Trial of the Haymarket Anarchists”, spoke about how he tried to change an inaccuracy on a wikipedia page related to the Haymarket trials and after seemingly changing the inaccurate information the webpage reloaded without the corrections.”They[Wikipedia] don't rely on primary sources like transcripts of the trial but rather on the preponderance of secondary sources.” The option on Wikipedia that allows authors to not let anyone edit their webpage blocked him from making any changes regarding the invalid information. “I tried again and was told that I needed to represent a majority viewpoint, not a minority viewpoint, namely my own, and that Wikipedia was about verifiability, not necessarily about truth.”,said Messer-Kruse. Although Wikipedia’s creators have always contradicted accusations of the site being inaccurate they have openly admitted to not relying on the truth (Conan).

Wikipedia’s statements of verifiability over truth justifies the low credibility of the encyclopedia,especially if the information is used as a source for school or any other setting requiring accurate information.Generally educators tell their students to not use Wikipedia as a reliable source and some say to not even use it at all.  “Purdue professors are reluctant to allow their students to use this website as a source. Sorin Matei, a communication professor studying the collaboration aspects of Wikipedia, said the biggest problem is the disparity in level of truth to each article” (Westberg). Westenberg, a journalist reporting on an article released earlier in the year, also reported on the use of Wikipedia in and out of the classroom. Many educators think that Wikipedia is more of a way to understand the general basics of a topic and then use other sources of information as a credible source. “Nancy Peleaz, a biology professor, said although she does use Wikipedia in her classroom with her students, she does not find it to be a reliable source” (Westberg). There are some articles on Wikipedia that are majority accurate, but the problem is knowing which article are credible and which are just made up misleading information from an unreliable source. Using Wikipedia as a credible source for any credible cause is not suggested or recommended by educators and experts.

Some experts conduct studies on the credibility and accuracy of Wikipedia and come to a  conclusion that Wikipedia is in fact credible. “The degree to which Wikipedia is lacking depends heavily on one’s perspective. Even in the least covered areas, because of its sheer size, Wikipedia does well, but since a collection that is meant to represent general knowledge is likely to be judged by the areas in which it is weakest...” (Halavais). Wikipedia being the large database that it is has a hard time verifying the credibility of every article.Often times Wikipedia is judged because of its status of a popular online encyclopedia and not as a website using crowdsourcing. With crowdsourcing there are eventually bound to be some errors and many researchers have noted that.

Even with the knowledge that Wikipedia is a large site that cannot verify every detail of information that is posted on the site the credibility of the encyclopedia is still very low. With the knowledge that most articles on Wikipedia are written by crowdsourcing it verifies that inaccuracies are inevitable. “ It cannot be a coincidence that two areas that are particularly lacking on Wikipedia—law and medicine—are also the purview of licensed experts” (Halavais). Many experts do not see Wikipedia as a credible website and know that their information would not be seen as valid if posed on Wikipedia. “Many attorneys have taken up blogging with open arms and medical research is now frequently published in open access journals, both suggesting that there is not always an impediment to these groups contributing to online resources” (Halavais). The lack of experts posting on Wikipedia justifies that it is not a credible encyclopedia with a valid and accurate information.

Premise and Thesis

When using popular search engines, such as Google, to ask a simple question there are millions of sites that offer information. The problem is knowing which website is reliable and gives accurate information. There are many unreliable resources available on the internet that give inaccurate information to the general public. These inaccuracies are why choosing sources for valid  information is an issue when using the internet. Sites such as Wikipedia.com, Yahoo Answers, Ask.com, and Youtube.com are examples of sites that use crowdsourcing as then main function of their website. Generally, these sites are greatly trusted throughout the internet community, but the reliability of these websites is not what the perceived standard is.

The reliability of the website Wikipedia.com, an online encyclopedia, has been questioned by many. The site that allows anyone with an account to edit a webpage, has been criticized many time for its inaccuracies and the credibility of the encyclopedia has been questioned many times. Wikipedia.com is not a reliable source because any person that has no expertise or valid knowledge on a subject can pass off incorrect information as accurate, especially since Wikipedia is an encyclopedia .

April 20,2014

This weekend I went out to the cemetery with my mom and we decided to decorate my cousins grave. She died two years ago from cancer and it was very hard on my family. 2012 was not the best year for my family. Many close family friends and close family passed away during that year. It was a hard time for my entire family because as soon as you felt that you could move on and live life a little bit easier something else happened. My family definitely grew closer over time, bit I wish that we didnt have to loose anyone in order for us to realize that we have to spend more time as a family.
    Going to the cemetery was not as hard for me as I thought it would be. I have a great respect for the people that have passed on and cemeteries are just places that honor the dead's lives.

April 13, 2014

Im really tired and I want to go home right now. I have been at my father's house for the past 12 hours and I am ready to go home. My father thinks that I actually like spend on time with him for some reason. Then when I try to tell him that I want to go home or not hang out with him so I can do something else he gets offended. For being as tall and as seemingly intimidating as he is he is so overly sensitive about everything. His feelings get hurt so easily probably because he is the oldest and my grandmother always babies him and gave him what he wants. Im glad that my mom teachers me how to practical and understand the world better. That is why I want to become a psychologist so that I can understand the human mind because sometimes I truly do not understand how and why people do the things they do.

April 6, 3014

This week I tried making pancakes for the first time. Emphasis on the word tried. My mom just kind of gave me a five sec description of how I was supposed to make it and then left. At first the pancakes turned out horrible, so I made my brother eat those because he just inhales food hw doesn't even taste it. Then by the time I had made a few I was a pro and was making Mickey mouse pancakes with fruit amd topping. My next step is to start making waffles. I think it will be great became I like my waffles a certain way and this way it is easier to make them exactly like I like them.

Mar. 29, 2014

    This week was good. Except for Friday, I had a horrible headache and my body just kind of shut down in me. I think it was because I had not eaten anything, but I'm not for sure. I feel better now, but I have a pounding headache again today. My sinuses have always been really messed up and I get headaches constantly because of it. After a while I got used to them and now, except for a few, special cases it doesn't really bother me.
   I got to meet my friend's dog the other day and he is so cute. His name is peanut and I love him. I want to just keep him with me forever. He is so charismatic and funny. You would think he was a person. I love him so much!!

Mar 23, 2014

I have had dance so much. I had a dress rehearsal Friday and I am in every number so I got no breaks. It hurt so much when I was done. I literally fell asleep with a piece of pizza in my mouth because I was so tired. I woke up the next morning with unchewed pizza in my mouth and bobby pins and make-up all over my pillow. Then I had to get dressed and go back to dance. My mind, body, and soul hurt because of it.

Mar 16, 2014

I am really tired because I have had dance every day this week. My body hurts so bad, but my friend massaged my back so its not that bad anymore. She is going to school to become a masseuse so it was pretty amazing. I love her so much. I have never realized how many friends I have made from dance before. I have been friends with these people for years and I love them and trust them with my life basically.  Especially with some of the stunts we do. Its crazy how you take these things for granted when you dont pay attention to them.

Mar 9, 2014

I am so excited for the competition coming up its going to be really fun. I hope we dont get there and everyone else is better than us. That would 've horrible. What if we get last place? What if we dont even place at all? We have all worked so hard and we would all be angry and sad. More angry than sad because of all of the work we have put in.

Mar 2, 2014

It is finally March!!! March is a great month for me. Its is right around spring break and a lot of people I  my family have birthdays in March. Which means I get cake a lot. I am also going to a Bulls game at thr end of March which is always good. I don't really watch basketball, but I know about it and Im excited to be going to the game.

Feb 23, 2014

I need to sleep so bad. Im excited about dance. Yesterday my friend fell in dance and it made my month. Not because she was hurt, but because of her face when she fell she was surprised and hurt and angry at the same time. Its so funny because she is always laughing at me because I'm so clumsy. Karma is a great thing and I love it. It reminds me of that show My Name is Earl. It was one of the only shows that I used to watch with my dad because we could all watch it.

Feb 16, 2014

The competition for dance is getting closer. I am so annoyed by the girls that think we are going to be on dance moms and all that other bull crap. Its so naive and stupid of them. I have never understood why people believe stupid things. I believe that I am a realist. I think realistically even if it hurts. Its so stupid to have false hope. Overly optimistic people get on my nerves they need to think realistically about the world not just live in your own bubble

Feb 9, 2014

   I just want to sleep so much. This week was nothing special, it was just like any other week. Wake up, go to school, go home, go to dance, go home, sleep, and repeat. I really need a change of pace and some excitement in my life. I need to do more with my life and how I spend it.
      I just want to sleep sometime,but I never do.  Is that weird?

Feb 2, 2013

This past week was horrible. I have had dance everyday this week and my body hurts so much. School was ok, I have to write a essay for AP World and I dont understand what's happening in chemistry. Overall school is kind of crazy right now. I just want to sleep and go home. I want to just quit school and go to sleep. Better yet, I want to just have a career already. That would make my life so much easier than what it is now

Jan 26, 2013

Im so sleepy and tired. I just want a wonderful bed to fall down and sleep on. I've been depressed lately.  I talked to my mom about it, but I dont know if she thinks im serious or not.  It feels as though I really want to just never leave bed and its getting harder and harder to get up. 

Jan 19, 2014

I just want to sleep. My head is pounding and I really need a nap and a good rest. I just want to go home even though I am home. I know its crazy but that is always where I want to be no matter where I am. I have always found comfort at home with my family. I have been raised with my damily all atound me and I love it that way. It just makes me me feel safe when im around family 

Jan. 12, 2014

    I really just want to sleep. I've been tired this whole week and I want to sleep so hard lol. Im so hilarious its not even funny. No matter what I do I just want to laugh. Laughing is an amazing cure for every thing

Dec. 22, 2013

Im really excited for Christmas break. Im going to hibernate the whole time. Im more excited for sleep than presents and family time.the first few months getting acclimated again to school are rough. I really need rest and solitude.  I've been around so many people and so many things that I just want to be by myself for a while and just sleep. I love family time and everything, but I like alone time too. Its crazy how I used to not even k ow what tired meant but i know for sure now. 

Dec. 15, 2013

This week was nothing special. I have been thinking about it though and I want to become a vampire. Not a gruesome vampire, but a glamorous, Twilight vampire. I want to have a fantasy life, maybe its because I've always been so mature for my age compared to other family members. I have always been the one who has to be responsible for everyone else and now I just want to live in my own fantasty land. I want to be a vampire and marry a werewolf and live happily ever after. Thats what has been going through my mind this week

Dec. 8th, 2013

I have started my countdown to Christmas.  It is the only other worthy holiday besides my birthday.  At least I think so. One day my birthday will be a national holiday and everyone will thank me because they get a day off of work and school. I know I thank Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther king Jr when we get out of school for their birthdays. I want my day to actually be on my birthday though not a few days after or before or even a estimate. That is my thought for the week :)

Nov. 3, 2013

 This past week was ok. I have been feeling down and out of it lately and it has been affecting my mood at school. Most times during this time of year for some particular reason I get depressed and don't function well. I really just wanted school to end as fast as it could.  During english this week, because it is the last class of the day, I really just couldn't focus and I was in my own world. As always this week in eighth period honors american lit. was one of a kind.