Delizioso!

Delizioso!

When was the last time you left a restaurant completely satisfied? I’m sure it took you a couple of seconds or even minutes to answer my question, or, maybe, you’re still trying to remember when the last time was. Well, that’s most likely because you have never been to Olive Garden. Olive Garden is the best Italian restaurant in our area with excellent customer service and with a great variety of delicious Italian dishes at affordable prices. Don’t miss out on the good stuff; try it for yourself and leave the restaurant completely satisfied and with a big smile on your face.

Not long ago, I was a different person; I wouldn’t eat at just any random restaurant because of some bad past experiences with food and restaurants in particular. Some of the worst experiences I have ever had with restaurants include having to wait for more than two hours to get a table at a restaurant in which the food was not as good as people had told me, getting long, nasty hairs in my foods—so disgusting that it even makes my skin shiver by just thinking about it—and, as usual, the bad, inexperienced or moody and racist hostess. These and some other bad past experience kept me from tasting new foods and trying new restaurants for years until the day I walked in to the Olive Garden restaurant located in  1780 Challenge Way, across the Arden Mall in Sacramento, California.

All the qualities that define a good restaurant are met by Olive Garden; not only because its foods taste delicious, but also because the restaurant is very clean, it has an excellent customer service at fair prices, and it has a somewhat close feeling to home.  From the moment you walk in to Olive Garden, the hostess greets you in very friendly way and treats you nicely to make you feel very comfortable and give you that home welcoming feeling that we all want. The music playing in the background is so relaxing that it even makes a person want to fall to sleep, except that the food smell keeps them awake. As soon as you take a seat, someone comes to take your drinks order; both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages are incredible tasty. Not to forget to point out that the initial salad and the breadsticks are the most delicious I have ever had. The breadsticks have just the right amount of ingredients that gives them a little taste of garlic, but it’s not too strong so it can be eatable to not so much garlic lovers like me.  Then, the waitresses take orders, and in less than what is expected, the food is on the table, hot and ready to eat. Also, the restaurant is very clean which means that the food is being processed in clean areas. The overall experience at Olive Garden is excellent.

Last weekend, my sister and I wanted to spend some time together, so we went shopping early in the morning. We were really hungry by 10:30 a.m. because we hadn't eaten breakfast that morning, so we decided to go to the Olive Garden across from the Arden Mall in Sacramento. At 11:00 a.m., they opened the restaurant, and we both started walking towards the door. One of the employees opened the door for us and greeted us very friendly; we knew right away that it was going to be a good day at Olive Garden. The hostess asked us if we wanted a table for two, but my sister right away said she wanted to sit at the bar, so he handed us the menus, and led us to the bar. Since the restaurant had barely opened, the place was really quiet, very clean, and the music on the background instantly created a mood of relaxation for both of us.

As soon as we sat, the bartender asked us if we wanted anything to drink while scanning through the menus. I asked for a peach-mango smoothie which is a frozen blend of fruit and creamy non-fat yogurt, and my sister had a frozen strawberry-mango margarita made with Sauza Gold tequila and fresh fruits—as a professional and responsible bartender, he asked my sister for her identification before serving her drink. While trying to decide what to order, the bartender brought to us some salad and the breadsticks. Even though I have never liked salad, I must say that this is the best salad I have ever had. It is very healthy and it has tomatoes, olives, onions, croutons, chilli peppers, and the dressing which adds the great flavor to it. Not to forget the unlimited freshly baked breadsticks; I could have just eaten the salad and the breadsticks there, and ask for my food to go.  After deciding what we were going to order, the bartender took the orders; since there was no one else sitting in the bar, the food was quickly brought to us. My sister ordered the Seafood Alfredo which is made with shrimp and scallops tossed with creamy fettuccine alfredo, a parmesan cream sauce with a hint of garlic served over fettuccine. And I ordered the lightly breaded and fried shrimp, tossed with garlic and spicy cherry pepper known as the Shrimp Scampi Fritta. The food was delicious, the customer service was great, and the overall experience at Olive Garden was excellent!

Everything has its ups and downs, and due to its popularity, Olive Garden is a busy restaurant and the waiting for a table can be somewhat annoying at times. I prefer going in when the restaurant is barely opening, and it is almost empty because everyone's attention goes towards you, and of course, you don’t have to wait at all to get a table. If I would recommend anything to anyone, Olive Garden would be it because it can be defined as one of the best restaurants in our area where orders are taken in a timely manner and food comes quickly. A restaurant in which the customer service is great and the food is delicious!

The Experience that will last a Lifetime

Kristin Clark-Webb

English 1A

3/19/13

Essay 2

The Experience that will last a Lifetime

Confidence, responsibility, teamwork and determination are just a few of the many valuable assets that are gained by youth who show livestock in the 4-H program. Youth ages 5-19 are gaining the life skills they will need to grow up to be a successful and productive member of society. These kinds will get the scholarships to go to college; will have the interview skills to get the job, the determination and responsibility to keep it, the social skills to enjoy life and hobbies and the time management skills to do all of it at once. And all of this can be gained through raising livestock, big or small through the 4-H program. I believe that the 4-H livestock projects are the best activity for youth to get involved in because of all of the life skills that are gained that will benefit you for the rest of your life.

            4-H is an after school youth program that provides an environment for youth ages 5-19, (or one year after high school) where they can develop life skills and leadership abilities to become successful and productive members of society. 4-H does this by providing local 4-H clubs within most counties across the country. For example in Solano County, there is at least one club in every city. Vacaville has the Vaca Valley Club and Elmira Club, Dixon has the Roving Clovers club, Dixon Ridge Club, Wolf Skill Club and Maine Prairie Club, Fairfield/Suisun has the Suisun Valley Club, Vallejo has the Sherwood Forest Club and Rio Vista has the Rio Vista Club. All of these clubs make it possible for kids who live anywhere in the county to join a club close to them.

            Within each club, there are adults, usually parents or past 4-H members, who lead various projects. There are a countless amount of projects in each club some of the most common are; Beef Cattle, Dairy Cattle, Sheep, Swine, Meat Goats, Dairy Goats, Equine, Poultry/Game Birds, Rabbits, Cavies, Alpacas, Vet Science, Sewing, Photography, Food Preservation, Cooking, Archery, Shooting Sports (Rifle & Shotgun), Taxidermy, Rocketry, Guide Dogs, Dog Training, Orphan Kitten Project, Record Keeping, and Leadership. The list could go on and on. Each 4-H club has a set of youth officers; President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Reporter, Historian, Attendance, Hospitality and Recreation. There are also opportunities to become involved at the county level in a leadership level as a youth are representative at the county 4-H council as well as a county Youth Ambassador.

            The most beneficial 4-H projects are the livestock projects which include; Beef Cattle, Dairy Cattle, Sheep, Swine, Meat Goats, Dairy Goats, Equine, Poultry/Game Birds, Rabbits, Cavies and Alpacas.  This is because the animals that 4-H members raise are almost like having a child or multiple children of our own. They are living things that require being fed multiple times a day with a well-balanced diet, constant access to clean water, they have to have protection for predators as well as harsh weather, they have to be bathed so that they stay clean and healthy, the get vaccinated to ensure that they are free of diseases, occasionally they require medical attention if they get an injury or need some sort of treatment beyond what I can provide for them, and they have to get exercise and get let out of their pen so that they can be taught how to behave properly so that they can be shown at the fair. There is always a constant demand that never goes away for as long as you have the animal. That often means that on Friday night when friends want to go to the movies and hang out, 4-H members with livestock projects have to make sure all of their responsibilities are taken care of before they can go anywhere and if they aren’t taken care of then they don’t get to go. You have the responsibility of taking care of a life that depends on you to live and if you don’t fulfill that responsibility that life could die or become seriously hurt.

4-H has had a huge impact on my life as well as many others. For many of us we have a set daily routine to follow and to this day I can still hear my mother’s voice telling me, “Not until you finish your homework!” after my continuous asking to go out to the barn and play with my goats. You see, I’ve always loved my livestock and ever since I could walk I was always getting into trouble carrying around the baby goats or feeding the does random fruits from around the ranch. Then, Kindergarten came around, homework started being assigned and I joined the most important youth organization that would change my life forever.

            I started in beginning 4-H. Our first meeting was quite a challenge for me and my mom. I was so scared to be away from my mom, I held onto her leg for dear life! After much reassuring I sat down at a table with the other kids and eventually this is where I built confidence in myself and learned how to speak in front of a small group of people.

When I was old enough to enroll in the other 4-H projects I signed up for the meat goat project and even in my 11^th year in the 4-H program, I am still enrolled in the project. I started out as just a member of the project and then realized my passion for raising meat goats. My first year I raised two, bottle fed, market wethers for the Dixon May Fair and Solano County Fair. Now my passion has led me to currently owning 14 meat goats; 7 breeding does that I show and breed and from their offspring I have 4 doelings and 3 wethers. I am also the Teen Leader for the Vaca Valley 4-H Club’s Meat Goat Project for the 6^th consecutive year, Vacaville Youth Area Representative for the Solano County 4-H Leaders Council, Vaca Valley 4-H Club President, and a Solano County 4-H All Star Ambassador. The daily routine that I followed from the first time I was able to go play with the goats on my ranch is what enabled me to become the person that I am today and it is the sole reason that I was so successful in 4-H and through my teenage years.

By being an active 4-H member and participating in 4-H livestock projects youth will gain countless leadership and life skills. Planning and organization skills from planning the majority of the meetings, goal setting by establishing goals for themselves and working hard to achieve them, communication skills by learning how to communicate with others if you’re having trouble or need help, patients form working with animals and teaching fellow members of all different skill levels and learning styles, teamwork by working with my leaders and fellow members to accomplish tasks, public speaking from participating in speaking events as well as teaching youth and the public at the local library, fairs, and Ag days about livestock, confidence by learning that everyone makes mistakes and we have to have faith in ourselves to accomplish our goals, compassion for animals as well as others, time management by balancing family, friends, school, 4-H meetings, and livestock projects, determination by having a goal and not giving up until you reach it, independence by learning and having the confidence to do tasks on your own, financial responsibility by having a budget and keeping track of expenses and income and most importantly responsibility and to follow through with commitments. All of these skills will help a child or teenager transition into life as a young adult and help them to be successful.

4-H members need a place where they can show off all of their hard work and be rewarded for it. This is where fairs and shows come in. All of the training and preparation is shown on the day that the member and the animal walk into the show ring to be judged. The quality of the showman and the animal are judged and in the end there is a winner. All year long you strive to be the Champion and show day is when you find out if what you have been doing is good as well as what you need to improve on. You can’t always be the winner and here we go yet again with another life skill. Being a good winner and looser with dignity and having good sportsmanship. In the end everyone wins, some with fancy belt buckles, ribbons and trophies and others win in the sense that they have learned so much from the experience.

4-H members who show livestock walk away in the end with more than just ribbons and fun memories. They walk away with lifelong friendships, a foundation of knowledge to build upon later in life, and an endless fountain of life skills that will get them as far as they want to go in life. All they have to do is remember what 4-H and raising livestock taught them and they can achieve even their wildest dreams.

Waist of a Saturday Night

Dylan Morgan   

English 1A

03/12/2013        

Waist of a Saturday Night

                Over the weekend my friends and I decided we all wanted to go out and just have fun. A new hookah lounge has recently opened up near Consumes River College called Hookaholics. Hookaholics had another location near United Artist in Elk Grove, CA, and business was doing so well that they decided to open another one just a few miles away. My friends go out to hookah bars almost every weekend. I am normally not one to join because I do not see the point in paying to smoke flavored tobacco and also it always gives me a headache after. I decided this time it’s a new bar, new location, and I haven’t been to a hookah bar in a while, so why not? I did not like my experience at the new Hookaholics due to the prices of the hookah, and how jam packed the bar was.

We walk up to the new hookah lounge and stand in a line, there is only about ten people waiting to get in. As we reach the door a lady that is standing and holding their door open  checking I.Ds, tells us “I.Ds out and ten dollars for overhead”, this made no sense to me seeing as how no other hookah lounge charged this fee for overhead. I asked what that is for and the lady replied “the bar gets busy on weekends so we charge everyone ten dollars to get in”. After paying the ten dollars we walk through the door and go to the front to order which flavors we wanted, we ordered white peach, pineapple, and strawberry kiwi, also we ordered all of those flavors with ice tips which makes it feel cold when you inhale the smoke. After we ordered the guy working the cash register said it going to be fifty -four dollars. Fifty- Four is not cheap for hookah that lasts only about two hours at max. So the three of us split the 54 dollars and are led to a small booth of in the corner.        

                The hookah was actually tasting good and wasn’t giving me a headache, which usually happens after about ten minutes of smoking it. I did not want to give up the strawberry kiwi because it tasted so good. But then after about twenty minutes of smoking the flavored tobacco we realize we can’t even hear the music, and have to yell at each other to hear one another, because of how loud everybody is talking and how many people are in the lounge. I look around and realize the whole entire bar is full of people, every booth is full and people that couldn’t get a booth are sitting in the middle with little tables holding their hookah. Every group of friends is talking louder than the one next to them because they can’t hear each other, making it impossible for anyone to hear the music, and making it impossible for me and my friends to communicate without losing our voices. The only reason I ever decide to go to hookah with my friends is to hang out with them, and listen to the music playing. Both of those were not happening, making it not fun, just sitting there and smoking the hookah. After about an hour and a half the hookah started to get really harsh and the noise kept getting louder and louder, so we decided it was time to it a night and go home.

                When you go into something with a negative mindset of it you are most likely going to hate it and keep that mindset, but sometimes you will change that mindset around and be glad that you tried it again and turn out to love it. Well that was definitely not me; I kept the negative connotation I had towards hookah. This experience actually made me dislike hookah even more, even though the hookah tasted good or at least the strawberry kiwi flavor did, this experience still made me not want to go back to a hookah bar. Even if that was my first time going to a hookah bar, I would have realized between the price for everything and how crowded it was, it is not worth it to go out and smoke hookah, go buy a hookah and invite some friends over to your house it would be a lot more fun than going to a loud crowded hookah bar.

More Than a Game

Eduardo Lievanos Medina
English 1A
March 16, 2013

                                                                 More Than a Game



Playing basketball gives you the most exuberant feeling that can not be matched by any other sport in the world.  The feeling you get as you walk out onto the court is indescribable.  The pole lights lighting up the court, friends shooting balls simultaneously just feels like freedom you can not find anywhere else.  You can never go wrong with a small game of basketball because it gets competitive, it is a stress reliever, and there is no interruptions.
Imagine going out to the court feeling the fresh air hit your face and seeing the sun setting in the evening sky.  Who does not like that feeling?  That is exactly what happened when I was just getting ready to play a game of basketball downtown with a few friends.  There is countless reasons why you can not go wrong with a small game of basketball.    One of the many reasons is it gets really competitive.  It is a good thing because competitiveness makes the game that much more exciting.  Everybody wants to win and winning in a basketball game is even better.  It is a sport that requires very small teams so it will get really competitive, unlike other sports where teams are really big so it gets really boring.  As I ran back and forth across the court from basket to basket I felt everybody was focused. As I’m calling out for the ball every time we go on offense, every time it comes to me it gives me a feeling of power which everybody likes to feel.  One of my close friends guarding me, I see sweat dripping down his face as he is staring right into my eyes determined to steal the ball from me.  Knowing I have the ball makes me feel I have the possession and the game is in my hands, it gives you a feeling of responsibility as if the fate of humanity is in your hands.  While in the end there is a winner and a loser it is still worthwhile because everybody had fun.  Playing the game competitively will erase everything else in your mind,
If you are stressed out or having a bad week, all you have to do is play basketball outside and get everything off your mind.  While playing basketball, the game is so fast there is no time to think about other things.  It is a stress reliever unlike other sports that are going on too slow and there is pauses.  For example, in football there is a pause almost every eight seconds so it doesn’t really relieve stress and it also makes the game boring.  The same example can be used for baseball.  In contrast, as I’m playing basketball I’m running back and forth the whole time, maybe there will be pauses from time to time but not as much.  When there is pauses I use it to catch my breath to be ready to continue when the game resumes.  Playing in the evening seeing the sun set, the sky slowly turning red, and fresh air blowing down my back is just the feeling of calmness that makes you forget everything going on in your life.  Even seeing the ball go through the basket and swish through the net gives you such a feeling of serenity you can not describe.  It is a perfect way to clear your mind.  The best part is we continue playing until we can not go any more and there is never any interruptions.
Finally, playing basketball feels great because there are never any interruptions.  It’s a basketball court that no one uses but us so there is never anyone telling us to leave.  There is no obstacles like kids running around getting in the way or other people trying to play at the same time as us.  Also there is never any inconveniences such as something happening to the ball or  basket.  In baseball you can always have the ball go too far after batting it, in football you can have a wet field making it almost impossible to play.  In basketball you don’t have to worry about something happening to the ball or something being wrong with the court, as long as you have both of those things  you can play all day.  So if you are looking to do something where you will not have any inconveniences I recommend basketball.
There are many things you can do to have fun, but if you want to have a great time, spend absolutely no money, and make it worth the time then a small game of basketball will do.  The fact that it gets really competitive makes it fun and exciting.  It will give you  a feeling of calmness and serenity that will take things off your mind for a while.  Also when there is no interruptions during a game will allow the game to flow smoothly therefore making it fun.  This is why it can not be compared to playing any other sport and these are the reasons why playing basketball is the best activity you can do that will give you the exhilarating feeling you wont find anywhere else, it is worth it.

Road Trip

Kristina Lopez

English 1A

16 March 2013

Essay 2

Road Trip

            Have you ever been to a restaurant that is so bad that you say you will never eat there again? I have, the restaurant is called Road Trip Bar and Grill. Its ten minutes from where I live in Esparto, CA and it’s a convenient place to go eat as a last minute meal. When it first opened a couple years ago it was a good little restaurant. It was very convenient for locals, casino traffic and the food was good; but now, it has gone downhill. Road trip is a bad restaurant now because they have bad service, bad food, inconvenient business hours, and are way too expensive. They stay in business because the owner is a tribal member and has a lot of money. Customers try to talk to the owner and tell her their problems but she never fixes them. I wish she would fix the problems but as of now she has lost my business.

            Every time I went to Road Trip I had bad service. We would wait forever for someone to come and just take our drink order, and if you wanted a refill you might as well forget it. After a while people just started getting their own refills at the soda machine. After thirty minutes or so the waitress would show up and take your order. Then when they do come and take your order they seldom get orders right so you always get the wrong food. When you get the wrong food, an hour has gone by and your food is cold. I was there with a large group of people before and half the table was done with their food by the time the other half even got their food. The waitress spilt ranch dressing all over my boyfriend’s sister and didn’t even apologize. If you needed more napkins or anything else good luck, you wouldn’t see the waitress until it was time to collect the money. Even if you are the only person in the restaurant, you still get the same bad service if they were busy. My brother got up and left one time because he waited forever and nobody showed up to take his order. All the workers there were very rude and were horrible at customer service. Because of the horrible service, it’s hard to enjoy the food.

It’s sad because when the restaurant first opened the food was very good. The food was only good because of the head chef. He was a local guy and had a lot of followers when he started cooking at the restaurant. When the owners got rid of the chef the food was horrible and they lost a lot of customers. The food didn’t taste anything like it did before they go rid of the chef. After the chef left the food was cold when you finally received it and it didn’t taste good. If you call and get a to-go order you get half the size. For example, I got the Big Fricken Cobb Salad from there and the to-go order is half the size so they can make it fit in the to-go container, but the price is the same. It’s a total rip off.

            If you wanted to go for dinner on a Thursday night you better make sure you call ahead to make sure they are open. They close down if they have no customers and don’t stay open until the sign says. You never know when they will be open, how late they will be open, or anything. They are much unorganized. It’s really frustrating when you don’t have plans for dinner and you decide to go there. But once you get all the way there, you find out they are closed. When people find out they are closed, they just drive up to the casino to eat. Because of their early closing, they have lost a lot of business to the casino.

            Since they opened the price of the food has been expensive. In the beginning people didn’t mind paying so much because the food was worth it. Now people don’t want to pay $10 for a salad. They started to have dollar burger night on Wednesday nights: a night where burgers, fries, and drinks were a $1. In the beginning the burgers were big and you got a lot of fries for a dollar each. Now they charge more than a $1 and you get less food. The burger is half of what it used to be and you get a small handful of fries. If you want anything extra with your meal, it cost extra. For example, on my BLT I ask for avocados and they charged me $2 for them. If you want extra dressing, they charge extra as well.

            I recently went back to Road Trip Bar and Grill and hoped the memories I had of the place were not true anymore. But unfortunately, nothing had changed. The service still sucked, the food was bad, and the prices hadn’t changed. The restaurant needs to start all over. They need to hire different employees or just train the previous ones to have better customer service skills. If they changed their menu and made better food, it would help their business tremendously. They also need to lower their prices and have set business hours. If they would make these changes, then they would be a good restaurant. 

Death Sentence

Claudia Olivares

March 11, 2013

English 1A

K. Rogers

Death Sentence

The love a parent has for their child is endless. Many parents can agree that they would do anything to protect their child from someone. In the movie Death Sentence, Kevin Bacon plays the act of a father whose son was murdered by a man who did it in order to be in a gang. He went after the man and killed him himself. Since he killed one of the members of the gang it was as if he declared a war with all them. This would not be over until Bacon’s family was all dead. What makes Death Sentence a movie worth watching is the emotional connection, the role of the father, the music throughout the movie, and it is not a cheesy action movie. Death Sentence is definitely a movie worth watching.

The movie starts out with their eldest son Brendon, being the star hockey player of his high school. After his championship hockey game they had to stop at a gas station on their way home. The son gets off the car to go inside and buy a Slurpee meanwhile the dad is pumping gas. When out of nowhere two cars pull up with five guys masked all carrying guns and a machete. After shooting the cashier they walk up to the son and tell one of the men to kill him. He slices the son’s throat with a machete and runs out as fast as they can out the store. The father tackles the man who sliced his son’s throat and pulls off his mask. He gets a good look at the guys face and runs inside to help his son who was choking on his blood trying to survive. The father rushes to the hospital and as soon as his wife and son arrive, the doctor lets them know that his son didn’t make it. The father goes to the police station to identify who the guy and when they go to court the attorneys tell him that he will get a minimum sentence because the gas station had no cameras and there were no witnesses. This infuriates the father and when in the court room in front of the judge he tells her that he isn’t sure that he was the one who murdered his son Brendon.  This is when Kevin Bacon plans to kill the man who killed his son. He follows him to his house and when he has the chance to have him alone he stabs him. The other members of the gang want to find out who killed him because he was the sibling of the leader of the gang. When things couldn’t get any worse the gang goes to their house to go after his family. They kill his wife instantly and the son is alive through life support. This doesn’t stop Bacon at all. He leaves the hospital, cashes out all his savings, and goes after everyone. At the end Bacon is bruised and shot and he kills the whole gang. He knows that he won’t live so he goes to his house and plays a family video and sits on the couch watching it until he takes his last breath.

What makes this movie definitely worth watching is it is a movie where people can put themselves in the father’s shoes and only want to react the same way. It’s upsetting because what could only be proven in court is what determined the sentence. As clear as it was that the man murdered Brendon in order to be in a gang, it was not enough to have him put in for the time he deserved to be. Bacon did not want him walking out free after a few years in prison. He wanted the maximum sentence. So as a parent he did what he thought was only fair for this prick that killed his son. As the father and being there with his son the night he was killed, Bacon felt that he failed his wife and lost his family. Although there wasn’t much he could have done he blamed himself for his son’s death. You don’t really have to be a parent necessarily to put yourself in the father’s shoes; I get heated even thinking if it were my brother or one of my sisters.

Kevin Bacon plays the role of the father so well. Right when they leave the court house Bacon is waiting in the car and he sees the two cars from the night Brendon was killed, pull up. They are all clapping and cheering when they see that he was released and got away with the murder. Seeing him so aggravated and furious builds the adrenaline when he goes after the guy. He follows him to his apartment and waits in the car for a couple hours. He goes home and is going through his tool shed and finds a sharp knife. He then returns to the apartment complexes to wait for him to come out. The intense moment when he is face to face with him alone in the laundry room always has my heart racing. He is just staring at him speechless but very heated. The guy was young like twenty two years old; all he did was smile at him. All that did was piss off Bacon and he just attacks him. After the guy punched him Bacon just stabs him in the stomach. The look on Bacon’s face when he realizes what he has done, shows that he was at the mental state where he was so mad that he panics knowing he killed the guy.

What really contributed to this movie that made it add more suspense is the music that plays throughout the gloomy scenes. I cry every time I watch this movie because I couldn’t help but think of ever having to go through something like that. The music plays is more of a symphony and shows drastic sadness. It’s as if you cannot help but feel the pain and sadness of the family. Losing their son tore them apart and killed a piece of each and every one of them. When the youngest son walks in his brother Brendon’s room and just starts crying it gives me chills. I never thought I would think so negative or gruesome to hurt someone but this movie really made me realize how I would want the same if it were my child or even one of my siblings.

It is not a cheesy movie where the dad becomes this badass fighter who no one ever thought could fight. He struggles to fight off these guys and gets beat up pretty bad. He dies from being shot twice, his wife dies, and his son is only living because he is on life support. This isn’t a movie where everyone is happy in the end. His son is in critical condition fighting for his life, his son was murdered and so was his wife. He knew there was a great chance he wasn’t going to live, but he didn’t stop he did it for his family and couldn’t live with the fact that those guys “won”.

Hence, Death Sentence is definitely a movie worth watching because anyone could imagine wanting to react the same way. It is not a movie where you will be saying “when the hell will anyone go through this? Only Hollywood comes up with shit like this.” If anything you start to realize that many cases cannot be solved because there isn’t as much evidence. It is a movie that is realistic, and shows the love a parent has for their child and what extremes they would go to for the sake of their family.

 

 

Public Clinic Phobia

Isabella Davalos

K. Rogers

English 1A

19 March 2013

Public Clinic Phobia

            There are things in life that make us uncomfortable, wither its spiders, test or free clinics, we should be able to overcome them.  Public clinics or free clinics are federally funded health clinics unlike family practitioner offices that are funded by family medicine programs. Public clinics provide “cheaper” health care which attracts lower class citizens who cannot afford health care. If there were no longer public clinics that proved free health care, people who are considered a low income families could no longer receive decent health care. No matter how uncomfortable public clinics may seem to make me feel, without them lower class or people who cannot afford health insurance could not get health care that they may need.

            Public clinics are federally funded, which means that they are federally run. A public health clinic that I have visited was in a lower class community. That clinic seemed very rugged and did not seem to be very clean. The magazines were old and torn, the seats did not all match. Some seats had tears in the seams and others looked faded in color. The waiting room was filled with people whose shoes were very worn down, their clothes looked stained and children looked dirty with snot running down their faces. The secretary was very rude and seemed as if she hated her job and did not want to be there. The room that we sat in to wait for the doctor was painted white, but seemed dirty in some spots, all of this made me very uncomfortable.

            At my normal doctors office that is funded by family medicine programs was much different. The chairs all matched and seemed fairly new. There was a sick child’s side and a well child’s side, each side having new children’s toys. The ground was clean, there was no dust anywhere, the magazines were new and in good condition. The staff most importantly was friendly which made me feel comfortable. All around the waiting room, hanging on the walls were pictures of sports teams that had been sponsored by my doctor. The waiting rooms seemed cleaner than the public clinics because the furniture in the room looked new and was painted in a warm comfortable color.

            It’s not the fact that it is a “free clinic” that makes me uncomfortable it’s the surroundings that give me an uneasy feeling. If every public clinic had a warm and welcoming feeling I would not feel uncomfortable or easily judge the people who are in the waiting room. The people who are in the waiting rooms of public clinics may seem odd or “ghetto” looking but they are still people too and therefore should not be judged for getting health care. Everyone has a right to health care no matter how “ghetto” their appearance maybe. Ghetto is “. . .a particular ethnic group that may be looked down upon for various reason, especially because of social or economic issues. . . .” (Unknown)

            Another reason I feel so uncomfortable about being in a public clinic’s waiting room is because I have somewhat of a germaphobia. The beaten up chairs that had tears in the seams made me wonder how many people had sat down on that chair? In the waiting rooms the dirty walls also made me think of how many dirty little kid hands have touched that wall and how many of those kids were actually sick when they touched the surface of the wall. The people who appeared “ghetto” made me ask myself how long ago they had taken a shower or maybe how long ago they had washed their stained clothes. Watching the children with snot running down their faces and crying made me hope they would not run up to be and touch me with their germ filled hands. I found myself constantly looking around the room for any sort of hand sanitizer but to my luck, there was not any left in the dispenser.

            Sitting at my normal doctor’s office made me feel more comfortable than sitting in the public clinics waiting room. The appearances of the chairs being clean made me feel okay about sitting on them. The sick child’s side and the well child’s side gave me a bit of relief that I was not going to catch any contagious germ that someone had brought in. The surface of the walls appeared to be much cleaner than the public clinics’ wall. All of the surroundings gave off a cleaner vibe than the public clinic had. I found myself relax and at ease compared to sitting in the waiting room at the public clinics where I was constantly looking around the room, sweating profusely and felt somewhat scared of the people around me.

            Going to a doctor’s office the total appearance is very welcoming. The appearance maybe welcoming because they want you to spend your money there and continue to return. A public clinics appearance may not be so welcoming because it is a government run office. They don’t spend that extra dollar to make it a good experience like any other doctor’s office maybe. Since public clinics are available to everyone it attracts different types of people and different social classes that we do not normally see in a doctor’s office.

            With out public clinics people who cannot afford good health care will no longer be able to get health care. Getting the proper health care is very important especially for people with diseases such s chronic illnesses and others with syndromes that need medical attention. People who cannot afford health care should not be judged because they receive medical attention at a public clinic nor should lower class citizens be judged because they cannot afford to pay doctors bills. Sitting in a non government funded doctors office is a luxury that people with good health care take for granted. Taking into consideration if I was in a situation where I could not afford health insurance and I had to go to a public clinic to receive medical attention I would see it as a blessing. 

            Obama care is a “…health care reform debate in the United States. . . focusing upon increasing coverage, decreasing the cost and social burden of healthcare, insurance reform, and the philosophy of its provision, funding, and government involvement.” (Unknown) Obamacare is aimed at decreasing the amount of uninsured Americans and reducing health care cost. This could give the lower class a chance at being able to go to a family doctor that is in more of a comfortable environment. It will also allow people who have existing conditions to not be denied health care. With Obamacare people who normally could not afford to go to a doctor could finally get health care without the worry of expensive doctor bills. (Unknown)

            One in seven people who have preexisting conditions are denied health care insurance. Each year when there is an analysis done, there is a significant increase of people who are denied coverage. Insurance companies denied cover to 257,100 people that number has increased by 49% between 2007 and 2009. People who have prevalent heart disease which affects one in three adults can be denied health insurance. Pre-existing that are not as serious as many others can also be denied but they can also have higher premiums than someone who doesn’t have a disease. As of recently due to a health care reform bill, children cannot be denied health care insurance but that bill will not extend to all age groups until the year 2014. (Wang)

            Everyone disserves the right to affordable health care no matter if their income is low to high. Just because someone seems “ghetto” does not mean that they do not have the right to health care. Going to a public clinic and a regular doctors office may have different feelings but they are still the same services one may seem more welcoming than the other but in the end they are the same. A regular doctor’s office will treat you the same as a doctor at a public clinic would.

The reason I felt so uncomfortable in a public clinic was not only because of the surroundings but because my knowledge of them was very little and I was quick to judge the people who used their services, when at the end of the day those people were just like me, they need decent health care. It should not matter where they received health care; at least they are getting the help which they need. No one should be denied health insurance because of a chronic illness or disease that they are born with, it is no their fault nor anyone’s fault, everyone should be treated equally no matter the circumstances.

Work Cited

"Ghetto." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 12 Jan. 2012. Web. 10 March. 2013.   <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghetto>.

"Obama Care." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Aug. 2012. Web. 13 March. 2013.        <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obama_Care>.

Wang, Marian. "Insurers Denied Health Coverage." Top Stories RSS. N.p., 13 Oct. 2010. Web. 13  March. 2013. <http://www.propublica.org/blog/item/insurers-denied-health-coverage-to-1-in-7-people-citing-pre-existing-condit>.

good decisions

Dahlia Romero

English 1A

3/18/13

A Good Decision

            Having a hard time deciding which restaurant to go to? The things that should be written down or thought of beforehand going to any restaurant are its customer service, food, and cleanliness. There are many other things that you may add to the list of things to look for but these are the most important of all.

            The restaurant I decided to go to was Browns Corner Bar and Grill, because I heard that it was a good place to go for a bite to eat; so I had to see for myself. As I was on my way I had to keep in mind my expectations of what would make a good restaurant and worth going to. I wanted to make sure that Browns Corner met the expectations that I had in mind.

            Once I had gotten to Browns Corner I looked around it looked pretty nice. It had a lot of antiques on the walls and the people that were there seemed pretty nice. It was a very friendly environment. So far the restaurant seemed good now all I had to do was wait for the waitress to take my order from where I chose to sat. It was a very busy day and I knew that I had to be patient. Soon enough the waitress came she asked “what could I get for you”. She seemed really nice and did a good job getting to me as soon as possible. Good customer service is one of the keys to a good restaurant because it is like the restaurant’s first impression of what it’s like to be there; so if there is bad customer service then chances are you will never go back. After I ordered my food all I could do was wait until it came.

            It didn’t take that long for me to get my order. Given the fact that it was pretty packed there that day, but they had managed to get my food to me in about 20 minutes. That was pretty fast because of how many people were there. Next thing to do was look at how the food was prepared and tasted. I had ordered a hamburger and fries. I had opened the burger to look at the patty to make sure it wasn’t undercooked. I’m pretty sure that everyone understands that if the meat is pink or red it isn’t fully cooked. In my case it was fully cooked as it should be. I would complain and get my money back if it wasn’t. That would only make the restaurant look bad and that their cook couldn’t cook properly, but it’s great that wasn’t the problem. The fries as well were cooked all the way they weren’t raw in anyway, and the best part about it was they were not the frozen store bought fries you just heated up. They were from fresh potatoes that was another excellent thing, because I know if I’m going to pay money to eat somewhere want fresh food.

Other than my short examination I took my first bite of my food and it was very good. The meat was juicy, the bun was good, and the vegies inside were delicious. The fries weren’t too salty they were just right. As to other places I have been they weren’t fresh fries and they were extremely salty I just didn’t like them all that much but these from Browns I did. I had scarfed that food down so fast it was crazy. I enjoyed it very much and all I can say is it puts fast food joints to shame; because it is real food not some stuff we think is food.  All my expectations on the food at Browns were met it was fresh and tasted good.

Lastly, comes how clean the restaurant was. This restaurant was very clean if not close to spotless. I walked around the whole place looking at everything from the walls, tables to the restrooms. Cleanliness is a big must because if it wasn’t there could be a whole lot of bacteria growing around, which could get someone very sick. Also it could attract pests or rodents that could be a big problem. I wouldn’t want to go to a restaurant that was filthy that would be disgusting and you could get sick. Good thing it was clean so there weren’t any problems to worry about.

Overall, this is a great restaurant to go to and it has met all the expectations of what is a good restaurant to go out to. I would recommend it to anyone who wants to go out to eat and enjoy being there. This restaurant will always have me as a continuous customer and if anyone gets the chance they should go try going to Browns Corner for lunch or dinner.