The James Logan Courier

By Tierra Negra, Courier Correspondent

Society has created all sorts of assertions to make our reality more palatable. Part of pursuing happiness has to deal with discovering our "own" truth and, the difficulty of this task merely depends on a shot of luck produced by the gender born with and the set of beliefs designed for the culture in which an individual is raised.

These ideas, found in every stage of life, range from being small and harmless to a degree where it becomes necessary to invest years of stern reasoning, reflection and experimentation to prove them wrong and, by the time this takes place it might be too late in life. Overall, they aim to force people to do "the right thing" as if we were born evil when it has been demonstrated we are void of any biased information when we are brought into life.

By Tierra Negra, Courier Correspondent

A few years ago, before denying the visas for my children you took the time to call me in order to find out more about our situation. I am almost certain that you not only granted those last tourist visas, making it possible for us to reunite again for a whole summer but, you probably were the one that recommended my case to be revisited because I cannot find any other explanation that would have expedited my asylum petition stagnated since the tragic incident of September 11th.

I made an attempt to send some thank you flowers through my kids upon their return to Mexico and their belated requested visit to the consulate. Unfortunately, they were deterred by the guard who informed them that it was completely inappropriate since it would send the wrong message to whoever would notice this gesture.

By Paul Tran, Courier Staff Writer

The Twilight Saga, a book series that has recently become popular with the general crowd of teenage girls, is hardly the literary accomplishment one would assume by it’s success. Looking at the book’s content, Stephanie Meyer appears to write in order to live a wild life outside of her rigid religious regime. However, what her readers are getting from the books may be harmful to their outlook on relationships.

As Stephen King said, “Harry Potter is about confronting fears, finding inner strength and doing what is right in the face of adversity. Twilight is about how important it is to have a boyfriend.”

By Gurpreet Bhasin, Courier Staff Writer

The cold weather took a while to hit the Bay Area this year. Usually, the month of October is a cold one and the weather is just perfectly chilly. Sadly, October was nowhere near cold, reaching temperatures in the 90s.

Personally, I was so tired of the warm weather because it makes me frustrated irritated. I prefer cold weather because you can always bundle up and be warm, but when it's hot, it's not really preventable. This is also the time of the year when all my favorite holidays come, like Halloween, Thanksgiving, and last but not least, Christmas. So it's a win-win situation.

By Jessica Li, Courier Staff Writer

New is not always better. That’s what I have learned from my childhood. I saw the world through the eyes of a curious, childish, fun-loving, imaginative person who thirsted for knowledge and possibilities. As I approach graduation from high school, I'm looking back, and the past looks surprisingly good.

Though people might not acknowledge it, children can be rather observant. I have observed that many people think that “new” means improvement, and an assurance of up-to-date quality and satisfaction. However, I beg to differ. Of course, I cannot assert that the world hasn't made improvements and is totally inferior to its past, but every period has its ups and downs or good and bad parts.

By Tierra Negra, Courier Correspondent

A grade should reflect students learning throughout a school year however not all the teachers configure it exactly alike and, at times, it ends up proving meaningless.

My grade not only tries to reflect what the student has learned on the subject during each semester, it also takes into consideration how this was accomplished. It measures attendance, punctuality, responsibility to meet date lines and, willingness to follow the classroom rules behaving with respect towards me -the adult in the room, as well as the classmates.

I used to be concerned only about academic content but then with time I realized how impressionable their young minds are which made me reconsider the true impact I have in their lives.

By Tierra Negra, Courier Correspondent
Last June, the Assembly of California approved a bill that will now make the new textbooks add all the “valuable” contributions to history done by members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.

Imagine that! We painstakingly have been making improvements in regards to leveling the plane of gender inequality but it did not take too long to recognize and grant “belated” respect and acknowledgement to the gay community! Who are their friends?