Portfolio

Claudia Rodriguez

Emily Miller

ENG 091

21 October 2011

2 Stroke vs 4 Stroke

If there is more than one type of thing, then there is a high chance that there is going to be a debate on which is better. A very mainstream discussion between dirt bike riders is whether two stroke or four stroke bikes are better. Though many riders agree that four stroke bikes are better, there are still some that prefer two stroke bikes. There are quite a few of complaints when it comes to two stroke bikes. One of the main reasons they are going “extinct” is due to the fact that manufacturers have almost completely stopped updating their engines. Another reason is the way that AMA (American Motocross Association) has changed and is now formed. Consequently, they wear out quickly due to lack of a dedicated lubrication system. Additionally, they require that you use premix oil. Without it, it makes them run dirty and loud which can be undesirable for riders. Pursuing this further, they cause environmental damage and don’t easily convert from motocross to trail. Undoubtedly, they are less expensive, but aren’t that great when it comes to quality. A Yamaha YZ250 2-stroke would cost $7150, and a YZ250F 4-stroke would cost $8150. On the other hand, four stroke bikes are basically the exact opposite. They have a smooth delivery and more torque, which every rider cherishes. Other great things about these type of bikes are that they have a clean burning, are quiet, and have more moving parts. A useful thing is that it pulls stronger in tight corners. It’s more of an all around type of bike and has easy maintenance. It’s able to dominate on any track and terrain, plus it’s easier to operate. A thing that saves time with this bike is that you don’t have to mix gases and there is less rebuilding because the engine is constantly being improved. The only con is that it costs around a thousand dollars more, but if you’re a dedicated rider, that shouldn’t be a problem.

Word Count: 325

Claudia Rodriguez

Emily Miller

ENG 091

5 November 2011

Video Game Ratings

There are three main video game ratings in the gaming community. One of them is M for mature, the next one is T for teen, and lastly E for everyone. First, in order for a video game to be rated M, it must have content with intense violence, blood and/or gore, sexual content, and/or strong language. You must also be at least the age of 17 to be able to purchase a game with this rating. Some examples of video games that are rated M are Gears of War 3, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, and Assassin’s Creed Revelations. Analyzing Gears of War 3’s content, this game is rated M for having blood and gore, intense violence, and strong language. The next rating is T for teen. These types of games carry content with violence, suggested themes, crude humor, minimal blood, simulated gambling, and infrequent use of strong language. Games with this rating are Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter, and Batman: Arkham City. The reason that Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter is rated T, is because it’s content consists of blood, language, and violence. The last rating is E for everyone. These games are really clean, but still have content such as minimal cartoon, fantasy or mild violence and/or infrequent use of mild language. Some examples of video games that are rated E are Kinect Adventures, World of Outlaws: Sprint Cars, and Family Game Night 4: The Game Show Edition. World of Outlaws: Sprint Cars is rated E and has content with mild suggestive themes and mild violence. There are a lot more ratings, such as EC (Early Childhood), E10+ (Everyone 10 and older), AO (Adults Only), and RP (Rating Pending.) Though it seems easy to rate a video game, it’s actually a very long and careful process.

Word Count: 316

Claudia Rodriguez

Emily Miller

Eng 091

November 18, 2011

Moving To Tolleson

One event that has affected me was moving to Tolleson. If you have moved before, you know it’s not always easy to get used to a place that is new to you and completely different than where you were before. I moved this year, some time in late August or the beginning of September. It’s been around two and a half months. My family and I were excited to move into a bigger, more comfortable house. The only bad thing was having to switch schools. This wasn’t really a big effect for my siblings because they’re in elementary school, but it was for me because I’m a junior in high school, consequently making things more difficult more me. The high school I now attend is Tolleson Union High School. The first thing I was worried about was the fact that the school didn’t offer three of the classes that I had been taking at Mesa High. I had to choose new classes and start all over, which was overwhelming because it’s high school. The next thing I was worried about was being in a completely different place in the curriculum. Unfortunately, the classes were ahead of what I was learning at my other high school, so I had some catching up to do in order to understand lessons. The last thing didn’t really involve school, but instead knowing where things were located, not only stores, but in my new home. It took me around a month to know where the basic stores were like Fry’s and Target. I didn’t really worry about making friends because after moving a lot, making friends seems pointless if you’re moving around and switching schools every three years or so. I do have people I talk to, but it’s not the same. Tolleson Union’s environment differs very much from Mesa’s, but I’ve gotten used to it.

Word Count: 324

Claudia Rodriguez

Emily Miller

Eng 091

October 4, 2011

How To Transfer An Xbox LIVE Account

You have just gotten your first Xbox 360 because you’ve realized how much better it is than a PS3, and you don’t really want to begin with nothing. You then decide to ask someone for an account that you can have or buy and get one. Either that, or you’ve known that Xbox is the way to go and bought a newer, up-to-date console. So, now all you need to do is transfer your account onto your console. Fortunately, transferring takes only a few, minor steps. But before you begin the actual process, you must make sure that the console you’re transferring onto has enough Gigabytes or Megabytes for you to transfer the account, as well as game updates, add-ons, apps, etc. Next, you’ll need your Windows LIVE ID, which is your email address and the password. If there is more than one account on that email, know which one is yours. You can identify this by the gamertag. The most important thing for this process to succeed is to make sure you have an Internet connection. Once you have all of that figured out, turn on your Xbox. You can either push or touch the middle of the ring on the Xbox. (The newer Xbox 360 has a sensor, so all you have to do is touch it!) It’ll light up green. If it lights up red, you are experiencing a ring of death and might want to get that checked. The other option is to get your controller and hold down the guide button, which is the big circular button in the middle. Once it’s started up, press the guide button on your controller and go down to “Recover Gamertag.” As you go on, it’ll ask you for the information you should already have. Once you successfully enter that, the process of transferring your account will begin. For it to recover, it’ll take around 10 minutes, maybe more or less. After that long wait, you’re finally ready to play online, compete and communicate with other gamers around the world.

Word Count: 357

Quiz 12/10/11

In my last writing project, I could've had a better introduction paragraph with more transition words. The details I added were specific and I had a good conclusion. I changed the introduction and hopefully it's better now. I think my writing project deserves a high B or a low A because I feel like it could be better, but don't know what exactly to change.

Quiz 12/3

The four teenagers died because of a horrific car crash due to drunk driving. The driver is to blame, but not all of it should be his fault. His friends knew that he was probably just as drunk as they were. It seems bad to blame them after their death and what happened to their bodies, but it really is their fault. If they knew better they wouldn't have been drinking in the first place, then proceed by going into a vehicle with a drunk driver. Society may have something do with it because people knowadays view "drinking" as such a cool thing to do, when it really isn't. Especially if you're not of age. Age doesn't matter when it comes to drunk driving, it applies to anyone whether the driver is 16 or 30. A drunk driver is still a drunk driver.

Intro For Essay: Star Wars: Ep. 1: The Phantom Menace

There are many movies out there, but a particular movie saga that really captured my attention was Star Wars by George Lucas. It all began with The Phantom Menace. This is definitely my favorite movie of all time. The things that captured my attention were the characters, the settings, and all of the events that were going on. Although it came out in 1999 and I wasn't able to understand until I was older, I loved watching it. This movie has action, adventure, fantasy, and Sci-Fi which are the type of movies I enjoy watching. One of my favorite things about this film is that it's rated PG. Not many movies with this rating catch my attention, but this one did.

Quiz 11/1911

A thing that contributes to the habits is my OCD. I didn't really notice that I had OCD until I was in fourth grade. It's something that I've learned to live with and it isn't as repetitive as it used to be. Things I did to help me with it was begin playing Tetris and doing Sudokus. Tetris helped with my organization with shapes and Sudokus helped with the whole number and counting thing. At first, these games seemed really boring, but the more I played, the more I got into the game and I've been playing them for around three or four years. A few years ago, I got my first Guitar Hero game and that made me OCD worse because of the strums and fret board. It was now gotten better and the habbits I have now aren't as bad as they were a few years ago.

In-Class Writing

Someone that is terminally ill should have the right to euthanasia. If one has the right to live, they should have to right to choose to end their life. It can save someone from suffering and pain. On the nurses' and doctors' side, their time would be freed. This would give them time to treat patiens and save the lives of others. Also, studies have shown that underfstaffed hospitals are more likely to make mistakes and have less quality care. Next, health care costs would be greatly reduce. The costs of x-rays, medication, and tests can add up quickly and some may not be not have the money to pay it off. Consequesntly, it's a huge cost to keep a dying patient alive. The last point is due to the fact that without euthanasia, suicide can be messy and traumatic to the one that finds the body. With euthanasia, one's death is controlled and compassionate compared to overdosing on medication, jumping off a building, and putting a bullet through one's head. With euthanasia, the patient will be able to say goodbye because they'll know when the last time they see their loved ones would be. Things like these would be handled orderly and should be humane.

In-Class Writing for Nov. 5

I've been riding ATVs since I was nine, maybe a year younger. So far, its been 7 or 8 years that I've been riding. It sounds like a long time, but it doesn't feel like it. When I was 14, I decided it was time for change and switch from a four-wheel ATV to a dirt bike. I talked to my dad about it, but he hasn't for it at first, but after a few discussions, he agreed to let me upgrade to a dirt bike. In February of 2009, I received a beautiful, lime green, 125cc Kawasaki dirt bike. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to use it right away, for I had nowhere to use it. A few weeks afterward, my dad took me up to Heber, Arizona for my first lesson. The weather was perfect. It wasn't too sunny and the most perfect breeze was blowing. Sadly, that all changed within 15 minutes. It began to get cloudy. The sun was gone and the wind had gotten a bit stronger. Sooner or later, it started to rain lightly. My dad asked if I still wanted to learn how to ride a dirt bike. I've waited three weeks, to ride it and I wasn't going to let a little wind and rain ruin that. It was easier than I thought. It was slippery and I fell once. Only once. I was proud that I only fell once. It was pretty painful, I'm not going to lie, but it was amazing. The fall wasn't amazing, being able to use a dirt bike was.