STUDENT WRITING: PROPOSAL to Reduce CHILDHOOD OBESITY by ADRIANA ESCOBEDO

Reducing the Obesity Level in Mexico

In Mexico 9.2% of children suffer from diabetes (Boseley). Diabetes is a big problem around the world because nowadays obesity is found among all people that are overweight. Millions of people are at risk because they neither eat healthy nor care about their health. Mexico’s president is trying to fight obesity in our country but it is not enough to solve the problem. He passed a law to increase the tax on junk food and sugary drinks to reduce obesity and diabetes. I consider that it may work, but I do not think that this is sufficient to reduce the obesity level.

The major problem that is causing obesity in Mexico and around the world is that people are becoming lazy and they don’t always try to cook healthy food or do exercise. The people that are always working do not have enough time to cook something healthy for their children and they look for the easiest way to give them something to eat fast. For this reason, they start eating more junk food and obesity is the consequence. On the other hand, people avoid doing exercise because they complain that they do not have enough time to go to the gym or money to pay for it and they are very tired from working.

We can try to reduce the obesity levels in Mexico by emphasizing the importance of exercise and eating healthy through workshops in schools and in the work place. We can recommend exercise for at least one hour per day and not only by going to a gym. We can go for a walk around our neighborhood with our dog or with our children and it is free. Schools need to promote physical education classes by encouraging children to practice a sport after class or during the PE class. Teachers should have fun activities for kids which involve cardio exercise to burn more calories and in this way avoid or reduce obesity among children and youths. In addition, schools and work places should add more healthy food on the cafeteria menu instead of junk food. Adding more fruit and vegetables, or maybe avoiding sugary products like sodas, candies and junk food on the menu should also help reduce the levels of obesity in our country.


Works Cited
Boseley, Sarah. "Mexico enacts soda tax in effort to combat world's highest obesity rate." theguardian.com. Guardian News and Media, 16 Jan. 2014. Web. 6 May 2014. .

STUDENT WRITING: PROPOSAL to CHANGE IMMIGRATION LAWS by ROGELIO CAZALES

Adjusting the Law for Latinos

Scores of Mexicans being chased by immigration officers. A bunch of Cubans rafting to the States. Venezuelans escaping from an imminent dictatorship. Many sorrows, scarcities, inhumanities, and so on….are what those people have in common. The only truth is that they are following a pipe dream. By the time they cross the border, they face the raw reality; the despotism of the American country. While some Americans offer a friendly hand, some others spit in their faces with their you´re not American, so go back to the trashland you came from attitude. Over time, the United States has started to build massive walls, passed goosy laws, created new legal papers year after year, or just made up excuses in order to delay the means to obtain legal papers and, of course, to halt and ward off the massive migration from Latin American countries. The reality is that the States is building from north to south a racist policy against Latinos. With this in mind, we as Latinos should lobby the U.S. government and demand an answer to the question that has the entire nation split. Is the immigration reform a reality?

A realistic solution for the reform problem should include win-win terms and not only benefit Latinos but also Americans, such as giving permanent residence permits and fair wages. By doing the first, the government could benefit in many ways. Latinos are not trying to sneak into American houses and rob them. They are trying to have a clear path to working legally and earn what they deserve for their work. So, the States could use the Latinos hard-work ethic as an add-on for the national economy. If the economy goes up, the standard of living does too. Also, if illegal immigrants are allowed to work legally, government revenues will be boosted. With a better economy, the United States will be stronger in times of a bad streak in the economy. The second idea must be equal for both sides. So, if Latinos get fair wages, the Americans will be more interested in competing for working positions. A competitive atmosphere always benefits American society.

Another tentative solution would be to enact an adjusting-law for people already living here; a bill that would create a legal means for illegal people to have their papers, but indeed with some restrictions and obligations. This is also a good solution for the problem the American government has on its hands. The government should enact a law for the illegal aliens. This proposed act should be fair for both sides. The idea of having an adjusting-law came to my mind from the Cuban adjusting law which says that every Cuban reaching American shores will be eligible for permanent residence if they stay in the States for a year. Perhaps this act is something hard to swallow, but the pros are so many, such as the increment of tax payers, the halt of massive raids around the country, the removal of the checkpoints, and the end of the endless game of hide and seek played by law enforcement.

Being realistic, the Americans need the Latinos, Hispanics, Beaners, Wetbacks, Wetfoots or whatever they call us in order to keep their frills, social life, and economy as stable as possible. So, why don’t they want to create a law that protects us? Are they waiting for the same situation the African-Americans went through? The Latinos are a majority in this country and they know it. If Latinos returned to their home countries, America would fall to pieces. Therefore, the States must start thinking that one solution for the bomb is in the pillars of American society. They must not dig in their heels. We are not asking for the top of the totem pole. The only thing we ask is more respect.

STUDENT WRITING: EVALUATION of the VOLKSWAGEN JETTA by JANET SANCHEZ

My Volkswagen Jetta

My first new car was a Volkswagen Jetta and I still love it. This car is very comfortable to drive. It has a very good stereo where you can play 6 different CDs. It was very good for me when I bought it because I was living in Juarez and working in El Paso, and the commuting was tiring and boring every day. I needed a fuel economic car because I spent a lot of gas going to work and having had a Ford explorer SUV before, my VW Jetta was the best choice.

My Jetta is very well built. I love all the features it has, especially the nice sunroof. It is very relaxing driving on a cloudy day with the sunroof open. The electronic stability control is also a very effective feature. One day I was driving on the freeway and suddenly I got a flat tire. It is very dangerous but I didn’t go out of control. I just felt the wheel a little weird and stopped to see what happened. My tire was completely ruined and I was safe. I was pregnant, so I wondered what would have happened if I hadn’t had this car. The Jetta has a huge trunk which is very practical and useful for me. When I decided to live in El Paso, even though I rented a furnished studio, I had to bring all my stuff from Juarez and I was able to put a lot of stuff in my car.

The bad thing is the maintenance. It is very expensive and most of the things they do are just checkup. I had to take my car to the dealer for maintenance for five years because I bought an extended warranty and I was afraid they could cancel my warranty if I took my car to another place for maintenance.

The Jetta is perfect for single people. It’s an economic car talking about gas consumption but it doesn’t mean it is uncomfortable and ugly like most of the economic cars are. It’s nice, safe and easy to drive. However, it is not really good for moms because moms need a lot of space to carry all the children’s stuff.

My children preferred our old SUV because they had more room and they could see very well outside. My Jetta’s back seats are very low and my children are little making it difficult to see outside so they get bored easily. They always ride in their child-safety seats so the backs of the front seats are very close to the back seats where they are. Therefore they cannot straighten their legs. We use televisions, which are attached to the back of the front seats, and my children can watch a movie while they are in the car but the televisions are very high for them because of the deep back seats so they have to look up to see the movie and it’s uncomfortable for them.

It’s not practical for me to put my children in my Jetta because I have to bend over to seat my children on their seats, and even though it has a big trunk, it is not enough to carry all the stuff that I need for them. Our first trip in my Jetta was very nice. It’s a very good car to travel. It has everything that you need to enjoy your trip: comfort, good stereo, big trunk for luggage and fuel economy. When I got it we didn’t have children yet, so it was perfect. Having just one kid, my Jetta was still a good car to travel in. My husband drove and I was seated in the back seat with my baby girl so I could attend to her the whole trip. But now, we have another baby and it is impossible to travel in my Jetta because I cannot attend to my children. There is no room for me on the back seats and I have to sit in the front seat. It is very frustrating when they need something in the middle of the way and I can do nothing.

I have had just two big problems with my Jetta. The first one was a problem with the fan of the air conditioning which made a horrible noise. They had to replace it. Fortunately, the warranty covered everything and I just had to pay a little money. The second problem was the computer. One day, I was driving on the freeway and suddenly my car just turned off. It was dead. I had to call a tow truck and they took my car to the dealer. It was there for more than a month, but it was ok because the dealer gave me a rented car while they were fixing my car and thanks to the warranty I didn’t have to pay.

Another problem that I had was the tires. They were of very bad quality. I was losing them one by one until I had to replace all of them. The dealer said that they had bad tires that year but they had already changed the provider which didn’t help me because I had to pay for tires anyway. Something else that I have noticed is that I have to replace light bulbs very often. I don’t know if there is something wrong with the car or it depends on other factors like environment, the use I give it, or something else.

Despite all the minor issues, you can see that I have found more good things than bad things in my car. It is a very nice and good car and I love it. I have really enjoyed it since I bought it.