The History of AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) starts in Africa where microbes of chimpanzees jump over our specie, probably the blame of AIDS virus, called HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus). According to Kevin Cahill, the first case of AIDS was in New York City in 1979. Since that day, the disease have killed around 28 million of people and nowadays is the number four cause of death worldwide (TIME). The most important focus of this disease in the world is found in Africa where 74%, about 3.1 million, of AIDS deaths last year were in this continent. Despite of, it is almost impossible to stop this huge epidemic, there are forms to prevent it such as: have a good information and knowledge of the disease, the ways to contagious and preventions, and the Scientifics researches.
First of all, knowledge about the disease is the first step to prevent it. AIDS is formed by a virus called HIV that paralyzes the defense of the human body against infections. Therefore, people lose their normal immunity against diseases, so they do not die of AIDS, they would die of normal diseases like fever. Government of different countries plays an important role too. They should inform citizens about this world epidemic. Furthermore, according to Green Edward, sexual activity among young people makes the infection bigger, so commercials and information in schools would decrease the risk of getting AIDS.
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Thanks for the great time!
This class helped me a lot to develop my way of thinking and arguing. I learned to view issues from different perspectives and that most issues are more complex and do not offer one easy solution. We discussed a lot of topics that really matter in the world and I learned so much about Memphis, Tennessee, the United States but also about the entire world history and especially politics. We did not talk about superficial topics and that made this class so interesting. Furthermore, I developed my speaking and oral arguing skills in our group discussions. I love the way we sit in our class because this grouping makes discussions and stating opinions much easier. In fact, we had a lot of interesting and heated discussions about controversial topics. Even tough there were so many girls and some gay guys in the class I felt so comfortable to talk with you guys about everything and argue. The fact that we had to write so much is probably normal in a English class but I am still very happy that I do not have to write a blog a day until the rest of my days *smile*. I want to thank everybody in this class for the great time. I hope that I see you guys in my next semesters in other classes. It was really fun!!!
Friday, April 11, 2008
Drugs
Nowadays, drugs are one of the most important focus points of governments in many countries. The drug trade makes a lot of illegal money and illegal traffic in most of European countries and North America. This is an important issue to explain what the different types of drugs are and what make drugs extremely dangerous.
First of all, drugs are all substances that introduced into a living organism can modify its functions, like changes in the physical or psychological aspect. Indeed, drugs are international because they exist in all countries; even though, all kinds of drugs are illegal in most of the countries. In fact, there is a great illegal traffic of drugs in the world. For instance, cocaine, heroine, and marijuana are the most know illegal drugs. Other kinds of drugs are: amphetamines, methamphetamines, ecstasies, crack, inhalants and steroids. Contrabandists make a lot of money with these products. They make cheap drugs in places like Africa (Morocco) or South America (Colombia, Venezuela or Paraguay). Afterwards, they mix them with medical products to increase the effects of the drugs, to have more material and, of course, earn more money. In other words, 1 gram of cocaine can cost a contrabandist $5, but they can sell it in Europe or North America for $30 and $50. Despite this, contrabandists have a lot of problems transport the merchandise across the boarders of developmental countries, since police are always trying to arrest them.
On the other hand, all drugs are not illegal. Alcohol, tobacco, some kind of medicines and inhalants can be bought by anybody legally. I thought about the issue drugs because two of our oponents that we played today got caught drunk driving. So my advice is, be smart about what you are doing!
First of all, drugs are all substances that introduced into a living organism can modify its functions, like changes in the physical or psychological aspect. Indeed, drugs are international because they exist in all countries; even though, all kinds of drugs are illegal in most of the countries. In fact, there is a great illegal traffic of drugs in the world. For instance, cocaine, heroine, and marijuana are the most know illegal drugs. Other kinds of drugs are: amphetamines, methamphetamines, ecstasies, crack, inhalants and steroids. Contrabandists make a lot of money with these products. They make cheap drugs in places like Africa (Morocco) or South America (Colombia, Venezuela or Paraguay). Afterwards, they mix them with medical products to increase the effects of the drugs, to have more material and, of course, earn more money. In other words, 1 gram of cocaine can cost a contrabandist $5, but they can sell it in Europe or North America for $30 and $50. Despite this, contrabandists have a lot of problems transport the merchandise across the boarders of developmental countries, since police are always trying to arrest them.
On the other hand, all drugs are not illegal. Alcohol, tobacco, some kind of medicines and inhalants can be bought by anybody legally. I thought about the issue drugs because two of our oponents that we played today got caught drunk driving. So my advice is, be smart about what you are doing!
Fast food in the US
What would America be without the existence of fast food? When foreigners look at America, they think about the big buildings, cars, malls, and most importantly, fast food. Although, the fast food industry is big in the nation, recent health problems have created a doubt in peoples minds. I believe that fast food restaurants are not a good place to eat, because doing so puts your health at risk. Yet many, if not most Americans, continue to eat fast food regularly. There are many factors contributing to this unhealthy trend, three of which have more effect than the others. These are convenience, affordability, and advertising.
In my opinion, nothing can beat home cooked food. However, not many people share the same point of view. There are 300,000 different fast food restaurants in the U.S. Franchises such as KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell have 32,000 restaurants around the world, 2000 more than the most important fast food franchise, Mc Donald's. According to Mc Donald's Corporation, they have around 30,000 restaurants in 119 countries. They are the number one franchise, since they have a great variety of products for people of all ages. The competency and the success of these types of restaurants have led to the fact that everybody in every town has access to fast food. All they have to do is choose which brand that they most like. The name “fast food” is a reference to the amount of time that you can save eating in one of these restaurants. People with no time prefer stopping over at fast food restaurant before eating at home. Many people in America commute to work, and prefer eating fast food rather than waiting until after a 2 or 3 hour drive to cook dinner. In my opinion, these restaurants are created for the American life style in which U.S. citizens need to save time. Since they are tailored to our needs, these restaurants have become very convenient.
In my opinion, nothing can beat home cooked food. However, not many people share the same point of view. There are 300,000 different fast food restaurants in the U.S. Franchises such as KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell have 32,000 restaurants around the world, 2000 more than the most important fast food franchise, Mc Donald's. According to Mc Donald's Corporation, they have around 30,000 restaurants in 119 countries. They are the number one franchise, since they have a great variety of products for people of all ages. The competency and the success of these types of restaurants have led to the fact that everybody in every town has access to fast food. All they have to do is choose which brand that they most like. The name “fast food” is a reference to the amount of time that you can save eating in one of these restaurants. People with no time prefer stopping over at fast food restaurant before eating at home. Many people in America commute to work, and prefer eating fast food rather than waiting until after a 2 or 3 hour drive to cook dinner. In my opinion, these restaurants are created for the American life style in which U.S. citizens need to save time. Since they are tailored to our needs, these restaurants have become very convenient.
Bill Cosby speaking!
Cosby is so right when he says that African-Americans should not care about the stuff that some white people say. There are some stupid white guys, there are some stupid black guys and there are some stupid yellow guys – every race, religion and heritage has smart, dumn, big, small, nice and unfriendly people. So do not be harmed by what other people say about you. Stay calm and do not let them provoke you. That is what they want. I also think, just like Cosby, that racism is still present in America. Just look what kind of people work at this really low paid jobs. There are no white people at restrooms handing you the toilet. There is still so much segregation. Look at our campus, for instance, in the tiger den, the black people sit in one part and the white people sit in another part. White people have white friends and black people have black friends.
If Barack Obama would become president that would be another major step, if not even the biggest step in the history, for the rights of African Americans. He would have the power to change something. To give his people better jobs, more money, so they can afford to pay their bills, send their children to college and so on and so force. These children would get educated and get good jobs, be able to pay for everything and send their children to colleges. That would really make a difference in this country!
If Barack Obama would become president that would be another major step, if not even the biggest step in the history, for the rights of African Americans. He would have the power to change something. To give his people better jobs, more money, so they can afford to pay their bills, send their children to college and so on and so force. These children would get educated and get good jobs, be able to pay for everything and send their children to colleges. That would really make a difference in this country!
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Memphis Tennis vs. Soutern Miss
Last Saturday, the Tennis team played in Southern Miss. Last year we lost against them so we were so fired up to beat them. We took the lead in doubles and won two out of three doubles. One of these doubles had two match points against them but came back and won finally. So in the score count we were up 1:0 because all three doubles just count as one point, whoever wins at least two out of three doubles gets one point. After a ten minute break we started with singles. Our number one player played awesome and chopped his opponent in 90 minutes, 2:0 Memphis. Then our number 2 player lost in straight sets. After that we won the number 6 singles but lost number 3 and 5 so the overall score was 3:3. Everything came down to my court. The crowed was yelling against me, swearing and trying to distract me. Everybody cheered against me. I was under the highest pressure in the whole season. I played the number 4 single. I won the first set 6:4 but lost the second set with 4:6. In the third set a tiebreaker had to decide who will win. I was 1:5 down in the tiebreaker but fought back. Eventually, after 3 and half hours of pure battle I defeated my opponent with 8:6 in the tiebreaker. My teammates ran on my court and we celebrated our most important victory of the season because it was our first win in a conference match!
Memphis lost
Memphis lost. Our Basketball team lost in the NCAA final tonight. I still cannot realize what just happened. We played the best season that a in the history of NCAA, we won 35 games and lost 2! I thought that nobody could stop us and everything looked like that we would win the final, too.
I watched the final together with the entire men’s and women’s tennis team at the house of my coaches’ wife parent’s house. It was a great atmosphere; we were cheering and yelling so loud. It nearly felt like we were sitting in the stadium. Everybody was so happy when we took the lead in the second half and dominated Kansas. Everybody was so excited and we already started to celebrate the victory when we were up with 7 points and just 1 minute to go. It was too early. When Memphis led with 63 to 60 and 12 seconds to go, Kansas made an unbelievable 3 pointer and made it to the overtime. Nobody thought that they would come back but they eventually did and then dominated the last five minutes of the game. When the referees blew the final whistle we remained in sad silence. I felt so frustrated to be so close to the biggest victory in school history. We still lost. Memphis lost, unbelievable! After the best season a college Basketball team ever played!
I watched the final together with the entire men’s and women’s tennis team at the house of my coaches’ wife parent’s house. It was a great atmosphere; we were cheering and yelling so loud. It nearly felt like we were sitting in the stadium. Everybody was so happy when we took the lead in the second half and dominated Kansas. Everybody was so excited and we already started to celebrate the victory when we were up with 7 points and just 1 minute to go. It was too early. When Memphis led with 63 to 60 and 12 seconds to go, Kansas made an unbelievable 3 pointer and made it to the overtime. Nobody thought that they would come back but they eventually did and then dominated the last five minutes of the game. When the referees blew the final whistle we remained in sad silence. I felt so frustrated to be so close to the biggest victory in school history. We still lost. Memphis lost, unbelievable! After the best season a college Basketball team ever played!
Thursday, April 3, 2008
This is the real "race" discussion
Oh, I mixed a blog up. this is the big race discussion blog *sorry*!
In my view, race is one of the most important issues in the United States because America is the most diverse country in the world. In the US, there are so many different ethnicities and races living together so most people who live here have to deal with this issue. “Race” is a subject which everybody has in his head and uses every day with stereotypes but nobody says honestly what he or she thinks about this issue. American’s are afraid to talk about this topic. Why is that, Americans should be able to talk easier than any other citizen from a different country because they have to deal with this issue than any other nation. In fact, most Americans avoid this topic and even fear it because of the history of the country. People are always concerned what other people might think, especially about “race.” When people express their opinions related to different race’s, they always fear that other people think that one is a racist or that one does not stick to his routs. So it does not matter how one deals with this topic and what opinion one has, it can always be misinterpret. From my point of view, the main problem is that people are too much concerned that they lose their “good reputation” and that they do not want to hurt anybody but this does not break down the walls of “race” separation.
In my view, race is one of the most important issues in the United States because America is the most diverse country in the world. In the US, there are so many different ethnicities and races living together so most people who live here have to deal with this issue. “Race” is a subject which everybody has in his head and uses every day with stereotypes but nobody says honestly what he or she thinks about this issue. American’s are afraid to talk about this topic. Why is that, Americans should be able to talk easier than any other citizen from a different country because they have to deal with this issue than any other nation. In fact, most Americans avoid this topic and even fear it because of the history of the country. People are always concerned what other people might think, especially about “race.” When people express their opinions related to different race’s, they always fear that other people think that one is a racist or that one does not stick to his routs. So it does not matter how one deals with this topic and what opinion one has, it can always be misinterpret. From my point of view, the main problem is that people are too much concerned that they lose their “good reputation” and that they do not want to hurt anybody but this does not break down the walls of “race” separation.
The big "Race" discussion
Homework Continued…
Later on, Ralph Waldo Emerson used the phrase “shot heard ‘round the world” in his poems to refer to the American Revolutionary War. Since that time, the term was used to describe dramatic moments in history (such as in Thompson’s case to the Korean War).
Questions:
What did cause you to write about this historic moment in baseball history?
Why did you describe the game and especially the hit by Thompson so detailed?
What makes this happening still so important even today, in your view?
Christine Kenneally:
Terms:
Nonfiction is a genre in literature which was establish in the form of a novel by Truman Capote’s “In Cold Blood” in 1965. This genre represents real events and these events are connected with techniques used in fiction. Capote said that nonfiction should not include any first-person narrations. Other authors such as Hunter S. Thompson, Norman Mailer and Tom Wolfe followed Capote’s example.
Questions:
Was it always easy for you to write about such a heavy topic?
Why did you start writing about this topic? Why did you pick this topic for an essay?
How emotionally have you been involved in this story?
Later on, Ralph Waldo Emerson used the phrase “shot heard ‘round the world” in his poems to refer to the American Revolutionary War. Since that time, the term was used to describe dramatic moments in history (such as in Thompson’s case to the Korean War).
Questions:
What did cause you to write about this historic moment in baseball history?
Why did you describe the game and especially the hit by Thompson so detailed?
What makes this happening still so important even today, in your view?
Christine Kenneally:
Terms:
Nonfiction is a genre in literature which was establish in the form of a novel by Truman Capote’s “In Cold Blood” in 1965. This genre represents real events and these events are connected with techniques used in fiction. Capote said that nonfiction should not include any first-person narrations. Other authors such as Hunter S. Thompson, Norman Mailer and Tom Wolfe followed Capote’s example.
Questions:
Was it always easy for you to write about such a heavy topic?
Why did you start writing about this topic? Why did you pick this topic for an essay?
How emotionally have you been involved in this story?
Homework, part 3
Homework Continued…
Later on, Ralph Waldo Emerson used the phrase “shot heard ‘round the world” in his poems to refer to the American Revolutionary War. Since that time, the term was used to describe dramatic moments in history (such as in Thompson’s case to the Korean War).
Questions:
What did cause you to write about this historic moment in baseball history?
Why did you describe the game and especially the hit by Thompson so detailed?
What makes this happening still so important even today, in your view?
Christine Kenneally:
Terms:
Nonfiction is a genre in literature which was establish in the form of a novel by Truman Capote’s “In Cold Blood” in 1965. This genre represents real events and these events are connected with techniques used in fiction. Capote said that nonfiction should not include any first-person narrations. Other authors such as Hunter S. Thompson, Norman Mailer and Tom Wolfe followed Capote’s example.
Questions:
Was it always easy for you to write about such a heavy topic?
Why did you start writing about this topic? Why did you pick this topic for an essay?
How emotionally have you been involved in this story?
Later on, Ralph Waldo Emerson used the phrase “shot heard ‘round the world” in his poems to refer to the American Revolutionary War. Since that time, the term was used to describe dramatic moments in history (such as in Thompson’s case to the Korean War).
Questions:
What did cause you to write about this historic moment in baseball history?
Why did you describe the game and especially the hit by Thompson so detailed?
What makes this happening still so important even today, in your view?
Christine Kenneally:
Terms:
Nonfiction is a genre in literature which was establish in the form of a novel by Truman Capote’s “In Cold Blood” in 1965. This genre represents real events and these events are connected with techniques used in fiction. Capote said that nonfiction should not include any first-person narrations. Other authors such as Hunter S. Thompson, Norman Mailer and Tom Wolfe followed Capote’s example.
Questions:
Was it always easy for you to write about such a heavy topic?
Why did you start writing about this topic? Why did you pick this topic for an essay?
How emotionally have you been involved in this story?
Homework, part 2
The homework is continued …
Détente (French for relaxing or easing) – this term has been used since the early 70s in international politics. It describes a situation where “previously hostile nations not involved in involved in an open war de-escalate tensions through diplomacy and confidence-building measures.” Mostly, Détente was used to describe the politics and reduce the tension between the U.S. and the Soviet Union during the cold war (1945-1989, especially: 1960-80s).
Abu Ghraib – was the place in Iraq where former ruler Saddam Hussein killed and incarcerated political dissidents. During the Iraq war, Abu Ghraib became a prison for the American forces after Hussein’s fall. The U.S. military was accused of using Abu Ghraib to torture and abuse the prisoners.
Questions:
How do you get all these resources?
How long does it take you to research an essay like “Operation Desert Fraud”?
Did your articles and work ever seriously endanger your life?
Joshua Prager
Terms:
In baseball, the term “Shot heard ‘round the world” describes the home run hit by Bobby Thomson (outfielder for the New York Giants) which was pitched by Ralph Branca. In 1951, the giants won the national league pennant because of this hit, and a reporter described this happening as “the giants win the pennant.”
To be continued…
Détente (French for relaxing or easing) – this term has been used since the early 70s in international politics. It describes a situation where “previously hostile nations not involved in involved in an open war de-escalate tensions through diplomacy and confidence-building measures.” Mostly, Détente was used to describe the politics and reduce the tension between the U.S. and the Soviet Union during the cold war (1945-1989, especially: 1960-80s).
Abu Ghraib – was the place in Iraq where former ruler Saddam Hussein killed and incarcerated political dissidents. During the Iraq war, Abu Ghraib became a prison for the American forces after Hussein’s fall. The U.S. military was accused of using Abu Ghraib to torture and abuse the prisoners.
Questions:
How do you get all these resources?
How long does it take you to research an essay like “Operation Desert Fraud”?
Did your articles and work ever seriously endanger your life?
Joshua Prager
Terms:
In baseball, the term “Shot heard ‘round the world” describes the home run hit by Bobby Thomson (outfielder for the New York Giants) which was pitched by Ralph Branca. In 1951, the giants won the national league pennant because of this hit, and a reporter described this happening as “the giants win the pennant.”
To be continued…
Homework, part 1
This was my homework for last week and Wendy said that we could use it for our blogs. So please enjoy what I researched on these topics.
Stacy Sullivan:
Terms:
Slobodan Milosevic – a Yugoslavian-Serbian politician. He was the president from 1989-1997 of the communist Serbian party and of Serbia, and from 1997- October 2000 he was president of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.
Bosnian-Herzegovina – Yugoslavia became Bosnian-Herzegovina in 1992. B.-H. is divided in three parts: the federation Bosnia and Herzegovina, the republic Srpska and the Brcko-district.
Ethnic Cleansing – this term describes different military policies or military practices which are created to produce security. This theory displaces an ethnic group from a place threatened by war between two enemy ethnic groups. The term was derived from the civil war in the former Yugoslavia and was established in the early 90s in the English and international media.
The Hague – the home of the court of international affairs and the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.
George Soros – was born in Budapest, Hungary and is an investor, speculator, and political activist.
To be continued…
Stacy Sullivan:
Terms:
Slobodan Milosevic – a Yugoslavian-Serbian politician. He was the president from 1989-1997 of the communist Serbian party and of Serbia, and from 1997- October 2000 he was president of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.
Bosnian-Herzegovina – Yugoslavia became Bosnian-Herzegovina in 1992. B.-H. is divided in three parts: the federation Bosnia and Herzegovina, the republic Srpska and the Brcko-district.
Ethnic Cleansing – this term describes different military policies or military practices which are created to produce security. This theory displaces an ethnic group from a place threatened by war between two enemy ethnic groups. The term was derived from the civil war in the former Yugoslavia and was established in the early 90s in the English and international media.
The Hague – the home of the court of international affairs and the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.
George Soros – was born in Budapest, Hungary and is an investor, speculator, and political activist.
To be continued…
The Zoo
Last Sunday my girlfriend and I went to the Memphis Zoo – and we loved it. It was so much fun to see all the animals. They have every kind of animals over there. And I could impress my girlfriend by telling her everything I know about the animals – when I was a little kid I like animals so much. I had a whole lot of books about them and I learned everything that was in there by heart so I could tell everybody. Obviously even today I still remember most of the facts. What I thought was really impressing were all the donations people gave for the zoo. In Germany the Zoos may get some donations, but you cannot compare it to the huge amount of money the Memphis Zoo got. Another thing I liked about the Zoo was the different areas that were created. On the one hand the Antarctic with all its sealions… and on the other hand Africa with all its typical animals. This must be great for kids. One thing I do not really like about zoos is the little cages the animals are kept in. You cannot compare those little cages to the huge landscape the animals would live in if they were not captured… I always think that is really sad. On the other hand some kinds of animals would not even exist anymore if they would grow up in nature.
Friday, March 21, 2008
On Monday my girlfriend and I went to the reading of the River City Writers Series. Wendy told us about. It was such a good idea to go there. I really liked it and it was even kind of entertainment for my girlfriend, while she is here going to university and practice with me all day.
The reading of Mr. Floyd Skloot was really touching I thought. The author exposed a whole lot of personal information about him. We know he lost his father when he was far too young. His brother died and his Mom got dementia. To deal with a fate like this must be so hard. To talk about things like that cannot be easily done. Floyd also did a good job on presenting his situation. He did not seem to want compassion. What he wanted was to inform people about his life so that they can understand his writing. The non-fictional part he read was the best, I thought. The fictional part was interesting, as well. He wrote it because he could create an existence at least in his books. I never thought about this issue in that way, but in his situation it comes to your mind easily. I would not want to have missed the reading.
My girlfriend and me decided to go to the next reading on Monday, as well.
The reading of Mr. Floyd Skloot was really touching I thought. The author exposed a whole lot of personal information about him. We know he lost his father when he was far too young. His brother died and his Mom got dementia. To deal with a fate like this must be so hard. To talk about things like that cannot be easily done. Floyd also did a good job on presenting his situation. He did not seem to want compassion. What he wanted was to inform people about his life so that they can understand his writing. The non-fictional part he read was the best, I thought. The fictional part was interesting, as well. He wrote it because he could create an existence at least in his books. I never thought about this issue in that way, but in his situation it comes to your mind easily. I would not want to have missed the reading.
My girlfriend and me decided to go to the next reading on Monday, as well.
After my girlfriend and I spent a music day on Saturday, Sunday was becoming an Elvis day. We went to Graceland. And it was so much fun to go there. We got there and bought the tickets. We had to wait for about and hour for our tour to get started. But that was not a problem at all. There were so many other things to see except Elvis’ house we would see on the tour later on. First of all we went to Elvis’ own airplane. It was not a regular airplane as you can imagine. It had two really pretty bathrooms in it, a sleeping room, one room where you could eat and anther which was used as a living room. We got to know that Elvis once flew to some other state with his daughter Lisa-Marie, because she had never seen snow before. So they flew there, she played in the snow for half an hour and they flew back. After we saw the plane we went to see his cars. His cars were just awesome. The Cadillacs were the best. He had a purple and a pink one. The pink one was just like the ones you see in the movies all the time. I will tell you about Elvis’ house next time.
On Saturday my girlfriend and I decided to make a music day. We went to the Sun Studio. That is the recording studio where Elvis recorded his first record. He went there and only the secretary was there. So he told her he wanted to record a song for his mother’s birthday. She led him record it and that is how Elvis was discovered. He entered into a contract for three years. The contract actually did not last for that time. It ended after a few records. After that Elvis got sold to another recording studio for 30,000 $. It sounds like much money but if you think about how much money Elvis made with all his records it is not that much any more. After Elvis had recorded in the Sun Studio many other famous singers and bands started to record there. One of them was Johnny Cash. Did you know that the Sun Studio is still used? Bands like Maroon 5 and Matchbox 20 recorded there. I was wondering about that because the studio is really small. It basically has one room for the band to play and one for the man who records it. In front of that room one finds some kind of an office for the secretary. That was basically it. Isn’t that amazing?
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Attitudes
I like my English class but the peer reviewing made me aware of some things that cannot be right. There are some people who do not turn in their work on time and hinder other people to do their own work. But these people are still much better than the people who do not turn in their work at all. And even if one reseaves finnally the paper, it looks like an unfinished draft or a combination of the last papers that we wrote. Than one has to write peer reviews about papers which are not even clost to be researched in a proper way. Imagine a paper which is not double spaced, which does not include a work cited page, which has not one single convincing and thoroughly researched argument. One has to spend so much time with these type of texts. Come on guys, I have some more classes to study for, I have to practice every day and my girlfriend is visiting me – please do not waste my time in this way. I know that this English class includes a lot of work and that we are all very busy but if you send a paper to some group members just show some respect by putting at least some effort in your work. Alright, this has nothing to do with your personalities but just with some people’s attitudes.
I love you all!
I love you all!
Interview with Floyd Skloot
This morning we went to the interview of Floyd Skloot, the author some of us saw on Monday night. First of all, it was interesting to meet a person, who has been completely alien to you last week, for the second time this week and you already know a whole lot about him by the time you meet him again.
I liked how he talked about the difference between his writing in former times when he was not sick and after he got sick. It is really interesting to see how someone can develop because of an illness. I could imagine this is the case in a whole lot of situation, when people get sick. Suddenly, one sees the world with different eyes. The sickness probably opens your eyes for new things and for things that have been usual before, but which are much more important to you now.
Another fact that might have changed his type of writing might be the experience of living in the woods. I never heard about anybody who had lived in the woods for any time and he spent years living there just with his wife, cut off from the external world. Spending time like this has to change your personality in some kind of way. I cannot imagine he was the same he used to be after he got back from the woods.
Skloot was a really interesting person to meet.
I liked how he talked about the difference between his writing in former times when he was not sick and after he got sick. It is really interesting to see how someone can develop because of an illness. I could imagine this is the case in a whole lot of situation, when people get sick. Suddenly, one sees the world with different eyes. The sickness probably opens your eyes for new things and for things that have been usual before, but which are much more important to you now.
Another fact that might have changed his type of writing might be the experience of living in the woods. I never heard about anybody who had lived in the woods for any time and he spent years living there just with his wife, cut off from the external world. Spending time like this has to change your personality in some kind of way. I cannot imagine he was the same he used to be after he got back from the woods.
Skloot was a really interesting person to meet.
Friday, March 14, 2008
watchdog knows everything
I read an article that was published by watchdog on March 3, 2008. The text was about all properties who do not pay property taxes in Memphis and Shelby county. The institutions which mostly do not pay are property taxes are governmental organizations and churches. There were a lot of institutions listed. From my point of view, it cannot be justified that some institutions have privileges over other private companies. Even though government properties serve the government which is suppost to invest in the citizens but in fact they just try to avoid taxes. The government gives itself the right to avoid taxes in order to minimize the budget which can be used for the citizens. This is not right. It is the same with the churches. They are religious institutions which have good values and use their money for useful goals. But this does not give them the right to avoid property taxes. If all these institutions would accurately pay their taxes probably some other important issues and problems could be solved or improved in Shelby county. Nobody should have privileges over others and everybody should be treated equal for the common better good. The politicians always think that they have special rights and can do what they want.
weekend off
This week coach made us a great present: He told us we will not have practice all weekend. Our last day off was Thursday. Today me and my girlfriend will start in a great weekend. I cannot image when I had so much time off for the last time. So here is what we are going to do: In 20 minutes we will leave to the mall. Of course the first thing you do, when a girl visits you is that you go to a mall: shopping. Can you imagine that I just went to a mall once since I am here? That is why I am looking forward to that as well. Later on I want to invite her to Texas de Brasil. She does not yet know what lies ahead of her. I just told her not to eat too much today. We’ll see what she says when she sees all the meat. We will probably just roll back on our bellies to Carpenter Center. As soon as we are back home we will meet my team mates and socialize with them. Maybe I will show her Beal Street later on. You have to have been there when you have been to Memphis. It is even famous for its blues bars in Germany. It will be a fun day.
spring break
I spend my entire Spring break in Oklahoma. This is just my second semester that I spend in the United States and my first Spring break but I have already been to a lot of different states. Due to the fact that I am in the Memphis Tennis team I have been in Florida two times, in Georgia once, one time in Middle Tennessee, in San Diego, in Arkansas, once in Mississippi and in a few other States. But from all the States I have been to Oklahoma was the worst. There is no beautiful nature like in Florida or San Diego nor are there big cities at least not where I have been. It was really boring in Oklahoma because there is not a lot to do. I spend most my time with my room mates, practicing, eating, sleeping and preparing for our matches.
One day we went to a movie theatre which looked like an old big garage. We watched “No Country for Old Man” and there were two other people besides us. In the whole movie theatre which says a lot about this place. By the way, the movie was very interesting and different from what I have seen before. And me and my team mates had discussions about that movie even a couple of days after we watched it.
Oklahoma seems to be a “dead” State. I did not recognize any people out there, we were driving hours and the only things that I saw were some trees, cows, horses and prairie. Once in a while we saw another car on the high ways but besides that I felt really lonely in Oklahoma.
One day we went to a movie theatre which looked like an old big garage. We watched “No Country for Old Man” and there were two other people besides us. In the whole movie theatre which says a lot about this place. By the way, the movie was very interesting and different from what I have seen before. And me and my team mates had discussions about that movie even a couple of days after we watched it.
Oklahoma seems to be a “dead” State. I did not recognize any people out there, we were driving hours and the only things that I saw were some trees, cows, horses and prairie. Once in a while we saw another car on the high ways but besides that I felt really lonely in Oklahoma.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
She is here!!!
Today was the day: my girlfriend from Germany arrived! I was so excided the whole day about her coming that I could not really concentrate on anything else but counting the hours until she would come. One can probably imagine that those hours seemed to be days… After my classes I quickly send her one last message that said I was really happy to have her with me soon, went to practice and then headed strait to the airport with a team-colleague of mine, who drove me over there. I told her I would not make it to the airport on time, because I had to practice and my coach would not let me go earlier so she did not expect me to be there. She thought someone else from the team would pick her up. The problem was that she got to the airport too early. So she called me and I told her WE were on our way – that was my mistake because now she new that I was coming to the airport as well. Too bad ... Of course this did not actually decrease our reunion. It was the happiest moment for the last months, I think. I’m really looking forward to spend the next weeks together with her over here in Memphis.
Monday, March 10, 2008
The Church Health Center
During my research about my second part of the big paper I read an article about the Church Health Center in Memphis. The article was posted on our class site and it seemed to be really interesting and relevant for my topic. The Church Health Center was founded by Dr. Scott Morris and is supported by several churches. At the moment, they have 30,000 patients a year which just have to pay $ 10 and they will get treatment. This institution is a walk in clinic which people that is less fortunate, who cannot afford private health care or cannot afford full health care use. The organization which was founded 10 years ago is created for people who are less fortunate because it is open 70 hours a week so even people who work very long are able to get treatment. From my point of view, this organization is an amazing idea which should be applied on the entire American health care system. I am a realist so I know that it is not possible to run a health care system on a fund but the general idea that people who are better off pay more than the people who are less fortunate so everybody is able to get the same treatment is really good. This system works in other countries. The health care system is paid with the taxes and the people who are wealthier pay more than people who have less money. So everybody is able to get health care which should be the goal.
Friday, February 29, 2008
Politicians, tz tz tz!!!
The article “Shelby County job positions and salaries, 6663 of them at a cost of $275 million” written by watchdog and published on February 25, 2008 is about salaries that politicians in Shelby County receive. As the title says, 6663 workers get $275 million. Furthermore, these people have 13 weeks in one year off for “vacations, acations, sick days, personnel days, holidays and bonus days” which basically means that they are allowed to miss 25% of one year. There is no other job in the world where one can miss 25% of the year. Due to this fact, the government needs more worker to get the work done. In Germany, we have similar rates. Politicians get very high salaries and even if they retire after a short amount of years they get a high pension. Moreover, the German administration in the government spends way to much money on bureaucracy issues. There are 100 forms that have to be filled out to change the smallest things. The point is that the money the government wastes on bureaucracy could be invested to improve several social issues. I am angry because there is tax money which could be used vicely but it is wasted on unimportant things. The politicians always complain that they have not enough money to reach their goals but if they would use the money that they have more efficient they would not have such problems.
PILOT Program
The article “THE COST OF PILOTS IN MEMPHIS AND SHELBY COUNTY! WHO BENEFITS? WHO PICKS UP THE DIFFERENCE?” written by watchdog is about the program PILOT (Payment In Lieu of Taxes). This program uses a lot of tax money in order to pay different people who work for shelby county. This people received $ 48 Mil in the year 2006 but nobodies nows if they used the money for its purpose – to support the poor homeowners. In Germany there was a similar case where politicians used tax money which should be spend on public youth organization to pay the holidays for their families. When politicians do these kind of things I ask myself why the became politicians. The coal for them should be to improve the situation in their country and not to make things worse. In Germany people have to sware that they will serve the German folk when they enter the parliament; is their word nothing word anymore in these days? What is going on in the mind of these people? Sometimes I got the impression that in todays world just selffishnesss and greed are the only important values. Why is that? From my point of view, there should be more independent comitions which supervise the politians and what they do.
The article “THE COST OF PILOTS IN MEMPHIS AND SHELBY COUNTY! WHO BENEFITS? WHO PICKS UP THE DIFFERENCE?” written by watchdog is about the program PILOT (Payment In Lieu of Taxes). This program uses a lot of tax money in order to pay different people who work for shelby county. This people received $ 48 Mil in the year 2006 but nobodies nows if they used the money for its purpose – to support the poor homeowners. In Germany there was a similar case where politicians used tax money which should be spend on public youth organization to pay the holidays for their families. When politicians do these kind of things I ask myself why the became politicians. The coal for them should be to improve the situation in their country and not to make things worse. In Germany people have to sware that they will serve the German folk when they enter the parliament; is their word nothing word anymore in these days? What is going on in the mind of these people? Sometimes I got the impression that in todays world just selffishnesss and greed are the only important values. Why is that? From my point of view, there should be more independent comitions which supervise the politians and what they do.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
When I was five years old, I have been to Tansania in Africa. It was the nicest holiday of my entire life. We spend the whole summer break there. We had a very nice hotel and the food was so delishious. My parents and me went to a safari, to a village were people made carvings, on a glass boat trip, to a crocodile farm, and many other exciting places. We spend a lot of time on the nice beach and the incredibel huge pool area. One day, my parents and me left the hotel to go for a walk. Then I saw a child who lost one arm. It was my age and sleeping under a newspaper. When we came closer, I recognized that this child was looking for leftovers in a trash can. This child had a fly in his eye and several wounds all over his body. At that point, I did not understand why this child was sleeping outdoors and looking for leftovers in a trash can. Why was not he with his parents in a nice hotel enjoying the nice foot and the huge pool area? When I was five years old, I did not really understand it but I knew that this was wrong. I was enjoying my life more than ever before and this child tried to survive on the street. I was looking at this child the whole time and child was looking at me, my nice clothe and the ice in my hand. When we passed this child he was reaching with his one arm to me. I did not have any money but I gave him my ice. When we left this child behind us, it was not the child that started crying, it was me. I was so sad than never again in my life.
Today I have been to a concert in the Music Building. They have their own concert hall, called “Harris.” I have to watch four concerts and write concert reviews about them for my Music Appreciation class. The name of the concert was “Contemporary Chamber Players.” I did not know what “chamber players” do so I decided to attend this concert. This decision was probably my biggest mistake in the last two month (2 month ago I decided to take music appreciation). They started the concert with a 15 minutes guitar solo; the guitar imitated strange noises which hurt in my ears with a computer noise background. I told myself to calm down and to be open minded for “new” styles and genres that I am not familiar with. I wanted to give them a chance after this horrible start. But then they played noises that did not include any rhythm or melody with an entire orchestra. I was so annoying. That was no music, from my point of view. I heard a lot of weird stuff in my life but that was something special. After one hour of this torture they took a 15 minutes break in which I tried to come back to earth from that weird planet where they might like this music. I hoped that they would try something different in the second half of this concert but they did not. Their performance was so interesting, enjoyable, entertaining and “special” that I fell asleep after seven minutes. I could not stand it anymore. I know that that was disrespectful but I did not do it on purpose. The honest truth is that this was the most horrible concert I have ever been to. I am sorry to be so direct but I will not give these guys a nice critique if they do not deserve it. I am sure that they are all very good musicians but their style or their genre should be outlawed!
Robert Frost:“We come to college to get over our littlemindness.“ From my point of view, Frost is totally right because that is exactly what I am doing right now in this class. We discuss serious problems in the world which affect the area in that I live, Memphis, and how they contribute to our area. This class wants to teach me that most issues are very complex and that most of the time it is very difficult to decide which side is right and which is wrong. It is the same in college in general. My professors want me to become a person who is able to work by himself and create his own ideas. They want me to create my own opinion on several issues and that I am able to state my opinion. In college, one discusses a lot of issues that one was not probably aware of before. College education also tries not only to help students to create awareness but also take action. Being aware of a problem is the first step of finding a solution and trying to change something. Frost was a vice man that knew what he was talking about and this statement points out what college and, in my view, life is all about.
Friday, February 15, 2008
Yesterday was Valentine’s day and my girlfriend an me spend 30 minutes on the phone. She lives in Germany and I live hear in Memphis so it is very tough to keep the contact. This is the biggest challenge in my life! I love this girl and she loves me, too, but a long distance relationship from on side of the world to the other is still not easy. I send her a card for Valentine’s day and so did she but both cards did not reach their place of destination. Her letter was to heavy so it was send back to her and I send my card to late so it did not reach her on time. These are the smaller problems that we have to face. But there are also good news. She will come in march and visit me for three weeks. I am already so excited about her coming to Memphis. I will show her the entire city, the university, graceland, the zoo etc. We will have so much fun. When we have been together in Germany it was normal for us that we saw us every day. Now we are happy if we can talk on the phone two or three times a week. What I want to say is that many people do not know how lucky they are and do not appreciate things anymore. I want you guys to think about other people when you start complaining about everything. Think about other people who are in so much worse positions than we are and than thank God that we have such a nice life!
I found this article under the Memphis blog, named “Eighteen and out.” It was about the last school shooting and that a nineteen year old man was involved. The author wants that people who are older than 18 years should not be allowed to go to a regular school anymore because they have a negative influence on the other pupils. In my view that is not the problem of the school shootings. The problems of the school shootings are more complex. It is the entire life situation of the youth and their families, our society and the way our politicians approach problems. Our politicians try to solve problems the easy way. If a tragedy took place they find a guy who is the scapegoat very fast and the problem is solved for the politicians. But sometimes problems are more complex and cannot be solved by just changing one small thing. We have to improve the entire situation and the living conditions of our people. If the family of this nineteen year old man would not have to live from minimum wage than his mother could sometimes talk about values with him because she might be sometimes at home and not 10 hours a day at work. If this nineteen year old “killer” would be equipped with values by his parents than he would probably not join a gang, sell drugs and shoot other kids. It is a problem of an entire society and not just a problem of age!
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Propaganda
In the essay about propaganda, that we have to read for the class on this Thursday the author explained different techniques of how to use propaganda. The author defined the term “propaganda,” named issues where it is used, how it is used and by whom it is used. This essay was really interesting for me because I could find a lot of techniques that the author described in the movies of Michael Moore that I have to review. Moore uses these techniques to influence and to convince his spectator for a higher goal – make the United States a better place on earth. In my view, it is borderline to use propaganda because it is such a heavily convincing tool. There is no law that prohibits propaganda because we have freedom of speech and opinion but it is not easy to handle all this propaganda that tries to influence us every day. I think that one has to differentiate between “good” and “bad” propaganda. People like Martin Luther King, Mahatma Gandhi, and Michael Moore use/d propaganda for a “good” goal but there were/are also tyrants, dictators and radical religious groups such as Adolf Hitler, Sadam Hussein, and Al Quaida who abuse/d this powerful tool. One cannot prevent to be influenced by other people or organizations but it is our duty to keep our eyes open. It is not always a bad thing to be influenced by others but we have to use our own mind to decide what is right and what is wrong.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
What shall we do about shootings in Memphis City Schools?
Since I am writing my movie review about the movie “Bowling for Columbine” by Michael Moore, the issues Columbine massacre and gun control are very interesting for me. Today, I found the article “What do we do about guns in school?” by “Common At”, posted on February 11, 2008 on the Memphis blogs “Commentaries.” In the last seven days, there were two shootings in Memphis city schools. The author recommended that there should not be any reaction, at all. In contrast to the author, one of the school board members suggested that the schools should be shut down until metal detectors are installed and on alert. In my view, both reactions are exaggerated. Come on “Common At,” do you really think that doing nothing will help anybody? There were two school shootings in less than a week in just one city and you suggest doing nothing??? Doing nothing helped Adolf Hitler to keep the power in Germany but it will not help to prevent shootings in school. On the other hand, closing all schools down is also exaggerated because keeping the students dumb will not prevent school shootings, as well. I suggest to search for the reasons of the shootings and to change these circumstances. Why is it so easy for a child in America to get a gun??? In my opinion, the selling of guns should be much more restricted by the government and there should be more efficient laws of gun control so younger people/kids are not able to get guns that easy. Furthermore, I suggest that physiologists should talk to these kids that shoot and find out the reasons for their reaction. In my opinion, the reasons would be single parents, poverty, drugs, discrimination, racism, peer pressure and the list goes on and on… In order to prevent these problems, fundamental changes in the entire American society have to be made which is not that easy than just put metal detectors in schools. Social problems have to be solved to prevent these shootings!!!
Yesterday I watched the two movies “Sicko” and “Bowling for Columbine” by Michael Moore. I already watched “Bowling for Columbine” before and Michael Moore definitely influenced me and the way I think about the issues that are addressed in these movies. In my view, Michael Moore is an outstanding director and documentary film producer. He uses various items, such as music, personal stories, emotions, logos, pathos, and ethos to influence and convince his audience or spectators. In today’s world, it is very rare that movies are made about important local and global issues that affect everybody and which are big problems. Moore does not shrink from criticizing the American system and government, plus, he expresses his view about certain critical issues such as the health care system (in Sicko) or the arms craziness of the Americans in his movies. Moore does not care what other people might think about him and he is prepared to fight for his view and the right to express his own opinion in public. He is a person who tries to better the America that we are all living in and to open the eyes of many American citizens. These are all reasons why I admire him.
Thursday, February 7, 2008
This morning I read in “The Daily helmsman” that Robert Dozier, forward of the Memphis tiger basketball team is two weeks suspended from playing basketball. On Sunday morning at 3:30 a.m., Dozier followed his ex-girlfriend downtown and slapped her two times in the face. Besides that it is a scandal that a man hits a woman and that Dozier should feel ashamed, he also jeopardized carelessly the success of his team. Furthermore, in general nobody should hit another person! If somebody has to hit another person to convey or to punish this person is weak and not really blessed with intelligence. Anyways, now that we are number one in the nation we need every player more than ever to stay on top and win the NCAA tournament. With his ruthless behaviour, Dozier also damaged immense the image of his team and the entire university. Dozier should be aware of the fact that he as a very successful student-athlete is a public figure and that he represents his team and The University of Memphis. As this public figure it should be clear for him that his actions, positive or negative, have consequences. He is not in the position to lapse like he did on the weekend without serious consequences. Next time before one of our athletes do something stupid which affects all other students they should think about their actions and what consequences they might have.
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
In this blog, I am referring to a post from “watchdog,” posted on January 23, 2008 which is about the salaries that the past city councils receive. According to watchdog, the city council left Memphis a $ 6 Mil bill, plus $ 1.5 Mil every year. Due to the fact that in 2001 a pension resolution was passed which said that every elected or appointed person has the right to retire early if this person served for 12 years no matter how old this person might be or what kind of living standard this person might have. We as Memphis citizens are paying their pensions by paying our taxes. In my view, that is a scandal. Who else in a free market is able to retire after 12 years in a certain job and gets health insurance and pension? This is not fair to all the other hard-working Memphian out there who go every day to work until they are seventy or even older. Who gives these politicians the right to receive all this money? - The politicians decide by themselves that they should receive all this money and that is a scandal!!! The politicians make decisions which ensure their income even after they retire early.
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
I am usually a person that tries to understand the other person’s point of view and to put myself into his or her position to be able to reproduce their train of thought. But sometimes I catch myself by doing what Wendy described in the exercise for today’s blogs, I just shut down and stop listening. Sometimes, I just shut down because I think that my oponents views are so unrealistic or not relevant but sometimes I tend to shut down because I already focus on a contra argument in my head. That I stop listening because I am thinking about my own counter arguments happened to me a lot more since I am in the United States because I have still trouble to speak fluently and correctly so I tend to verbalize the sentences and arguments in my head before I speak them out loud. This causes me to lose focus on what my conversation partner has to say.
One time, I heared Jorge W. Bush defending himself because of the intervetion into the Iraq and I just stopped listening during one sentence because I already had manifested my own point of view about this issue. I could not stand him and his excuses with the weapons of mass destructions that were never found. Even after five years he still used this argument and never said in public that one of the main reasons was that the United States had to intervent to maintain their oil demand. It was like “an elephant in the room” but nobody talked about it. When Bush gave his speech that were my only thoughts and I got angry listening to him so I just stopped listening. I was already thinking about 100 counter arguments. I still think that the military intervention from the United States into the Iraq was a big mistake but I think that the common citizen is not able to understand all the reasons for that war and that the “oil issue” was just one of them. Today, I think that I should have given him another chance to defend himself because I could have probably found out another reason, which might be not so obvious, why this war is taking place.
One time, I heared Jorge W. Bush defending himself because of the intervetion into the Iraq and I just stopped listening during one sentence because I already had manifested my own point of view about this issue. I could not stand him and his excuses with the weapons of mass destructions that were never found. Even after five years he still used this argument and never said in public that one of the main reasons was that the United States had to intervent to maintain their oil demand. It was like “an elephant in the room” but nobody talked about it. When Bush gave his speech that were my only thoughts and I got angry listening to him so I just stopped listening. I was already thinking about 100 counter arguments. I still think that the military intervention from the United States into the Iraq was a big mistake but I think that the common citizen is not able to understand all the reasons for that war and that the “oil issue” was just one of them. Today, I think that I should have given him another chance to defend himself because I could have probably found out another reason, which might be not so obvious, why this war is taking place.
Monday, February 4, 2008
Memphis vs. Vanderbild
This weekend, the Memphis men’s Tennis team played in Nashville against Vanderbild. On Sunday at one o’clock, we played a team from the South Eastern Conference and they were the big favorites. Last year, we lost to them 7:0. This Sunday, we started pretty good in the doubles but after 30 minutes we were on all three double courts on break down. The tigers kept fighting, showed great energy and gave everything but finally we lost all three doubles. Afer doubles, our coach gave a motivating speech and encouraged us to “go out there and have some fun,” and “play as hard as you can.” I was really fired up after that speech and I wanted to win so badly that I was kind of tight. My arm was not relaxt and I could not swing fast, hard and normal. I tried so hard that, in fact, I played worse because my entire body was so tight. I was swinging fast but the ball did not move faster and I did not know what was going on. In contrast, my oponent was totally relaxt, he played really well and relaxt like he would not be nervous at all. I did not understand what was going on and before I could figure out why I was playing so bad the match was already over. I lost 6:2 6:1 against Vanderbild’s number two player. My team mates fought hard but after five and a half hours we were just able to win one match. That was a bad day for the Memphis tigers but there are not only great days where you play your best tennis and everything works. You have to get along with these situations and the person who is able to deal best with this tough chanllenges will be the winner. What I want to tell you with this story is that I will never give up. Yes, I had a bad day last week but this Sunday I will go out there and try as hard as I can again!
This weekend, the Memphis men’s Tennis team played in Nashville against Vanderbild. On Sunday at one o’clock, we played a team from the South Eastern Conference and they were the big favorites. Last year, we lost to them 7:0. This Sunday, we started pretty good in the doubles but after 30 minutes we were on all three double courts on break down. The tigers kept fighting, showed great energy and gave everything but finally we lost all three doubles. Afer doubles, our coach gave a motivating speech and encouraged us to “go out there and have some fun,” and “play as hard as you can.” I was really fired up after that speech and I wanted to win so badly that I was kind of tight. My arm was not relaxt and I could not swing fast, hard and normal. I tried so hard that, in fact, I played worse because my entire body was so tight. I was swinging fast but the ball did not move faster and I did not know what was going on. In contrast, my oponent was totally relaxt, he played really well and relaxt like he would not be nervous at all. I did not understand what was going on and before I could figure out why I was playing so bad the match was already over. I lost 6:2 6:1 against Vanderbild’s number two player. My team mates fought hard but after five and a half hours we were just able to win one match. That was a bad day for the Memphis tigers but there are not only great days where you play your best tennis and everything works. You have to get along with these situations and the person who is able to deal best with this tough chanllenges will be the winner. What I want to tell you with this story is that I will never give up. Yes, I had a bad day last week but this Sunday I will go out there and try as hard as I can again!
Friday, February 1, 2008
several rankings, for instance, “the best city for young professionals,” or “what’s your favorite city.” This person was wandering why Memphis was never mentioned in these rankings published by the “Forbe’s Magazine.” I mean, at the moment we have the number one basketball team in the country. How is it possible that we are not even mentioned in a ranking for a city for young professionals? We have the number one draft player for the NBA called Derik Rose and some more players who have the potential to play in the NBA, too. In my view, this magazine did not mention Memphis because of other facts that have nothing to do with sport. I did some research and I found out that Memphis has the 3rd highest crime rate in the United States and the most overweight citizens. Perhaps, these facts influenced the judges and make them ignore Memphis when it came to our positive sides, such as sports. I hope my views help you to find out why Memphis is discriminated in these statistics and I hope that we will be mentioned in 2008 as the number one basketball in the nation!!!
Democracy?
The article posted by “watchdog” on January 24, 2008 criticizes the current situation of Memphis voter’s society. In his blog, he argues that the citizens of Shelby County do not have the right to vote their own Sheriff, Tax Assessor, Trustee, Register and County Clerk because the major appoints all these important jobs. This right gives the major too much power, according to “watchdog.” In my opinion, it is very important that in a democracy the people have the power and not one person that rules over the citizens. If there is just one person who is allowed to decide everything and appoint just his own supporters there will never be any opposition and this political system comes closer to a local dictatorship than to a democracy. Opposition is one of the most important basics of democracy, and the will of the citizens should be represented by the politics and not the will of a single politician/”dictator.” I share “watchdog’s” opinion that people have to act, I appreciate that he reacts with this petition and I support his idea 110%. There should be more people like him who are not ignorant and who have the courage to take action and fight for the basic rights of every citizen in a democracy.
Class Struggle???
The article “Decline is the new Groth (?),” written by Santo published on February 13, 2007 inspired me because a few German institution, for instance, the “Leipzig Gallery of Contemporary Art.” From my point of view, this movement away from the big cities to the nice and comfortable suburbs is a movement which exists for years. The richer people tend to leave the big cities and move to the family friendly suburbs, such as Germantown in Memphis, because they think that the city is more dangerous. If this movement will go on for the next years, one day all poor people will live in the big cities which will fall more and more into despair except some big companies in which rich people invest. Imagine an America where all minorities such as African-Americans, Hispanics, and Asians etc. live in the cities/downtown and all the privileged, white and rich Americans live in the nice suburbs. It will become even more dangerous for the richer people to go into the city because the minorities will envy these people and also want to get some of their wealth. But the problem is that the rich people would have still to come into the cities to buy food and other goods because they will not be produced or sold in the suburbs. This movement makes the increasing cap between rich and poor and the two class society in America even more visible. A solid middle class tends to disappear in the American society which creates anger, frustration, crime, and many more problems because the class struggle that America had in the time of the industrialization will come back. Politicians have to act to encounter this movement or a civil war is not far away anymore. This might sound exaggerated but it is closer than everybody thinks.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
The “Green Collar” Workers
I am relating to the article in “Greening the Economy” under Memphis blogs and the topic “Crossroads: Economics and Cities.” This article was published on November 16, 2007 and written by Rachael. In this article Rachael describes that a new kind of workers, called “green collar” workers, change the economy. These workers work in different fields than we all know from daily life, for instance, they work in fields such as “energy-efficient buildings, renewable power, bio-fuel development and repairing energy-efficient cars. I am really interested in these topics because in high-school I had a class which was a mix between chemistry and geology and in this class we discussed and used a lot of these topics in real life. For instance, we raised money and build a solar-energy system for our high-school by ourselves and the help of one engineer. We talked a lot about the topics that I mentioned before but we also did a lot of hands-on exercises. This class was a great experience for me and I raised a lot of knowledge and interest for the “greening” of the economy. Furthermore, I found out ways that could handle the challenge of the globalization, such as increasing air pollution and global warming. In my view, every high-school student should take this class because the society of today requires a basic knowledge of these topics.
I am relating to the article in “Greening the Economy” under Memphis blogs and the topic “Crossroads: Economics and Cities.” This article was published on November 16, 2007 and written by Rachael. In this article Rachael describes that a new kind of workers, called “green collar” workers, change the economy. These workers work in different fields than we all know from daily life, for instance, they work in fields such as “energy-efficient buildings, renewable power, bio-fuel development and repairing energy-efficient cars. I am really interested in these topics because in high-school I had a class which was a mix between chemistry and geology and in this class we discussed and used a lot of these topics in real life. For instance, we raised money and build a solar-energy system for our high-school by ourselves and the help of one engineer. We talked a lot about the topics that I mentioned before but we also did a lot of hands-on exercises. This class was a great experience for me and I raised a lot of knowledge and interest for the “greening” of the economy. Furthermore, I found out ways that could handle the challenge of the globalization, such as increasing air pollution and global warming. In my view, every high-school student should take this class because the society of today requires a basic knowledge of these topics.
Monday, January 28, 2008
Michael Gaerthoeffner
January 28, 2008
Wendy Sumner Winter
English 1020 – 046
Protecting our Environment
I read this article about Dave Ulrich who protects the great Lakes ecosystems. In my opinion it is very important for us as consumers and citizens of the planet earth to act right now, otherwise there will be not much of our earth left for our children. I think the same way than Ulrich; we have to protect our environment and be careful with our resources. This protecting of our environment starts locally. Everybody is able to do something; even small things help to reach the goal to protect our ecosystem. Today I had a discussion with my room mate. He never turns the light and the air conditioner in his restroom off. This really bothers me because I think that this is a waste of recourses. So I told him my reservations that I have and to turn these things off and he replied that nobody would do that. I answered that just because many people commit crimes he does not have to commit crimes, just because everybody does something that is no reason to do it, too. Than he said that it would not help if just one person turns these things off and I said that somebody has to start with doing the right thing and to influence other people to do the right things, too. The sad fact is that my room mate was probably right with his statement that nobody would turn off these things, just because we are lazy. Finally, he said that we have a room scholarship so we do not have to pay for the electricity, so why would it bother me. I replied that the fact that we do not have to pay for the electricity is no reason as well to not turn the things off because it is still a waste of electricity. What happens if everybody would do that? Our children would not have an earth anymore because some scientists prognosticate that in 2050 there will be no natural resources anymore. So guys, be smart – do not waste our resources!!!
January 28, 2008
Wendy Sumner Winter
English 1020 – 046
Protecting our Environment
I read this article about Dave Ulrich who protects the great Lakes ecosystems. In my opinion it is very important for us as consumers and citizens of the planet earth to act right now, otherwise there will be not much of our earth left for our children. I think the same way than Ulrich; we have to protect our environment and be careful with our resources. This protecting of our environment starts locally. Everybody is able to do something; even small things help to reach the goal to protect our ecosystem. Today I had a discussion with my room mate. He never turns the light and the air conditioner in his restroom off. This really bothers me because I think that this is a waste of recourses. So I told him my reservations that I have and to turn these things off and he replied that nobody would do that. I answered that just because many people commit crimes he does not have to commit crimes, just because everybody does something that is no reason to do it, too. Than he said that it would not help if just one person turns these things off and I said that somebody has to start with doing the right thing and to influence other people to do the right things, too. The sad fact is that my room mate was probably right with his statement that nobody would turn off these things, just because we are lazy. Finally, he said that we have a room scholarship so we do not have to pay for the electricity, so why would it bother me. I replied that the fact that we do not have to pay for the electricity is no reason as well to not turn the things off because it is still a waste of electricity. What happens if everybody would do that? Our children would not have an earth anymore because some scientists prognosticate that in 2050 there will be no natural resources anymore. So guys, be smart – do not waste our resources!!!
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Michael Gaerthoeffner
English 1020 – 046
Wendy Sumner-Winter
January 22, 2008
Nutrition
As I mentioned in my personal blog I am a student-athlete and a scholarship recipient. I play tennis at the University of Memphis as number two or three out of nine players in the line up. As an athlete my nutrition is a very important part in my life and affects not only my performance on the court but also in the class room. I choose this topic for the essay for today because I had to throw up this morning so I think that it is a very current topic.
I already had to make really bad experiences with my nutrition in the past. During the last semester, we, the tennis team, have been to Jacksonville, Florida, to play one of these fall tournaments. I reached the final and I had to fight really hard and play my best tennis to win the rounds before. The final should start at 12pm but because some other matches that took place before my match took longer than expected, I played only when it was 2pm. I did not know when I would have to go on the court so I chose not to eat lunch before the match because I thougth that I would not be able to digest my food before the match starts. That was a big mistake. Furthermore, it was very hot and humid in Jacksonville, and due to the fact that I am from Germany I was not used to play three straight days in those climate situations. Besides, I underestimated that I have to drink a lot more water than in Germany. All these issues caused me to dehydrate and cramp during the final which I could not finish because my entire body started cramping so I had to be brought to the hospital by an ambulance. Moreover, I could not get the flight back to Memphis and my coach had to stay with me, whereas I threw up two straight days in the hospital. This unlovely experience made me aware of the fact that nutrition is a very important issue for me.
Well, this morning I came back from doing weights, from 7 - 8.40 pm, and I had just 5 minutes to eat serials, drink an orange juice and a protein shake. The lack of time forced me to rush so I just ate as fast as I could but that caused my stomache to react and I had to throw up. I did not want to be late in class because my new English professor layed special emphasize in her syllabus/manifesto that it is very important to her that we are on time. At this point, I want to apologize for being two minutes late and interrupt the lesson but I could not make it earlier.
In order to solve my nutrition problem, I wrote my mother an email and asked her what I should do about my nutrition because I know that as a student-athlete this morning will not be the last time in my life that there will be a lack of time. I asked my mother because her job is to manage and inform other people about nutrition so I thought that she could help me to figure out a solution. She answered my mail immidiatly and told me that I have to chew a lot more, that I should eat more meals during the entire day and that I should take more time during my meals if it is possible.
I hope that her wise advises will help me to master the tough and extensive schedule of a student-athlete at the University of Memphis. Finally, I want to ask you as my class mates what you think about this topic. Do you have any advices for me, for instance, how I can better handle the stress and the lack of time. Did you hear about similar cases and do you perhaps know any solution for my problems? The advices of my mother will help me to avoid throwing up when I have enough time to eat and to improve my overall nutrition but there is still the problem with the lack of time. Please let me know if you can help me to improve my situation because I do not want to end up in the hospital again. All in all, I want to finish this essay with the advice for the entire class to take nutrtition serious. I had to make bad experiences I do not want you to make the same or similar mistakes. One out of every eighth person in the United States died because of an issue which was related to wrong nutrition. Take it serious!!!
Words: 792
English 1020 – 046
Wendy Sumner-Winter
January 22, 2008
Nutrition
As I mentioned in my personal blog I am a student-athlete and a scholarship recipient. I play tennis at the University of Memphis as number two or three out of nine players in the line up. As an athlete my nutrition is a very important part in my life and affects not only my performance on the court but also in the class room. I choose this topic for the essay for today because I had to throw up this morning so I think that it is a very current topic.
I already had to make really bad experiences with my nutrition in the past. During the last semester, we, the tennis team, have been to Jacksonville, Florida, to play one of these fall tournaments. I reached the final and I had to fight really hard and play my best tennis to win the rounds before. The final should start at 12pm but because some other matches that took place before my match took longer than expected, I played only when it was 2pm. I did not know when I would have to go on the court so I chose not to eat lunch before the match because I thougth that I would not be able to digest my food before the match starts. That was a big mistake. Furthermore, it was very hot and humid in Jacksonville, and due to the fact that I am from Germany I was not used to play three straight days in those climate situations. Besides, I underestimated that I have to drink a lot more water than in Germany. All these issues caused me to dehydrate and cramp during the final which I could not finish because my entire body started cramping so I had to be brought to the hospital by an ambulance. Moreover, I could not get the flight back to Memphis and my coach had to stay with me, whereas I threw up two straight days in the hospital. This unlovely experience made me aware of the fact that nutrition is a very important issue for me.
Well, this morning I came back from doing weights, from 7 - 8.40 pm, and I had just 5 minutes to eat serials, drink an orange juice and a protein shake. The lack of time forced me to rush so I just ate as fast as I could but that caused my stomache to react and I had to throw up. I did not want to be late in class because my new English professor layed special emphasize in her syllabus/manifesto that it is very important to her that we are on time. At this point, I want to apologize for being two minutes late and interrupt the lesson but I could not make it earlier.
In order to solve my nutrition problem, I wrote my mother an email and asked her what I should do about my nutrition because I know that as a student-athlete this morning will not be the last time in my life that there will be a lack of time. I asked my mother because her job is to manage and inform other people about nutrition so I thought that she could help me to figure out a solution. She answered my mail immidiatly and told me that I have to chew a lot more, that I should eat more meals during the entire day and that I should take more time during my meals if it is possible.
I hope that her wise advises will help me to master the tough and extensive schedule of a student-athlete at the University of Memphis. Finally, I want to ask you as my class mates what you think about this topic. Do you have any advices for me, for instance, how I can better handle the stress and the lack of time. Did you hear about similar cases and do you perhaps know any solution for my problems? The advices of my mother will help me to avoid throwing up when I have enough time to eat and to improve my overall nutrition but there is still the problem with the lack of time. Please let me know if you can help me to improve my situation because I do not want to end up in the hospital again. All in all, I want to finish this essay with the advice for the entire class to take nutrtition serious. I had to make bad experiences I do not want you to make the same or similar mistakes. One out of every eighth person in the United States died because of an issue which was related to wrong nutrition. Take it serious!!!
Words: 792
Monday, January 21, 2008
Michael Gaerthoeffner
English 1020 - 046
Wendy Sumner-Winter
January 21, 2008
Manifesto
First of all, I have to say that I am from Germany and if a person goes to High-School in Germany there is no way that one does not hear about Karl Marx, Friedrich Engels and their “Communist Manifesto.” In High-School, we talked a lot about these German Communists and their ideas in history and economic classes. When I read the term “The Communist Manifesto” on the blogspot site, the first thing I thought about was Marx and his unbelievable influential ideas and caused by the fact that Marx, Engels and myself are all from Germany I was interested in their Manifesto. But that we speak the same language is not the only thing that connects me with these important figueres of the world history. When I was 13 or 14 years old I talked the first time to my father about the ideas of Marx because I was really interested in this topic. I thougth that there must be one possiblity to avoid poverty and famines in this world, and, in my view, Marx had the right basic approach. In nowadays, we have a two class society, on the one hand the really poor people and on the other the rich. Marx idea of communism would create a classless society where nobody had to die because he had nothing to eat. Everbody has the same; I thought this is the right way one can stop poverty and famines. I can identify myself with the idea of communism but I would not describe myself as a communist because when I got older I figured out that communism would never work in this world. In a world where greed, anger, capitalism, and “survival of the fittest” rules there will never be Communism. From my point of view, the basci idea of Communism is the best politicial system which was ever invented but it is not realizable because the human race does not fit into the Communist thought; everybody has an unlimited desire of satisfying our desires – everone wants to have more and more. There were a lot of examples in history, and even today, for communist countries but Communism never worked. In Communist societies coruption, poverty and famine were and are big problems which is the opposit effect that Marx and Engels inteded.
As well as Marx and Engels, I have a goal and a prupose of what I do, which is studying here in the United States. I am studying in the United States to get a degree in international business with a GPA of at least 3.75. But I do not only want to improve my academic knowledge about business, I also want to improve in tennis. I want to become a professional tennis player after my graduation from the University of Memphis. In America, I have perfect opportunities to practice as hard and as much as I want to which would not be possible in Germany, wheather time wise nor would my parents have the money to pay for that. My plan for the future is to improve so much in tennis so I will be able to compete on the tennis tour and become a successful tennis player. I also want to get to know a lot of important people during my college career who are able to sponsore me after my graduation. If I will not improve enough to make my way on the professional tour, I still have a college degree and intend to work as a manager in a company which sells sports, especially tennis equipment. So even if I am not able to become a professional tennis player, I still have a future because I will have a degree which is the great thing about being a student-athlete in the United States. Moreover, I will meet so many people who can help me to get a good job or support me in my career and I get to know a totally different culture. The culture in America is so diverse and interesting, as well as the history, and I think this diversity and the daily life as a student-athlete will help me to form my personality and grow as a person. Finally, I make new friends in the United States not only in the entire tennis community of college tennis but also at the University of Memphis and in the city Memphis itself.
English 1020 - 046
Wendy Sumner-Winter
January 21, 2008
Manifesto
First of all, I have to say that I am from Germany and if a person goes to High-School in Germany there is no way that one does not hear about Karl Marx, Friedrich Engels and their “Communist Manifesto.” In High-School, we talked a lot about these German Communists and their ideas in history and economic classes. When I read the term “The Communist Manifesto” on the blogspot site, the first thing I thought about was Marx and his unbelievable influential ideas and caused by the fact that Marx, Engels and myself are all from Germany I was interested in their Manifesto. But that we speak the same language is not the only thing that connects me with these important figueres of the world history. When I was 13 or 14 years old I talked the first time to my father about the ideas of Marx because I was really interested in this topic. I thougth that there must be one possiblity to avoid poverty and famines in this world, and, in my view, Marx had the right basic approach. In nowadays, we have a two class society, on the one hand the really poor people and on the other the rich. Marx idea of communism would create a classless society where nobody had to die because he had nothing to eat. Everbody has the same; I thought this is the right way one can stop poverty and famines. I can identify myself with the idea of communism but I would not describe myself as a communist because when I got older I figured out that communism would never work in this world. In a world where greed, anger, capitalism, and “survival of the fittest” rules there will never be Communism. From my point of view, the basci idea of Communism is the best politicial system which was ever invented but it is not realizable because the human race does not fit into the Communist thought; everybody has an unlimited desire of satisfying our desires – everone wants to have more and more. There were a lot of examples in history, and even today, for communist countries but Communism never worked. In Communist societies coruption, poverty and famine were and are big problems which is the opposit effect that Marx and Engels inteded.
As well as Marx and Engels, I have a goal and a prupose of what I do, which is studying here in the United States. I am studying in the United States to get a degree in international business with a GPA of at least 3.75. But I do not only want to improve my academic knowledge about business, I also want to improve in tennis. I want to become a professional tennis player after my graduation from the University of Memphis. In America, I have perfect opportunities to practice as hard and as much as I want to which would not be possible in Germany, wheather time wise nor would my parents have the money to pay for that. My plan for the future is to improve so much in tennis so I will be able to compete on the tennis tour and become a successful tennis player. I also want to get to know a lot of important people during my college career who are able to sponsore me after my graduation. If I will not improve enough to make my way on the professional tour, I still have a college degree and intend to work as a manager in a company which sells sports, especially tennis equipment. So even if I am not able to become a professional tennis player, I still have a future because I will have a degree which is the great thing about being a student-athlete in the United States. Moreover, I will meet so many people who can help me to get a good job or support me in my career and I get to know a totally different culture. The culture in America is so diverse and interesting, as well as the history, and I think this diversity and the daily life as a student-athlete will help me to form my personality and grow as a person. Finally, I make new friends in the United States not only in the entire tennis community of college tennis but also at the University of Memphis and in the city Memphis itself.
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