CARABLE, JENICA MARIE

INFORMATIVE SPEECH
COPING WITH DEPRESSION

Depression is a psychological state that is hard to cure, hard to live with, and hard to endure. A
depressed person lives in a nightmarish world, darkened by pessimism and dulled by unwillingness
to act. This devastating and destructive state has a negative impact on the individual. It drains
energy, evaporates optimism and enthusiasm, and paralyzes hope. It distorts the world and
substantially reduces the pleasure of living. It may lead to repetitive suicidal thoughts that can end
in self-destruction. I have consulted psychological literature to give you some tips how develop a
step-by-step program to overcome depression.

People suffer from depression for many reasons. They become depressed when all they do seems
to become a failure. They get worried about their inability to realize their plans. They get shelled
in loneliness. They get nervous and easily irritated. They find their lives unstable and hopeless.
They lack safety and become vulnerable to outside influences. Depression is a hazardous state,
especially when you allow it to invade your body and mind. As soon as you realize that something
is wrong with your state of mind, turn to help without hesitation.

Now, I will give you some anti-depression tips. First of all, stay focused on what you are doing.
Start with a small goal and fulfill it: go to a shop, take a short walk, or make a telephone call. Just
start acting and stick to doing it. Second, develop supportive relationship, turning to people who
love you and whom you love. Refrain from retreating into yourself, sharing a meal, emailing,
accompanying your friend to the movies, confide in a counselor or clergy member. Third, get
interested in your own life. For this, have eight hours of sleep, practice relaxation techniques, and
go easy on yourself. Why not to practice yoga or tai chi? Why not to introduce a meditative element
to your life? Fourth, get regular exercise. Fifth, eat healthy food. Sixth, avoid negative thinking
and negative emotions. Finally, ask for help if you cannot overcome your depression without
outside aid.

Now, you must embark on the road to depression recovery. Remember: action is the best anti-
depressant for you. Look at the world from a new perspective: integrate into it on equal terms. Life
is given only once, and you have no time to waste it. Not a single moment to spare! As soon as the
world starts changing, you will keep a stronger touch with it. You will realize that inward problems
are mainly our own creations, our own illusions, our own misunderstandings. Share your doubts
with the world, and you be understood in return. It is easiest to shut your heart and pretend that
loneliness is desirable. A white lie! Out of depression – to communicate with people – to establish
relationships – and depression will quietly go away! I do not think it will be welcomed again!
SUAREZ, ROSE MARIE

INFORMATIVE SPEECH
HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR CONVERSATION SKILLS

The feeling of being tongue-tied is familiar to many of us. We admire people who can express
their thoughts with fluency and confidence. Some people think that a conversational skill is a gift,
while others believe that this is the result of training. A blabbermouth monopolizes the
conversation, turning it into a monologue. I have known a person who was able to talk to anybody
with invariable energy and interest. He impressed people by his conversational eloquence. In
business communication, conversational skills are an asset to a person’s ability to persuade and
negotiate the meaning. Conversational skills are necessary for successful career growth and our
pleasant interaction with other people. Commitment and consistency are fundamental to improving
conversational skills. People with conversational skills have more friends and better chances in
life, for they know how to promote their ideas and establish relationships. I am going to inform
you about the nature of conversational skills, and then I will give you some practical tips that you
may find useful.

Conversational skills are special tools that make a conversation go. They are learned and trained
to become automatic. They control questions, control feedback; help break the ice during unwanted
pauses, give an idea of open-ended questions that drive a conversation, elaborate a theme. They
are about shifts to another theme, the use of semantic means, combined body language and verbal
speech. Conversational skills make people comfortable while talking to each other.

Now, I will give you five ways to improve your conversational techniques. First of all, the speakers
should show interest in each other. Healthy curiosity heats up interest. When you ask questions,
you intend to be given a response that can drive the conversation. Second, remember that a
conversation is a dialogue with well-balanced talking and listening. Skilful speakers monitor
themselves, taking control over taking turns. If you get skilled in taking turns, even talking a little,
you will perfect your conversational skills. Third, give genuine compliments for the actions the
person who you are talking to has done. This appraisal must be specific and will do wonders if
followed by a tag question. Fourth, your paralanguage may speak louder than words. Bodily
expressions have a meaning of their own. Fifth, a skilful speaker employs “What, where, when,
who”, “how”, and “if” questions.

Conversational skills are acquired through special training. They help master the art of
conversation as a meaning exchange of human thoughts. People are often clumsy and tongue-tied
when expressing their thoughts and feelings. They need conversational eloquence, which may be
achieved by using conversational techniques. Practice conversational skills with a smile, and this
learned art will be yours at the moment when you need it most.
MILLENA, LAYRA

INFORMATIVE SPEECH
OLYMPIC GAMES

Less than a year is left to enjoy the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games. Sustainability has become a
credo of the Olympic movement since the 1990s. The forthcoming event is not an exception. The
“Green games” concept is what I would like to clear up, welcoming the idea of the Olympic
competition built to high environmental standards. This concept implies the existence of a green
sports fan, capable of enjoying the drama of competition without damaging nature.

The 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games would gather together lots of fans from all over the world
who in their enthusiasm are not too friendly to the environment. Yet, when the event is over, the
place should look as it was before this invasion of sports fans. How do we all care for the host
place and how is the nature of Vancouver is integrated into the event so much expected? I have
consulted the available websites to inform you about all preparations, hopes and potential
problems. First, I’ll dwell upon the green policies promoted by the International Olympic
Committee. Second, I’ll inform you how sustainability will be implemented at Olympic stadiums.

Sustainability can be promoted through sports. The 8th World Conference on Sport and
Environment, held ten days ago in Vancouver, emphasized innovation and inspiration in the global
Olympic movement. Highly representative, this conference held that the National Olympic
Committees play an important role in the sports’ involvement in sustainable development. By this,
sports and environmental protection get united as powerful aspects of global sustainable
interventions.

Vancouver is preparing for the games, building new stadiums, hotels, improving the infrastructure
system, and arranging cultural programs. Technological advances will be felt everywhere for the
pleasure of both athletes and sports fans. Each sports event wants to be serviced in the best possible
way. Canadians love winter sports. I am sure Vancouver will be full of pleasant surprises.

Athletes are important role models who inspire youth involvement in sports and encourage action.
The idea of “green games” gives a new turn to the Olympic movement. It promotes global
consciousness of sustainable development which becomes one of the leading policies of Olympic
Games. The Olympic movement is not only fascinating and spectacular competition. Olympic
Games unite all people, irrespective of nationality, ethnicity, race, and social status. It brings about
a strong, positive feeling of pride for the country and for the whole world, as well as gives us all
hope that peace will dominate globally. Olympic Games is always a holiday, a celebration of being
one humankind, young, and competitive. I hope Vancouver will make known the new names of
bright sportsmen known and adored around the world. Olympic Games can make wonders,
presenting different countries to sports fans worldwide.
CAMASIS, CRIZEL JOY

INFORMATIVE SPEECH
TERRORISM

Today, terrorism is associated with warlike activities that violate human and civil rights. The
United States has been at the head of the anti-terrorist movement after 9/11 disaster. It has taken a
burdensome mission to lead the global anti-terrorist movement, with the enemy invisible, hidden,
and unpredictable. This mission gave birth to many mistakes and distorted the idea of a noble
peacemaking mission. Civilian populations in Iraque and Afghanistan got involved; no progress
was made against terrorism as the evil of the 21st century. Notorious violations of civil and human
rights in Iraque ended in many protests, especially in the Muslim world.

Terrorism is the plaque of the 21st century. Global mass media terrorize populations with the
reports of shocking terrorist attacks. But the roots of terrorism remain untouched. Yet, terrorism
may be viewed from the three perspectives. Terrorists defend their civil and human rights, they
fight against injustice and discrimination. This is their story that must be heard. Victims suffer
physically and psychologically from terrorist activities. They experience pressure, instability,
danger, and unsafety. For them, terrorists are criminals that deliberately take away human lives.
The public opinion depends on the attitude to either terrorists or victims. In the Muslim world
terrorists may be treated as victims. In the rest of the world terrorists are considered to be criminals
whose acts of severe violence must be punished.

Terrorism is an asymmetric form of conflict because it always divides all the participants involved.
It is a strategy and tactic, a duty and a crime, a reaction to oppression and an inexcusable
abomination. Terrorism attracts public attention by committing severe acts of violence in public
places and endangering lives of lots of people. It is savage-like and inhuman, for it values neither
the life of a freedom fighter nor the life of a victim who is killed or badly injured only because he
or she happened to be in the target place. Terrorists kill to obtain public exposure.

The United States has defined the anti-terrorist priority measures. They include chemical plant
security, transit security, terrorism risk insurance, disaster response, nuclear waste, and drinking
water safety. It is hard to curb terrorism for several reasons. First, terrorists are well organized and
have a strong network which is tied by fanatic faith in their cause. Second, terrorists are unseen.
They are scattered all over the world, arranging terrorist attacks in unpredictable places. Third,
terrorists are outrageous and resolute, fearless and stubborn to give their lives for their cause.
Fourth, terrorists have support of the civilians who are on their side.
Terrorism is our nightmare, unseen danger that may cost us our life. Terrorism is a criminal act,
since no fight for justice can be justified by murders of innocent people. Without extricating the
roots of terrorism, our governments will never achieve positive results. Terrorism is a response to
oppression, poverty, and discrimination. When human rights are universally respected, terrorism
will not have a justifiable soil under its feet. Cultivate love, not hate in your heart. Try to understand
what drives terrorists. Remember, terrorism is like a love triangle: it is different form a terrorist’s,
victim’s or public opinion’s perspectives.
ESPIRIDA, BERNADETTE

INFORMATIVE SPEECH

HOW TO BUILD A HAPPY MARRIAGE

A clear-cut tendency is observed today: neither men nor women are in a hurry to marry. The
growing independence of women, reluctant to do all housework and bear the main burden of
children’s upbringing, sacrificing career growth, is one of the causes of the changes in family
formation. A happy marriage may be built only on love, tolerance, mutual understanding, equality,
and respect. The problem is important because materially both husband and wife are now in many
cases on equal terms. More and more women demonstrate higher levels of education than men,
More and more women compete with men, holding leadership positions in business, politics and
social life. As the result, women become materially independent. They are not materially tied to a
family anymore. When they marry, they enrich their world that is now built on kinship, love,
safety, quality leisure time activities in which all family members are involved. A family develops
a collective feeling of interconnectedness, which is opposed to loneliness. Joy and duty, love and
care, discipline and kindness – all these are taken together in a family as a pillar of stable social
development. I have talked to married people in search of a “happy family” recipe. I want to share
some of my findings with you.

A happy marriage is based on intimacy and commitment. It is a bond that outgrows passion as the
feature of romantic love. It is a bond that is based on mutual respect and the feeling as if both
husband and wife were in many respects one. It is a way of constructing lifestyle, emphasizing
intimate relationship and devotion to a person of your choice. It is confidence in the stable
character of marriage, reinforced by having kids. Although even happy marriages tend to undergo
changes, they never change the high quality of relating to each other. People are happy to be
together, to share opinions, to spend time together, to make plans, which is inherent in their
attitudes to each other.

Happy marriages are tested, like others, by time, material difficulties, hardships, deteriorating
health, fluctuations of mood, identity development, and the like. Happy marriages, unlike others,
never ruin fundamentals of relationship: commitment is so deep that no difficulty can destroy it,
since both spouses know how to help and support each other. Happy marriages cherish happy
memories, and they cannot destroy these memories when one of the spouses has a temporary
temptation to experience something new. On the contrary, happy marriages are full of wisdom,
consensus, and their happiness is rooted in a unique feeling of freedom that ties up to a happy
marriage experience more than anything else. They cultivate universal love, which is care,
understanding, and tolerance to human weaknesses. Happy marriages are built by people who
worship communication, interaction, and cannot live without sharing all they have in their hearts
and souls.

There is no couple that would not like to create a happy marriage. Only very few families can build
long-term relationships that stick to happiness even under unfavorable circumstances. I have talked
to married people who are happy in their own way. They feel the aura of happiness and advise
others to be tolerant. A happy marriage is an ideal construct that is like a dream that cannot be
realized without hard work, creating a relationship and being happy in the process of its creation.
I wish you thought over my information. Do not waste your time. Test your own willingness to be
perfect in your relationship. Prove that a happy marriage may be a reality.
CAMASIS, CRIZEL JOY

PERSUASIVE SPEECH
CAREER OBJECTIVES

Dear students, where are you going to be in five years? What will you be doing from 9 till 6 every
day? In what sphere will you work? In other words, what are your career objectives? Some of you
must be thinking that the third year of studies is yet too early to ask such questions. Let me assure
you that it is high time to decide upon this issue.

In fact, as my 7 year-long experience as HR-manager shows, there are only two alternatives. Either
you think about your career beforehand – now! – or you graduate in two years with an empty track
record, and cling to the very first job available with the highest salary. “Not bad at all”, some of
you might think. Still, believe me that you will soon get bored, for money is not the sense of life.
When you hate what you do every day for eight hours, when you go to work only to receive your
monthly salary – your life is not complete to say the least. I like the quotation by Elizabeth Kubler
Ross who said that “people are like stained-glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun
is out, but when the darkness sets in, their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light from
within” (3). The source of this inner light is love for everything that surrounds you – your family
in the first place, but also your work! It should give you delight, ensure your professional and
personal growth and provide you with a sense of achievement and importance of what you do.
Trust my experience: such people rarely get bored with their work in the course of years and are
much happier than disillusioned money-earners.

The most difficult thing here is to find the right kind of job. Every person is unique and is best
suited to a particular sphere or position. You will never know which exactly is perfect for you until
you try. In two years, you will graduate the Linguistic department. Where will you go when the
diploma is in your pocket? The earlier you start searching, the sooner you will know the answer.
Some of you will pursue the direct specialization and work as translators, interpreters or language
teachers. Others will plunge into a neighboring sphere and will carve out a career in the tourist
business, management etc. Whatever sphere you choose, it should be your cup of tea, not just
means to earn your living or beguile eight hours of your day. I call upon you to assume an active
attitude to you career, and investigate the possible fields of interest right now, while you still have
time to be mistaken and opportunity to work part-time. Two years is the term long enough to
understand what you actually expect from your job and find at least the direction of your path. You
will know the practical advantages of a definite job – and its drawbacks as well. The more you do
now, the less confusion you’ll feel when the university door is flung open and you are welcome to
go – but where? Even small working experience will help you to answer this question and find
your true self by becoming a skilled professional.
According to my deepest conviction, happy person is the person who always brings his own
sunshine, wherever he goes and whatever the weather (3). Hope to see these sparks in you in two
years by the time of your graduation.
CARABLE, JENICA MARIE

PERSUASIVE SPEECH
GLOBAL WARMING IS REAL/NOT REAL

Global warming has become a household term. You may believe that it is real or you may have
doubts. In both cases you will be victimized by the myth of a melting, expanding heat-breathing
monster mocking at you from inside the ozone hole in the dense smog of greenhouse gases. You
put on a mask to take a breath of oxygen and keep indoors not to be air polluted. You are sweating
because of your green principle not to switch on an air conditioner during the heatwave. Your head
is stuck with global warming horrors of Steven King’s kind. We used to talk about weather to fill
in gaps in our conversations. Now, we get used to talking about global warming. I have read the
reports on global warming that leave no doubt: yes, global warming exists; yes, global warming is
accelerating; yes, temperatures rise, so you may spend less on warm clothes; yes, it is globally
inevitable. I trust all this because I am a consumer of this information which may be truthful or
may be something else.

Global warming may not be real. It is the product of research institutions that are interested in huge
investments. What is called global warming is, in fact, our inability to listen to the nature that
negatively responds to our careless intrusion and exploitation. Have you ever connected snow in
Africa, like last summer’s exotic experience, with global warming? It is not known how much of
global warming is produced by industrial practices and how much of it is natural.

They say it is cost-effective to fight against global warming now, within a framework of a cap-
and-trade system, pioneering a new carbon economy, in order to reduce heat-trapping emissions.
Their voices in the wilderness frighten us with the predictions of Cassandra’s type: the retreat of
glaciers is dramatic, and the homes of up to 88 million people may have been flooded by the 2080s.
It may be so, but we are adapting to cool summers and warmer winters, as well as we are adapting
to technological advances. When one problem becomes of general concern, something else is
missing. What about wastes, environmentally abusive profiteering, current global economic and
financial crises? Isn’t “global warming” our inability to unite our efforts, to learn how to live
globally in peace with our own selves and our natural surroundings? What happened to our
dichotomous thinking that celebrates the extremes, all these “either … or”, instead of arriving at
one global strategy, global cooperation?

They say that global warming is caused by higher concentration of water vapor in the atmosphere.
Today’s CO2 levels are 25 percent more than over the past 650, 000 years. So CO2 emissions must
be reduced. But we used to have periods of higher average temperatures. Besides, these emissions
nay stimulate crop growth. What is more, it is reported that the Arctic is warming 2 or 3 times
faster than other ecosystems. The ice in Greenland is disappearing. But another trend, expanding
glaciers in Norway, Iceland, and New Zealand are simply underestimated.

I have to live with the concept of global warming, which is thrust on me. I consider buying a new
set of clothes, for I am not sure whether the coming summer would not surprise me with unusually
cool mornings. I am changing together with my thoughts adapting to our global inability to change
without declaring. Are we not living in the time of change?

Conclusion: I do not think in terms whether global warming is real or unreal. I am living in realities
of today, dreaming of safety and cooperation with nature that would survive and adapt, while
myself may lose the game.
SUAREZ, ROSE MARIE

PERSUASIVE SPEECH
VIDEO GAMES DO/DO NOT PROMOTE VIOLENCE

I am not a video game addict but many of my acquaintances are. I am not a video game fan simply
because I am not good as others at playing with the same enthusiasm and commitment. My
acquaintances like playing video games because it helps them relax and feel as if they were kids
again. Their children also play video games developed specifically for their age group. Video
games develop reaction, problem-solving abilities, attention, and concentration. None of my
acquaintances has ever committed a violent act. Video game exists in its virtual space, which does
not make claims on real life. Video games get the brunt of the criticism. Our government is anti-
video game. Yet, market forces can be the only regulatory mechanisms of violence in video games.
Only two or three of the top best-selling video games are violent.

Video games have no violent impact on a video gamer. Younger players may be vulnerable to the
violent game content when the play video games that are not suitable for their age. Although first
person shooter violence is common to video games, it is not likely to promote aggressive
behavioral models. Kids play with toy soldiers but nobody thinks that this teaches them violence.

Video games cannot be considered violent in relation to age, gender, socio-cultural belonging, and
educational level. The reaction to the game’s content depends on the individual’s personal traits.
Girls do not react with greater arousal to violent content than boys. At least, no research has found
any significant difference.

It is unlikely that performing violent actions during the play may cause aggression in kids.
Although Grand Theft Auto 3 was banned in Australia because of its graphic violence, it does not
mean that it could have influenced the increase in crime rates. The problem is that minors often
have uncontrolled access to adult games with violent content. Boys aged 7-12 like “action
adventure”. They develop “killing instinct” only in virtual games but also in the games they play
outdoors. Nevertheless, children’s exposure to violent content targeted at mature video gamers
should be restricted by their parents and caregivers.

I am defending video gaming on behalf of long-time gamers whose hobby has not turned them
into psycho-terminators. Video gamers live in their own world of established video game rules,
and they wish they could play safely without being disturbed. We’re in the habit of regulating our
most innocent activities.
MILLENA, LAYRA

PERSUASIVE SPEECH
LOVE IS MORE POWERFUL THAN HATE

Love and hate are the strongest opposites in our dichotomous thinking. Why then unhappy love
often turns into deep hate and ruined relationships? A person in love loves everyone. This
overwhelmingly positive feeling can change the world dramatically. A person in hate is an
enormous destructive force, that creates an abyss of violence and desperation.

Have you ever experienced real light of love and real darkness of hate?

Love may be more powerful than hate because, as the song goes, love can lead to hate, whereas
hate would never, even metaphorically, produce love. Love is more powerful because it gives birth
to new positive challenges. Love changes a person, enriches the world, extends the horizons,
enhances opportunities, brightens friendships, and deepens emotions. A person in love has a
specific aura, a peculiar kind of energy that is given off, scattered in all directions, like the light of
the myriads of stars, sliding through ages, celebrating Juliet, Laura, Natasha, Ophelia, Desdemona,
all those love stories, powerful in their complexity of feelings and emotions, all about eternal love.

But love can fade. It simply disappears, vanishes. So powerful to disappear, or love never goes
away. Love’s components are intimacy, passion, and commitment, with all their variations.
Consummate love that balances them all is rare. If Romeo and Juliet had lived longer, would they
have loved each other with the same intimacy, passion, and commitment? I have doubts. Love is
powerful because it can transform. It is, in fact, a transforming process of evolving relationships,
in which intimacy remains stable.

Who ever lived to hate? Love is powerful because it drives, navigates, directs, and makes our
existence meaningful. Hate invites loneliness, whereas love denies it. Hate ruins personality,
whereas love opens it up. Hate results in acts of violence, whereas love leads to amazing acts of
kindness. Hate destroys, whereas love creates. Hate is war, whereas love is peace.

It is impossible “to love to hate”. It is always “love” that gives birth to “love”. That’s why love is
more powerful than hate.

Discover your powers. Discover love in yourselves. Be sure you’re more powerful to love than to
hate. Keep love inside, and all will be always fine.
ESPIRIDA, BERNADETTE

PERSUASIVE SPEECH
USING CELL PHONES WHILE DRIVING IS DANGEROUS

Cell phones are troublesome while driving. When a driver keeps talking or listening to music he
or is not supposed to focus off the road. A cell phone makes a great difference. It is not forbidden
to talk to a passenger but it is not recommended to talk to an invisible cell phone communicator.
The use of cell phones is the most common distraction, but the use of a hand-held cell phone
increases the risk by 1.3 times, which is less than reaching for items on the seat or in the glove
compartment. New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, California, Washington State, Utah, and
Washington, D.C. prohibit drivers from using hand-held cell phones, irrespective of weather
conditions: at all times, not only on wet and icy roads when a driver decides on dialing or text
messaging. According to recent research, a driver talking over a cell phone is four times more
endangered to collide with another vehicle than a driver who does not use a cell phone while
driving. Cell phone distraction causes 2600 deaths in the United States annually.

Drivers may be allowed to use cell phones in traffic jams but they must be fined if they use a cell
phone while driving at moderate or high speeds, at crossroads, and on twisting and turning roads.
Can you do without using your cell phone while driving? The use of cell phones may result in a
driver’s slower reaction while breaking or regaining speed. It may cause accidents but it may be a
coincidence with some other action. So, the use of cell phone is not desirable because it involves
a driver in a multi-task activity while driving.

Young drivers are banned or restricted from using cell phones in 18 American states. In California,
young drivers will be ticketed for using any mobile device. I do not know how a young driver will
write a term paper on a laptop computer while driving but it is banned as well as a cell phone while
driving.

Although cell phones may cause problems, no research is available to point to the rise in deaths
cause by the use of cell phones while driving. A cell phone, like any mobile device, simple makes
a list of possible causes of accidents longer. But safety is safety, so while driving people should be
obedient to publicly accepted behavior. A driver may use a cell phone when he or she stops the
car. But in foggy weather or on wet and icy roads this driver may be injured by another moving
vehicle that will not expect it there.

Cell phones are life-threatening means of communication while driving. To be on the safe side, it
would be fine to ban the use of cell phones while driving.
CAMASIS, CRIZEL JOY

ENTERTAINEMNT SPEECH

THE WORST JOKE I’VE EVER HEARD

Anyone who knows me knows that I am not the kind of guy to really speak my mind…unless I am
truly compelled to. It isn’t that my views are all that different or that I care about what others think.
It may be because what seems to be right in my head may be too much common sense for the
world we live in. Simple will always be better for me and in that respect society and our
government have passed me by. With that said I am not an economist and politics aren’t my strong
suit. Now on with the blog. As I have mentioned before I live in Suburbia, USA. It is a great
neighborhood and everyone gets along just fine. We watch after each other’s homes when someone
goes out of town, we mow each other’s yards when someone can’t get to it and so on. We feel safe
and it is a wonderful place to raise a family. As I have also mentioned, I am the only neighbor for
miles around with a corn field (I use the term field loosely as it is 1/100 of an acre of sweet corn
and green beans). Everyone knows what I do for a living and they are very curious about Ohio
agriculture and they ask some great questions that I am more than happy to answer. My neighbors
are your everyday average consumer so the more questions the better. We recently had a
neighborhood gathering and agriculture happened to be a part of the conversation again as local
TV stations have talked a bit about the very wet spring and the late finish to the planting season.
During the conversation my neighbor asked me if I knew why a farmer’s hat bill was rounded. I
am always up for a good joke so I asked for the punch line and he said it was so they wouldn’t
knock their hat off when they looked into the mailbox for their government check. I didn’t laugh.
I didn’t even smile. Especially after the rough months that Ohio producers have just experienced.
I am not for big government, but I do believe that when the government helps individuals and
companies, it is because as a country as a whole, we would be a lot worse off if the number of lost
businesses, defaulted home loans and bankruptcies kept growing. There is a reason for bailouts,
unemployment checks and food stamps. I am not afraid to admit that I had to ask the government
for help a few years back when I lost a job. Unemployment was the hardest thing for this proud
man to take, but if it weren’t for that government check I certainly would not still be the owner of
a house. I think me continuing to make my monthly payments on this house, instead of just walking
away from it, is better for my community, township, county, state and national government. There
is a reason for farm subsidies and crop insurance as well. If it weren’t for that bit of help from
Uncle Sam, there certainly wouldn’t be as many farmers in business and that would hurt from a
local standpoint and a global one as well.
There is a reason that a farmer’s bill is rounded, it is to block out the Sun as he or she puts in an
18-hour day. The only thing a farmer may need if he has a government check coming is a good
pair of boots because it is a long walk to the mailbox. I can tell you that from experience.
CARABLE, JENICA MARIE

ENTERTAINMENT SPEECH

LIFE'S NOT FAIR

Let me guess, the world’s not fair and it’s against you, Go on then, give up like you always do,
mope around feeling sorry for yourself, What’s the matter? Can’t handle the truth? Would you like
me to sugar coat it for you? Tell you that everything’s going to be fine and come up with some
easy excuse. Well I’m not going to do that, cos life’s not easy and you’re not a fool. You keep
acting like the victim all the time. Constantly saying how things aren’t going your way when, the
choice has always been right there in front of you, you’ve got the tools, A working brain, a
functioning body. So get a grip and stop acting like you haven’t got a clue. Yes, “Life’s not fair”,
and things aren’t always going to go your way, tell me something new. I hate to break it to ya, but
the world isn’t gonna be laid out nicely in front of you. Every time things don’t go right, are you
just going to sit around and wonder why? stay up late and cry yourself to sleep every night? Is that
really how you want to live your life? Just become bitter and miserable, don’t you ever get tired?
Tired of feeling so damn sorry for yourself when are you going to get it? the world doesn’t owe
you anything, it never has, so you need to get over this whole negative phase and leave all of that
stuff in the past. The biggest mistake is believing that you don’t have control over your life, That
it’s not a choice, when that couldn’t be further from the truth, If you want something, you need to
chase it, The only person who can determine your success in life, is you. You don’t like your job?
quit, don’t see an opportunity? create one, Things aren’t going to be handed to you on a plate you
need to work hard for your craft, you need to keep going until you get it done. What you’re gonna
learn is, life is complex, you’re gonna fail and get rejected time and time again, If it was easy,
everyone would’ve won. Is it going to be hard? Are you going to struggle? Absolutely. But don’t
let that stop you from fighting for what could be a fantastic opportunity, You’re fighting for the
chance to be who you really want, and that freedom right there, is worth any amount of money. So
stop saying you’re going to do something and actually do it. at the end of the day, something worth
having never comes easy. You can’t keep playing the victim card your whole life. Cos next thing
you know it’ll all pass by in a blink of an eye, you’re sitting there in your death bed - wondering
why you’ve stopped yourself from doing so many things in life. There will be times where you’re
gonna be stuck in jobs you hate be around people you don’t like that’s life. and I’d be doing you
an injustice to tell you otherwise, it’s not always gonna be sunshine and butterflies, it’s gonna be
hard work, determination and in most cases, sacrifice. but what you need to do is decide whether
you’re gonna fight for what’s right. Trust me I get it, The world can at times seem intimidating
and scary, but it can also be incredibly wonderful - if you just let it be.
SUAREZ, ROSE MARIE

ENTERTAINMENT SPEECH

HOW TO LOVE A GIRL LIKE ME

Don’t try to look up the manual. I can tell you there is no step-by-step procedure. No magic formula
to bring me to my knees. No concoction of words that can render this poet speechless. Trust me, I
have heard it all. I have seen enough to know the difference between love and lust. I have learned
what happens when I choose to ignore my gut, so do not convince me I am broken just so you can
pick up the pieces. I picked them up a long time ago, and yes, I’m still glueing myself along the
way. But this mosaic I’ve become is so much more beautiful than anything I ever was before.
Before the shattering, Before the cracked glass, Before this newfound vitality. I will never expect
flowers. Instead, give me something that will not die. Give me something that will only continue
to grow, to change, to wilt at times, but rebirth in spring. Love me the way Frank Sinatra sings.
Love me the way little kids run, so free, so unafraid of looking foolish. Love me with your ears
and realize I’m going to talk far too much. No seriously, I’m going to talk a lot. Drown me out
when it gets to be too much, but never let the water get too cold. Love me like the ocean, not deeply
or endless or something else vaguely romantic and far too cliche, Love me like those weird
creatures in the dark parts of the water, the ones that are a little fucked up with crooked teeth, the
loners. Love me like the spaces in between words that were never said. Love me in a way you
never have to explain. Love me like no one has ever caused you to spit out your own name in
disgust, Like you were never worthy, Like you were the one with a problem, Love me like I know
we are both problems. Love me like who the fuck gets to decide what’s a problem and what’s a
solution anyway. Love me like you told your kindergarten crush you were going to love them.
Love me like it’s really not that complicated in the end. The way to love a girl like me, quite
frankly, does not even need to be written down. Love me like you have always known how.
MILLENA, LAYRA

ENTERTAINMENT SPEECH

LOVE AGAIN

Sometimes I wish love worked like the movies, The ones where our eyes meet from across
the room, The ones with orchestras and roses, The ones where I’m not afraid to meet your parents.
And I want to love like the first time our hands touched or or, Love like the first time we talked on
the phone Where I was confident enough to make you smile and picture what it looked like from
miles away. I want to love like it’s one in the moring, the no sleep and not afraid to say what I’m
really feeling type love, The I love your brown eyes and the thought of not being next to you is
making me sick type love. I want to love like let me sing you to sleep on our skype calls, Like I
have confidence type love. I want to love like missing a second will leave me breathless, Like your
touch brings me to life type love. And I, I want to love like I have something left to give, Like I
have that irresistible I want more type love. I want that sitting on the phone for hours and then
getting to wake up next to you type love. Love like it was the first time again, Like I was 14 again
saying damn at the dinner table in front of your catholic mother, Like the more you spoke the more
I realized life had to offer, The I’m gonna sit down and write poetry type love the get lost in my
words, stumble and fall for you again type love The I “forgot” what you look send another picture
type love, The let’s just say our feelings and forget that we have problems type love, But sometimes
love doesn’t like to last forever. Love will write about you bookmark it in her journal read it to her
new boyfriend and still like to ask you out when she gets lonely. Love will collect new memories,
get tired and forget what they look like. So I want to love like there’s an ending to this song, Like
I have a reason to keep dancing. Even though loves records like to crack. And when love tells you
to flip over, try again, Remember that this is just love reminding you that it’s worth starting over
again, and again, and again, and again till you find the right type of love. So when I want to love
again, I want to love like this time it’ll last forever. Like did I forget to mention these scars type
love, The I forgot before but for some reason found again type love, The love that makes me think
this love, This love could've come straight from the movies
ESPIRIDA, BERNADETTE

ENTERTAINMENT SPEECH
DEPRESSION

Empty. Alone. Ashamed. Broken. I am so broken. This monster inside me eats at me every day,
feeding on all the life left in me, and no matter what I do, I can't seem to make it stop. This war
inside me is raging, and it's driving me crazy, and I'm exhausted. I'm tired. So very tired.

They say happiness is a choice. It's not that simple. Do they think I chose to be this way? Every
day is another battle that I can't win, every breath is so painful that I just want to give up and give
in. Every time my anxiety creeps up on me, and I fall down to the ground in defeat, unable to get
back to my feet, I become crippled. Every... single... day... is a struggle to stay alive, to take one
more breath. You can't win. Being categorized into the "mentally sick" group is one of the worst
feeling you can ever have, and that's what it's like every day. Would anyone choose that? I don't
think so.

And no matter what I say, I am not okay. I might never be "okay". I might never be the same way
I was before, and it's scary.Have yo ever gotten that question- "Are you afraid of dying?" I have.
And every time I get asked that I answer them no- I'm afraid of what life has become in my eyes,
and every day is a struggle. I'm afraid that I'll never get to see the old me again. So no, I'm not
afraid of dying, but instead of living. But I tell them if there is one thing I know for sure, it's that
I'm gonna keep fighting. I will never stop fighting for my life because I know that there are things
in life worth fighting for.

I feel like what's left of my life is a win-at-all-costs mission. It doesn't matter what or how much I
loose during the battle because ultimately, when I make it through- that's enough to be proud of.

Sometimes, I feel like everyone in my life has betrayed me, abandoned me, or given up on me. Of
course, this makes me feel alone, but in a strange way, at the same time, it makes me feel stronger.
Because I know that when- not if but when- I survive through this, I get to prove every single one
of them wrong. I get to show them, that they shouldn't have given up on me. And I get to see the
look on their face when they see that I made it through it.

So yes- living is really hard when you have depression and, to be honest, it's a lot like walking
through a dark, haunted, forest all alone. But what you can't see is that your family is at the other
side waiting for you with a warm blanket and a ride back home. You definitely think about giving
up more than once, but I know that I will fight with everything I have- even if all that I have is a
BB gun when I'm fighting against an army of tanks- I will fight with everything that I have to win
this fight, because you are something in my life I want to fight for.