The guest speaker

A few days ago in my humanities class a young woman by the name of Elisabeth Earnley came and gave the class some interesting information. She was part of an organization called AGUA that helps and makes sure that lands are capable of holding water. When developers try to make shopping centers or anything else with concrete AGUA makes sure that they still leave some grassland, and allowing some of the water to go into the ground and in the aquifer. She also let us know that SAWS was not really doing a good job of making sure that developers do this. Many of the developers do get stopped by some city ordinances, but all they have to do is find some loop hole in the system and they still get what they want. Most of the time all developers have to do is just pull a plan out from the past, and say that the new city ordinances don’t affect those plans from the past. She let us know that if we didn’t agree with these actions then we could go to see city council, but the only time that these hearings are held are early in the morning. So that’s why many people have know idea or have any time to make these hearings. Towards the end of the class she gave us some papers with two cases that SAWS passed, but the entire class thought one of them should not have been. She told us that if some people had gone those could have changed that from happening.

My Neighborhood

If I were to ask you how well you knew your own neighborhood, or your neighbors do you think you could give me a full answer? Now a day’s many people don’t really take the time to get out of their own house, and take a stroll down their street. Well that’s how it is for most people, but for me I have gotten to know my surroundings of my “hood” since I have lived here for about ten years. For starters I live on the south side of San Antonio, and not to far from Palo Alto, and even closer to South San Antonio high school, which I use to attend. The neighborhood that I live in is a middle class area there isn’t any thing really fancy about it just the same as every other one in my area. When I was around the age of nine I really got to know a few of my next door neighbors, since I did go to the same elementary school as their children, Kindred, and lived right next to them as well! The ones that I’m most close to are the Devora’s and the Cruz’s because their son’s Orlando and Rene are my friends. Some of my other neighbors around there I’m close to as well because a few of them are a part of my family. Two houses down from mine is the home that belongs to my grandparents who have lived there for over close to forty-five years. I enjoy going to visit them because their house has many trees which provide plenty of shade during those very hot summer days. Also three houses down on the other side of my house lives my Tia Angie. Even though she is my great aunt everyone in my family has always called her “Tia Angie”? A good thing for my family is the church that we attend, St. Clare’s, is only two blocks away from our house. One of the things that I really like the most is that a block away there is a public park called Golden Park. Since I am a very active person it makes it easier for me to go and meet up with my friends. Before I moved here I would have to walk a far distance to play basketball, or do any other kind of activity when I meet up with my friends. Also since it’s so close to home my mom doesn’t really worry so much when I tell her that I’m going over to the park to play a couple of games with my friends. The one thing that I really love about my neighborhood is that when who ever built these houses made them real close to each other. For most people I know that would be a bit annoying, but I like it because it allows you to keep in touch, and have at lease some communication with your surrounding neighbors.

Hollywood’s Alamo

I’m pretty sure that every body has heard of the Battle of the Alamo, and the Anglo Americans that defended it with their lives. What many people don’t know is that there were Tejanos who also gave their life’s along with the more famous heroes of the Alamo. In my humanities class I learned from a PBS video called Remember the Alamo of a man by the name of Jose Antonio Navarro who is one of the most well known Tejanos in history. Even Hollywood has made movies about this battle to give us, the viewers, a little glimpse of what it might have been like during this tragic event. Although the movies are very exciting, and makes learning about history a little more fun than reading it from a book. The movies don’t always tell everything that goes on in history, and leaves out much information that many people may find interesting. In the year 2004 director John Lee Hooker made a remake of the 1960 movie (The Alamo). In his version of this battle they don’t really mention any of the contribution that the Tejanos did. In this film it really only shows the Anglo side of the battle, and what they had a part in the battle. In the film they did show the Tejanos that fought with them, but didn’t really tell much about them. In the movie there was a scene where Sam Houston was the first to sign the Texas Declaration of Independence, but in the PBS video it shows that Jose A. Navarro was the first to have signed the declaration. In the film the only Tejano that was really mention was Captain Seguin who carried a letter to Sam Houston, played by Dennis Quaid, from William Travis, Patrick Wilson, saying that the men at the Alamo needed help to defeat Santa Anna. Another thing about John Lee Hooker’s version of the Alamo is that there was no mention of Stephen F. Austin or how he tried to get settlers into the state of Texas. In most history books they all say that every one of Santa Anna’s soldiers was ruthless and brutal, but however in this film it showed some of he’s men scared. It also showed that not all of he’s men agreed with some of the things that he did during the battle. In this film Billy Bob Thornton portrayed Davy Crockett, a congress man from Tennessee, who was very well know for his hunting skills. Even though he is one of the heroes of the Alamo I didn’t really care that the movie made him seem as if was one of the most important people at the Alamo. Even though these movies have made the Battle of the Alamo famous over the years it still is a shame that not all of the men who gave their life are getting their recognition.