Argument Topic

Should gay couples have to meet a higher standard to adopt children?

Outline

1. I am reviewing the Latin grill restaurant Pollo Pollo at UCF in the student union.
- The source of my information is my own opinion on the restaurant from eating out often and having a good sense of what tastes good.
- There is enough information to understand what is being reviewed, I have eaten there many times and will recall my experiences there.

2. My thesis will say that I am going to determine whether the restaurant Pollo Pollo is good or bad place to eat on campus. My thesis will be balanced and reasonable after I measure the restaurant against my four criteria.

3. My criteria for the review of this restaurant are cleanliness, service, taste, and atmosphere. Th support will be sufficient, accurate, relevant and reasonable. From least important to most important.

4.I will anticipate questions and provide objections and my own take.

Template B

Four relevant criteria for my audience are cleanliness,service,taste, and atmosphere. Cleanliness since when you go out to eat you do not want the tables sticky or garbage everywhere. You want a clean and sanitary place to eat your food. For service you want to get your food in a timely manner, is the menu set up clearly and if they have specials. The taste criteria involves on how they prepare the food, what makes it special compared to other places in student union and how it tastes. The atmosphere criteria is, is this place aesthetically pleasing? What is the noise volume? Is it crowded?

Template A

The restaurant I choose to review is Pollo Pollo in the student union. It is among several restaurants in that vicinity. The audience for this review is UCF students or visitors on campus looking for somewhere to eat. The most important thing to this audience is cleanliness,service,taste. They want to go eat somewhere on campus so they don't have to leave and go off campus to eat. Above all else they value somewhere they can eat lunch or dinner and enjoy eating out.
Their friends are intrested in going out to eat and having a place to socialize and enjoy good food. It would hurt them socially if they never saw their friends, especially if everyone else ate with each other. What they have to do is just meet with everyone when they decide to go out to eat.
The benefits are enjoying a time to get out and eat lunch while still being on campus. This gives you the convenience of being able to stay on campus and go to your next class and not having to try to find a parking spot from leaving campus to go eat.

Review Essay Topics

1. Asian Chao, Pollo Pollo, marketplace,or taligaters

2.Env Touch

Commentary Outline

Intro:

In my introduction paragraph I will give background information on the organization and the problem they are trying to resolve. I will also have my thesis statement in this paragraph giving insight on the issue that is occurring on campus, who it impacts, and what is being done to prevent it.

1st Paragraph:

In this in paragraph I will talk about the problem and give background information on the topic. I will talk about the research information pertaining to the subject and the history of the organization.

2nd Paragraph:

I will talk about the people I interviewed, some statistics involving what they said. I will talk about how they feel about this issue. Do they think it’s a problem? I also want to get the opinion of people who disagree with the organization and get their view on it. I will also express my point of view on the topic.

3rd Paragraph:
I will give possible solutions to help or stop the problem. What the Organization is doing to help with this issue and what other alternatives are on campus.

4th Paragraph:
In the conclusion I will restate the problem, the questions it brought up and what is being done about it. I will also Restate my thesis and tie it all together.

Letter to Kaylyn

Dear Kaylyn,

Hey Kaylyn, how are you? How is FIU? I can't wait to see you when I come down for Halloween. Lately while walking to class I noticed this clubs table that said VOX. I didn't know what it was so I went up to check it out. They actually are the organization for Planned Parenthood for the greater Orlando area. I was so excited to find a club that dealt with so many issues that I am passionate about. Lately I was wondering what kind of information was out there for students on safe sex. Since some of my friends here have not practiced safe sex and I am worried that they are going to contract something. It also got me thinking about what the statistics are of UCF as far as STD's go and unplanned pregnancies in students.

As I approached the table they had flyers and brochures on all kinds of topics. They also had a basket of male and female condoms that they were giving out. They told me about the meetings they hold every Sunday. I want to start going so I can get involved in the activities they participate in. They told me how they go to the nightclubs around the campus and pass out condoms to make sure at least people practice safer sex. They also encourage students and have deals for them to get tested. It is important to have an involved club that looks out for the well being of the students. Since they are saying "Okay if your going to have sex you should be safe about it." I think it is really cool that there is a club like this on campus.Is there one in your school? If there is you should definitely join. I think that it is a very important issue especially for us college kids. Since this is the time when people experiment which is okay if they choose to, just to be safe about it. VOX helps with that message, they also support the feminist and the LBGT club on campus. I like that there views are diverse and not as closed minded. I will definitely send you some stuff for the club, since I know you will find it very interesting. Miss you so much, can't wait to see you and tell you about the meeting.

Love,
Amanda

Interview Questions

1.How do you know what you know?
She did not know about the organization VOX,Voices of Planned Parenthood.

2.Who are you to the subject?
Thinks that people who do not already should practice safer sex.

3.How is this event connected to other events?
This event is connected to the rate of STD's and student pregnancy.

4.What if things were different?
There would be more uneducated students on safer sex. Less information for students to obtain.

5. Why is this important?
Because we want healthier and smarter decision making students. Keep our STD's rates low and unplanned pregnancies.

6. Do you know what VOX is?
No, I have never heard of it.

7. What is safe sex defined as for you?
Taking as many measures as possible to make sure you are protected.

8. Do you think UCF has low STD's rate?
Yes I think our rate is lower than a lot of colleges.

9. Do you know where you can get information on getting tested?
Yes, in the Health and wellness and center.

10. Do you think only females should get tested?
No males and females should both get tested.

Commentary assignment

As you walk around campus,cars are zooming by trying to find parking. While observing these drivers I noticed that many were texting while driving. I could see students and teachers looking quickly down at their phones and trying to write at stop signs. I thought it was so crazy that people were actually driving and texting. It is so dangerous to take your eyes of the road. Especially when you are driving in an area with a lot of pedestrians. It reminded me of all the articles I have read about texting and driving. Had no one else read or realize how careless they were acting. No one else noticed these drivers since they were not paying attention to their surroundings as well. I probably would have not noticed it so much,unless I had been assigned to observe people. Some students might not even care since they text while driving too. I find this to be very unsafe, since driving should occupy all of your attention. Not getting into an accident seems more important than telling your friend you at school. Everyone has seen all the accidents that happen just on Alafaya. Something should be done to rectify the situation and make UCF's roads safer.

Commentary Ideas

1. My first idea is from the Central Florida Future on how UCF is going green.

2. My second idea is on students who text while driving around campus.

3. My third idea is about sex ed,and how many students practice safe sex,and do not just worry about getting pregnant but contracting STD's.

To South America and back

One of my greatest memories is visiting my father in South America. I recently went last winter break. It was the first time that my sisters and I had flown to South America by ourselves. The Miami airport was so hectic, that everyone was scrambling to get to their gate in time. Seeing the little kids marvel at the sight of the planes, and their parents tugging them along with those child leashes. We hugged our mom and step dad goodbye and got on the plane. I was so nervous because my Spanish is not that great, and I would have trouble translating everything in Spanish. The flight attendants ushered us in the plane, their uniforms were bright teals and purple and everyone was speaking Spanish on the plane. When the flight attendant announced all the information she announced it in English then Spanish, as I flipped through the manual with all the safety procedures, I have heard a thousand times. We finally got to our connecting flight in Bolivia after a grueling sleepless night aboard with no circulating air. I felt as if I was suffocating, and that there would be no relief to this eternal desert. Since I could not sleep, I thought “I wonder if it is going to be weird seeing my dad, after not seeing him for four years.” I went back to when my parents sat us down and told us they were getting a divorce. As a little kid I could not believe what was happening. When we were landing in Bolivia the flight attendant announced everything in Spanish then English. Instead of hearing “Ladies and gentlemen” I heard “Damas y caballeros.” It was as if the closer I got to my destination the more I was getting engulfed into this new culture. After boarding from Bolivia everything was said in Spanish. It was as if I was in a foreign film without the sub titles. I had officially left everything I knew.
When we finally landed in our destination Asuncion, Paraguay I could not wait to see my dad. Anticipation was welling up inside me like a geyser about to erupt. My hands were sweating, I tried wiping them on my jeans but could not remain cool. Then I saw him, waiting for us with the same smile as mine, bear hugs and these fizzy waters that tasted like alka -seltzer. Also with him was my grandmother from the states who was also visiting, my step mother and her youngest son from a previous marriage holding a sign that said Welcome Katia, Hazel, and Hamanda. He had written it in English to practice from school. A laugh burst from my lips, because I knew that he had spelled my name wrong by adding a silent h. My dad stood there with his black and grey hair that he refused to dye since he said he was too old for that. I could see why everyone told me I looked like my dad. The same dark eyes , hair, and laugh that was infectious.
When I was younger we had a strained relationship after my parents divorced. As I aged into my older teens I realized I needed to have a relationship with my dad. I could never get over the feeling of him leaving us and saying “This is the last you’ll see of me, your mother will keep you away.” Hearing that at eight years old was beyond tough, but as I got older I resented him and dreaded spending time with him. That was why I was back again, back to the country my dad was from, to reconnect our relationship. As we all walked out, the first thing that hit me was the heat. The sun shone so bright, I felt like I was on a tropical island. It was so warm and humid there, Florida could not compare to this. Next was all the sounds, people honking telling everyone to get out of their way, it reminded me of New York City traffic depicted in the movies. It’s as if the streets had their own language composed of screeches, horns, and noise.
The next two weeks were a blur of sun, water, markets, and parties, since it was the first time I had spent Christmas and New Year’s Eve somewhere other than my house. I stayed at my dad’s house most of the time, so my usual day was waking up in the later afternoon and eating breakfast with my sisters. Now in Paraguay people don’t really eat cereal for breakfast, so every morning I would drink a cup of steaming hot Toddy, which is basically hot chocolate and baked bread that just melted in your mouth. After breakfast, swimming with my sisters and step brother was my activity of choice. This was the only way to take refuge from the heat, since barely anyone has centralized air conditioning there, in our room there was only a fan. By this time my dad would get home from his job as the Secretary of Agriculture for the government of Paraguay. In Spanish countries everyone usually takes a siesta, which is an afternoon nap. Now I have always disliked naps since I can never fall asleep. I would never take one and instead go on the computer or explore around. While I was there I experienced so many new things. One thing that was bizarre was that Burger King and McDonalds delivered to your house. You would just text them and a hot juicy burger would be there in ten minutes. They also serve beer at the mall food court and give you actual metal utensils to eat your meal.
My favorite day I spent there, was going downtown and just shopping through the largest street market I have ever seen. All around you were different merchants selling anything from clothes to electronics and souvenirs. Now as everyone knows, if the sellers know you’re tourists the prices go up so my step mother would negotiate prices while I quietly looked at the products. This was where the native Indians were also selling there hand sewn clothes and jewelry. While I was in Paraguay I met a lot of extended family and got to go to many parties where we ate dinner at night time, one time even midnight. I had so much fun meeting all my relatives and trying to communicate with them using Spanish. They always helped with my pronunciation and smiled when I said something wrong. We would sing, eat, and dance all day and enjoy each others company.
On one of the last days we went to my dad’s farm in el campo or the low populated areas. I got to see all the farm land with its green grass and the mountains in the horizon. The scenery was breath taking, you could smell the fresh air not polluted by modern day machines. I got to have hands on experience and milk a cow and feed the goats. I also saw a lot of poverty since outside the beautiful city, Paraguay is still a poverty stricken country. The children on the farm had dusty hand me down clothes and no shoes. Seeing them made me appreciate everything that I had at home ten times more. While I was there it seemed as time stood still, I barely looked at the time and everyday just seemed to continue with no end. Like a clock with no hands to tell the time.
As my last day was drawing near I could hardly believe I had already been here a week and a half. Even though I was excited to go back home and see my family and friends there, I was sad to have to leave the ones in Paraguay behind. On the last night that I was there, my dad had a barbeque to invite everyone over to say goodbye to us before we left. As I was getting ready in our room, I thought back to when I had come to Paraguay as an early child. Then I had almost hated coming to South America where I had to learn my Spanish again and be away from my mom and friends. I thought “Why do I have to see my dad,” when my dad was the one that left me so many years ago. This time was the complete opposite I couldn’t imagine not coming back to this amazing place, not seeing my dad or family. The dinner was the perfect last night, as I tearfully said goodbye to everyone and went to bed for my early flight. The next morning was surreal, I felt like a wind up doll just moving around mechanically. I couldn’t believe that my time to leave had come so quickly. When it came to saying goodbye to my dad and my step mother a wave of sadness and emotions swept over me ,I got so teary eyed and could not say anything but hug them goodbye. My dad called out “I love you” as I walked past security and I called it back, which I had not done until then for a while. I was ready to say it again, after all this time. Once on the flight, the flight attendant started in only Spanish as before, then Spanish to English in Bolivia, and English to Spanish when we finally landed in Miami. I was back to what was familiar, back to the language and culture I knew. My mom and Step dad were there waiting for us and everything was back to normal. This trip had rebuilt my relationship with my dad, and showed me a different culture I had forgotten and am so glad that I decided to go with my sisters.

Memoir Draft

One of my greatest memories is visiting my father in South America. I recently went last winter break, it was the first time that my sisters and I had flown to South America by ourselves. The Miami airport was so hectic, that everyone was scrambling to get to their gate in time. We hugged our mom and step dad goodbye and got on the plane. I was so nervous because my Spanish is not that great, and I would have trouble translating everything in Spanish.
I instantly knew we were going somewhere different than the States, the flight attendants uniform were bright teals and purple and everyone was speaking Spanish on the plane. When the flight attendant announced all the information she announced it in English then Spanish as I flipped through the manual with all the safety procedures, I have heard a thousand times. We finally got to our connecting flight in Bolivia after a grueling sleepless night aboard with no air. As we were landing in Bolivia the flight attendant announced everything in Spanish then English. Instead of hearing “ladies and gentlemen” I heard “damas y caballeros.” It was as if the closer I got to my destination the more I was getting enveloped into this new culture. After boarding from Bolivia everything was said in Spanish, I had officially had left everything I knew and was going into this totally different culture from my own. When we finally landed in our destination Asuncion, Paraguay I could not wait to see my dad. He was there waiting for us with bear hugs and these fizzy waters that tasted like alka -seltzer. Also with him was my grandmother from the states who was also visiting, my step mother and her youngest son from a previous marriage. My dad looked the same as before just with a little more salt than pepper in his hair and the fine lines around his face. Considering that I only see my father once a year, we were both more than happy to see each other again.
When I was younger we had a strained relationship after my parents divorced, but as I aged into my older teens I realized I needed to have a relationship with my dad. That was why I was back again, back to the country my dad was from, to reconnect our relationship. As we all walked out, the first thing that hit me was the heat. It was so warm and humid there, Florida could not compare to this. Next was all the sounds, there are a ridiculous amount of cars in Paraguay, so I heard all the beeps and sirens. It’s as if the streets had their own language composed of screeches, horns, and noise.
The next two weeks were a blur of sun, water, markets, and parties, since it was the first time I had spent Christmas and New Years Eve somewhere other than my house. I stayed at my dad’s house most of the time, so my usual day was waking up in the later afternoon and eating breakfast with my sisters. Now in Paraguay people don’t really eat cereal for breakfast, so every morning I would drink a cup of steaming hot Toddy, which is basically hot chocolate and baked bread that just melted in your mouth. After breakfast I would go swimming with my sisters and step brother. This was the only way to take refuge from the heat, since barely anyone has centralized air conditioning there, in our room there was only a fan. By this time my dad would get home from his job as the Secretary of Agriculture for the government of Paraguay. In Spanish countries everyone usually takes a siesta which is an afternoon nap, now I have always disliked naps since I can never fall asleep. I would never take one and instead go on the computer or explore around. While I was there I experienced so many new things. One thing that was bizarre was that Burger King and McDonalds delivered to your house, you would just text them and a hot juicy burger would be there in ten minutes. They also serve beer at the mall food court and give you actual metal utensils to eat your meal.
My favorite day I spent there was going to downtown and just shopping through the largest street market I have ever seen. All around you were different merchants selling anything from clothes to electronics and souvenirs. Now as everyone knows if the sellers know you’re tourists the prices go up so my step mother would negotiate prices while I quietly looked at the products. This was where the native Indians were also selling there hand sewn clothes and jewelry. While I was at Paraguay I met a lot of extended family and got to go to many parties where we ate dinner at night time, one time even midnight. I had so much fun meeting all my relatives and trying to communicate with them using Spanish. They always helped with my pronunciation and smiled when I said something wrong. We would sing, eat, and dance all day and enjoy each others company.
On one of the last days we went to my dad’s farm in el campo or the low populated areas. I got to see all the farm land with its green grass and the mountains in the horizon. The scenery was breath taking, you could smell the fresh air not polluted by modern day machines. I got to have hands on experience and milk a cow and feed the goats. I also saw a lot of poverty since outside the beautiful city, Paraguay is still a poverty stricken country. It made me appreciate everything that I had at home ten times more. While I was there it seemed as time stood still, I barely looked at the time and everyday just seemed to continue with no end.
As my last day was drawing near I could hardly believe I had already been here a week and a half. Even though I was excited to go back home and see my family and friends there, I was sad to have to leave the ones in Paraguay. On the last night that I was there my dad had a barbeque to invite everyone over to say goodbye to us before we left. As I was getting ready in our room, I thought back to when I had come to Paraguay as an early child. Then I had almost hated coming to South America where I had to learn my Spanish again and be away from my mom and friends. I thought why do I have to see my dad, when my dad was the one that left me so many years ago. This time was the complete opposite I couldn’t imagine not coming back to this amazing place, not seeing my dad or family. The dinner was the perfect last night, as I tearfully said goodbye to everyone and went to bed for my early flight. The next morning was surreal, I couldn’t believe that my time to leave had come so quickly. When it came to saying goodbye to my dad and my step mother I got so emotional and could not say anything but hug them goodbye. My dad called out “I love you” as I walked past security and I called it back, which I had not done until then for a while. Once on the flight the flight attendant started in only Spanish as before, then Spanish to English in Bolivia, and English to Spanish when we finally landed in Miami. I was back to what was familiar, back to the language and culture I knew. My mom and Step dad were there waiting for us and everything was back to normal. This trip had rebuilt my relationship with my dad, and showed me a different culture I had forgotten and am so glad that I decided to go with my sisters.

Memo

To: Professor Moody

From: Amanda Canete

RE: Memo Assignment

The feedback I received was very helpful, I am going to implement the feedback from the peer review by checking my grammar and wording. I have trouble catching my own mistakes. I also am going to add dialogue when meeting my dad at the airport. I might add dialogue in Spanish to explain the language barrier. I am going to just add more details in general, to really try to paint a picture in the readers head. From here I am going to describe in detail my trip to South America and how it relates to my life now. I wrote down some events that happened while I was there, so I want to incorporate some of those into the memoir. I want to share some of my experiences while I was there, well enough to have the reader picture it in their mind and relate to it. With this feedback I am going to write the rest of my memoir and hopefully execute it well.
I am also going to look at the rubric shown in class. This will let me have an exact idea on what is expected in each aspect of the essay. This way my writing will be more structured. The rubric helps me have a better understanding on how to use more details and visuals in my memoir. I am going to focus on conveying a story and hopefully enriching the reader to new and interesting cultures.

Introduction

One of my greatest memories is visiting my father in South America. I recently went last summer, it was the first time that my sisters and I had flown to South America by our selves. The Miami airport was so hectic, everyone scrambling to get to their gate in time. I was so nervous because my Spanish is not that great, and I would have trouble translating everything in Spanish. We hugged our mom and step dad goodbye and got on the plane. I instantly knew we were going somewhere different than the States, the flight attendants uniform were bright teals and purple and everyone was speaking Spanish on the plane.

When the flight attendant announced all the information she announced it in English then Spanish, we finally got to our connecting flight in Bolivia after a grueling night aboard with no air. As we were landing in Bolivia the flight attendant announced everything in Spanish then English. It was as the closer I got to my destination the more I was getting enveloped into this new culture. After boarding from Bolivia everything was said in Spanish, I had officially had left everything I knew and was going into this totally different culture from my own. When we finally landed in our destination Asuncion, Paraguay I could not wait to see my dad. He was there waiting for us with bear hugs and these fizzy waters that tasted like alka -seltzer. He looked the same as before just with a little more salt than pepper in his hair and the fine lines around his face. As we all walked out, the first thing that hit me was the heat. It was so warm and humid there, Florida could not compare to this.

Brainstorming

I thought back to the first time I went to South America and looked at photos of my recent trip.

Three Ideas for Memoir

1) My first idea is about going to South America as a child and experiencing a whole different world,and how I see it now when I go back. This memory is significant because it's always been my second home. Whenever I go back I feel like I'm getting back in touch with my roots. My dad lives there so it is always fun and an adventure. Going back there makes me appreciate my life here and how much easier we have it then rural South America.

2) This memory is about when I visited my uncle, who is an anesthesiologist ,at the hospital. I went on a tour of the hospital with him and got to see my uncle's office and see patients. From then on I knew I wanted to be in the medical field when I grew up. I was so interested in everything I saw there. This memory is significant because it was the first time that I decided I wanted to be a doctor and still do. It's when I realized that I wanted to help people.

3) My last idea is the memory of going to Louisiana to visit my mom's family. I remember going to the Mardi Gras parades, going down Burbon Street,and listening to jazz music in the streets. Just recently I went after Katrina hit, and I can say that it is just not the same. There are still houses that are destroyed and New Orleans has lost some of it's magic. This memory is significant because this national disaster directly affected my family. My aunt's house was destroyed in the disastrous hurricane. Seeing it now just made me appreciate the beauty of the city before , and all the people who still live there and keep the New Orleans spirit.