New Song

I'm Beamin' - Lupe Fiasco

Today, nobody cares
But tomorrow they will, they will
Today, nobody cares
But, oh, tomorrow they will, they will

They said my future was dark
You see me now?
Just look around
I’m beamin’

(We are) They used to talk
When I wasn’t around (Lasers)
You see me now (We’re not)
(Losers) I’m beamin’

I get my energy from my inner G
I be in outer space, but I got inner peace
So tell my enemies that they can’t injure me
I know that irritates, you have my sympathies
Well, you should protest, yeah, you should picket me
I’m on a losing strike, I’m on a winning streak
I’m out in left field, I’m speaking mentally
But that’s a better places than where the benches be
I’m feelin’ really good, me and different beat
Me and my different drummer, he play the timpanis
See, that’s what got me here, you hearin’ me
Me on my black man in the future things, call me Billy Dee
See, I’m just forward-looking, that’s how I really see
See, while you Valentimes, I’m thinking Christmas trees
And that’s how this would be, even at Mickey D’s
Semicolon, close parentheses

They said my future was dark
You see me now?
Just look around
I’m beamin’

They used to talk
When I wasn’t around
You see me now
I’m beamin’

Do you remember me, the guy from verse one?
Failure’s my last name, Never’s my first one
You see I hood a lot, and yeah I nerd some
Hood’s where the heart is, nerd’s where the words from
Don’t represent either, because I merged them
‘S kids who wanna leave, and I encourage them
Go out and see the world, never return from
Yeah, you don’t come back, unless you learn some
And baby girl, what does it matter where your purse from?
Your hurr done, your nails did, your --- fat, but you’re dumb
Mix Melyssa Ford with Maya Angelou
Become a top model and Sojourner too
I try to follow this, what Muhammad do
It’s such a old soul inside the sonic youth
Swear I’m Ferrari’d up, and I’m conscious, too
I don’t prophesize: I promise you

They said my future was dark
You see me now?
Just look around
I’m beamin’

They used to talk
When I wasn’t around (Lasers)
You see me now (Ha)
I’m beamin’

Yeah, it’s me again, the guy from verse two
Well, this the last one, it’s almost curfew
It’s almost night out, so turn your lights on
Where all my 760s, witcha brights on?
Yeah, they are the ones to keep your eyes on
Like how we used to do, to keep the house warm
Now those the type of eyes, I not cry from
You see the tears of fire run out my cryin’ songs
Now the world’s shoulders is what we cryin’ on
The world’s fast lane is what I’m drivin’ on
What am I driving at? I’m tryna drive it home
I’m in the driver’s seat, but you can ride along
‘Cause never cyclops, it’s never I alone
I’m tellin’ your story wherever I perform
Now if they lookin’ for me, tell ‘em I’ve gone
Out in the bright lights, right where I belong

They said my future was dark
You see me now?
Just look around
I’m beamin’

They used to talk
When I wasn’t around
You see me now
I’m beamin’

essay four body paragraphs

                The world was forever changed after Sputnik 1, the first successful artificial satellite, was launched by the Soviet Union in 1957 (“Milestones”). Although there are many dangers to space exploration, it provides many possible solutions to the world’s current dilemmas, such as more space for overpopulated areas, possible new sources of energy, and it could provide cures for diseases.

                It is difficult to imagine over six billion of anything. However, one hundred fifty people are born worldwide every minute (“Global Population”). That equals to nine thousand babies every hour, and two hundred sixteen thousand in one day. The University of Maryland has approximately 26, 493 total undergrads, which means that there are eight times as many babies born daily as there are students in the university (collegeboard).  The Earth’s population is increasing, and even though food production is also on the rise, the natural resources are not as abundant as they once were. One resolution could be to build an aircraft of some sort to sustain human life for an extended period of time. Students have been taught that one must have six basic building blocks to form a living organism: carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus, and sulfur, but according to NASA-funded researchers conducting tests at Mono Lake, “California found out that arsenic can replace the DNA backbone phosphorus in its cell components” (Hanul). This is one step closer to being able to have humans fully function and live normal lives in outer space.

                Although overpopulation is a problem that each new generation will have to face, others may argue that going into outer space is not worth the lives that are being put in jeopardy while traveling in outer space. An example of this would be the Challenger, flight STS 51-L Shuttle accident. This particular mission was very controversial because it was the first time a civilian was allowed to travel in space, along with seven other astronauts (“Space Shuttle”). The launch had been rescheduled numerous times due to structural failures, but was finally initiated after NASA officials overruled concerns of the engineers on the cold morning of January 28, 1986. (“Space Shuttle”). This seemingly small decision that the officials made cost them the lives of seven astronauts and one school teacher, but impacted the lives of millions of people. As if the orbiter built to replace the Challenger, the Space Shuttle Endeavour cost approximately $1.7billion (NASA) was not already a hefty sum, the engineers and officials who finalized the decision for the launch are forced to live every day knowing that they were part of the reason why the shuttle disintegrated. These individuals are lucky if they had the opportunity to keep their jobs after this tragedy occurred.

                Another reason why going into outer space is beneficial is because it gives the world the chance to search for new sources of energy. According to planetary scientist Dr. Mendell, from the Johnson Space Center, it is promising that the world will have new sources of energy from solar-electric power satellites, deuterium and helium 3 fusion, more commonly known as moon-based solar-panel arrays (Husain). Vice President, Energy and Aerospace of the St. Louis Science Center and Director of the James S. McDonnell Planetarium Gregg Maryniak believes that SPSs, or solar-power satellites are going to be the best bet for a brighter future because they can be built entirely from lunar material, do not need fusion, and are not electric. He stated that, “they generate the least amount of greenhouse gases and are much better than nuclear power because they are the most benign source of energy”. It was already clear that SPSs could produce such massive amounts of energy that it is able to fuel entire cities (Husain).

                The opposition for space exploration claims that while going out could provide the world with more energy sources, and with NASA’s budget at 17.2 billion dollars (Whittington), the cost of space exploration is quite hefty. Alternatives for energy sources that can be found in other planets would be solar powered machines, along with water and electric-mandated apparatus. The cost of petroleum per barrel is increasing, with each barrel costing $89.44 (Vanderbruck), in relation to how many barrels the United States consumes daily: 68,672 bbl/day per 1,000 people as of 2007 (“Oil Consumption”). It is evident that the substitutes for petroleum are successful: not only is there an increase on electric cars being made, their highway speeds range anywhere from 50-150 miles between recharging (citation). Not only are electric cars much more fuel efficient than their petroleum counterparts, they also have almost zero emissions, and are much quieter and healthier to have around crops (Hyneman).

                There are countless new things being discovered daily, on the Earth and in outer space. This proves that there is still a great deal to learn about the world that people inhabit and what surrounds it. There have been many drugs were discovered from NASA missions. There are drugs being designed that could treat T-cell lymphoma, which is an aggressive form of cancer, along with a treatment for psoriasis, and rheumatoid arthritis (“Space-based Fight”).  Drugs in the 21^st century are being designed more than they are discovered, and now scientists can target a specific protein of a pathogen, which maximizes a drug’s effectiveness and minimizing any possible side effect. This method is known as rational drug design, and the major downside is the exact structure of the target protein must be determined down to the last molecule (“Space-based Fight”). Scientists use x-ray crystallography, and growing the correct crystals is rather difficult because of the gravity on Earth. Gravity causes the crystals to settle on top of one another, and results in structural flaws (“Space-based Fight”). The 3-dimensional structures of crystals can form flawlessly and achieve larger sizes, which in turn provide scientists with up to 40% more information than crystals grown on Earth (“Space-based Fight”). Many of these vital protein structures would not have been possible without the help of crystals grown in space.

                There have been several protein structures that have assisted scientists in the treatment of several diseases, thanks to minerals and crystals grown in space. However, being in outer space can dramatically change an astronaut physically and mentally. Nearly all astronauts are conflicted with a condition called space motion sickness, similar to car or sea sickness. While on Earth, the brain has grown accustomed to processing combined signals from the eyes, ears, and the nerves in the skin that tells the body where one is in relation to the world around a person. In space, the sight, hearing, and touch signals do not match like they do on Earth, and the confusing signals to the brain causes many astronauts to feel sick (“How Human Body Changes”).

essay four outline

Subject matter: space exploration

Point A: overpopulation on Earth
-refute

Point B: new sources of energy found on other planets
-refute

Point C: possible cure for diseases
-refute

works cited - process analysis

Chang, Louise. "Stages of Sleep: REM and Non-REM Sleep Cycles." WebMD - Better Information. Better Health.
         Web. 25 Oct. 2010. http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/excessive-sleepiness-10/sleep-101.

1) Louise Chang, MD

2)January 8, 2010

3) sponsoring organization: WebMD - balanced

4) secondary



Fonseca, Brenda, Saundra K. Ciccarelli, Saundra K. Ciccarelli, and J. Noland. White. Study Guide and Concept
          Notes For: Psychology, Second Edition. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2009. Print.

1)Brenda Fonseca, Saundra K. Ciccarelli, and J. Noland White

2) 2009

3) Pearson Prentice Hall - balanced

4) primary and secondary



"An Intro to Sleep: What Is Sleep?" Sleep Disorder Information & Resources - Always up to Date with the Latest News in the Sleep Disorder Community! Web. 24 Oct. 2010. http://www.talkaboutsleep.com/sleep-disorders/archives/intro.htm.

1)no obvious author

2) no publication date listed

3)sponsoring organization: Let's Talk About Sleep - balanced

4)primary and secondary



Swiezewski, Stanley J. "Sleep Stages Overview, Sleep Cycle - Sleep Stages - Sleep Channel." Your Sleep Disorder Community - Sleep Channel. Web. 28 Oct. 2010. http://www.sleepdisorderchannel.com/stages/index.shtml.

1) Stanley J. Swiezewski

2) original publication date: December 1, 2000; last review date: December 4, 2007

3) secondary

process analysis essay

Trishia Domingo
Kenneth Kerr
EN101-5
27 October 2010

Good Night, Good Night

Sleep - that is all one may think of after a hard day of work. One’s body had been running around all day and was finally able to return to his home after an exceptionally tiring day. His mind had been drifting off due to exhaustion. Sleep is something that is very important to human beings. In order to function properly, the body needs to rest so it can recover from a long day and generate more cells in order for survival. There are two kinds of sleep: REM, which stands for rapid eye movement, and non-REM sleep, which has four stages in itself, with the first stage called Light Sleep, the second stage Sleep Spindles, and the third and fourth Delta Waves (Fonseca).

A person goes through four stages of non-REM sleep before they enter the REM period, which occurs about every ninety minutes throughout the night (Fonseca). One may recall a time when he thought he was just closing his eyes to rest, but is abruptly woken up by the sound of a ruler hitting his desk or the booming voice of his professor. This person has just undergone stage one sleep, in which if they are awoken, people will not know that they were just asleep. Stage One sleep, also called Light Sleep happens when theta wave activity increases and alpha waves fade away (Fonseca). Another strange occurrence is hypnic myoclonia, more commonly known as a hypnic jerk, that takes place when one feels as if he is falling, which causes a sudden muscle contraction (“Stages of Sleep”).

                The second stage that someone goes through during the non-REM stage has sleep spindles, where eye movements stop and brain waves become larger (“An Intro to Sleep”).  Sleep spindles are a pattern of EEG waves, in which the heart rate slows, and breathing becomes more shallow and irregular, lasting only a second or two (Fonseca). When awakened during this period of the sleep cycle, persons will be aware that they have been sleeping, since approximately 45% of non-REM sleep is spent in Stage 2 (“An Intro to Sleep”).

                Stages three and four of one’s sleep cycle are when delta waves start to roll in. The slowest and largest waves make their appearance during stage three of the sleep cycle, and these delta waves make up approximately twenty to fifty percent of the brain wave pattern (Fonseca). Once delta waves can be accounted for over fifty percent of total brain activity, a person can be said to have entered stage four sleep. For example, someone who has been sleeping for about an hour may have entered stage four of sleep, and once he has been awoken he may feel irritable and a bit disoriented for a few minutes. A person who is in either stage three or stage four of sleep is harder to wake than someone who is only in stage one or two, because the brain produces elta waves much quicker by the time he has shifted into stage four (“An Intro to Sleep”).

                Once a person has undergone stages one through four of non-REM sleep, the next stage is REM sleep, in which the eyes move rapidly, typically meaning that the person is experiencing a dream. People usually spend more time in NREM deep sleep after a physically demanding day, compared to an increased time in REM sleep after an emotionally demanding day (Fonseca). This may be the reason why people tend to experience dreams after a significant event has happened in their life such as being traumatized somehow, loss of a loved one or a job, etc. Some characteristics that distinguish REM from non-REM sleep stages are periodic eyelid fluttering, muscle paralysis, irregular breathing, body temperature, heart rate, and blood pressure (“An Intro to Sleep”). It is thought that perhaps while in REM sleep, dreams are a way of dealing with the stresses and tensions of the day, and physical activity demands more time for recovery of the body, which is where NREM sleep comes into play (Fonseca).

                Everyone needs sleep in order to function properly. Moderate sleep loss may not seem like a huge issue, however sleep deprivation can lead to concentration problems and the inability to do simple tasks, as well as disrupting the normal sleep-wake cycle (Fonseca). The amount of sleep that needed is different with each individual, but it is imperative that one gets at least six hours in order to function well enough to do mundane tasks. If one were to go many nights without any sleep, he may drift into microsleeps, which are brief side-steps into sleep that lasts only a few seconds. Microsleep periods are observably responsible for a lot of car accidents that occur when drivers haven’t had sufficient sleep. (Fonseca).

essay three outline

topic: Sleep: going from REM to non-REM

first paragraph: non-REM sleep; stage one

second paragraph: non-REM sleep; sleep spindles

third paragraph: stages 3 & 4; delta waves

fourth paragraph: REM sleep; dreams

compare and contrast

Trishia Domingo

Kenneth Kerr

EN101-5

20 October 2010

Alone on During the Holidays

                People look forward to the month of December for many reasons: hot chocolate next to an open fire, the warmth of a bed during a cold winter’s morning, the beautiful blanket of snow that covers the ground. Another thing that others may anticipate is Christmas, although the price one may pay for the perfect present for his loved ones can often times be disconcerting. Depending on how extravagant one is during Christmas time, the total amount of money he spends on presents, his stress levels, and free time from work is different than that of people who are in a relationship or have families.

                The amount of money that someone who is single spends on presents is very different from how much money someone in a relationship or has a family spends. According to Theresa McEntire, “Christmas generates about $435 billion worth of economic activity each year in the United States alone” (“How Much”). The average American income, for those with a bachelor’s degree, is about $56, 000 annually (“Average American”). When multiplied by two for those individuals in a relationship the number becomes $102, 000. Those who are single generally have a bigger budget for spending because they do not have to worry about buying presents for children, which can add up to $750 spent on gifts and accessories (“How Much”). People who have families may end up spending double or more than that amount, especially if the children like to play videogames; before the Playstation 3 debuted in November of 2006, it generated bad press for its $600 price tag (“World’s Most Expensive”), compared to other consoles that are 1/3 of that price. The amount of money spent for children, along with lavish presents for a significant other, could easily put one into debt.

                The cost of a present for a loved one has more than one price tag; if a person cannot afford to buy a specific item that he had sought to purchase, stress levels may go up. A survey from 2008 showed that, “the #1 source of stress reported is personal finance concerns, the top response for almost half (49%) of those surveyed” (“American’s Stress”). Single individuals without children do not have to stress about the financial side of Christmas as much because they have less people to purchase presents for. An article on stress states, “It has been estimated that 75-90% of all visits to primary care physicians are for stress related problems. Job stress is far and away the leading source of stress for adults” (“America’s No. 1”). Stress in the life of someone who has a family is heightened when finances for the holidays are considered; in addition to things one has to worry about in the workplace.

                Another thing that may add to a person’s stress and have a role in how much money he may spend on presents is the amount of hours put in during the holiday season. The average employee works 40 hours a week, but those who work less than that suffer a bit during the holiday season. According to an article concerning employment legal issues, “an employee must actually work 40 hours in a week before he/she is eligible for overtime. Paid time off (holidays, vacation, sick leave, etc) is not considered time worked” (“Holiday Pay”). This will not hurt an individual who is single because he or she will not have as many reservations for taking more time off compared to his coworker who has a family to support.

                Single employees will have a bit more money to spend more frivolously because they only have themselves to think about when it comes to the holidays. Although most married couples pay less income tax than they would if each partner were single (Marriage and Taxes), it is also important to remember that their bills for the groceries, utilities, and gas will undoubtedly be higher since there is more than one person whose mouth needs to be fed. Therefore, it would be better to be single during the holidays due to less money spent on presents, less work-related stress, and not having to worry about vacation time and how it will affect one’s salary.