Monday, November 29, 2010
Marquise Nurse-Williams
11.29.10
English
Dawn Blunk
Paragraph #2
Work and Education
In Andrew Braaksma’s essay “Some Lessons from the Assembly Line,” he gives a view of his life
as a student during his summer months out of school. He shows how grateful he is to be back in school when
the long grueling hours as a temp at the factory are over. He learns the value of education and now knows
how hard life could be for him if he only worked dead end jobs instead of getting educated and earning a
degree. I have had a similar situation as Braaksma working in a Pepsi factory and have been inspired by that
experience to go for a degree myself.
When I was younger, about 22, I had a job working with the machinery in a Pepsi Factory. A job I
didn’t mind at first being a huge Pepsi consumer. Yet those were the longest and most tedious working days
I’ve seen so far . I worked a machine that I placed trey after trey onto a conveyor. Every five minutes it
seemed it would get jammed up and I would have to figure out how to fix it in a different way every time,
slowing down production. I’d try the stop button, then the go button. Then I’d try a combination of the
different buttons hoping it loosened before I kicked the thing. My boss was a slave driver and wouldn’t let up
for a second howling “go faster!” at a bewildering rate. I got sick of this job and realized I need to get a
degree or I’m just not going to make it like this.
As a result, I moved on to not only working at a college but also going to college with a serious
intention to succeed. I do not want to have to go back to a crummy dead end job like the ones I’ve had in
the past. Like Braaksma, I felt a relief when separating from that job and coming back to school. Pressure
lifted and I see a better way of making money in my future rather than working long hours, doing something I
really don’t enjoy.
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Journal 7 "Salvation" response essay , The Invisible Pressure
Marquise Nurse-Williams
Dawn Blunk
HU090 Section A2
11.18.10
The Invisible Pressure
In “Salvation” Langston Hughes wrote of a time he fell to the peer pressure of his family and the members of his church. They told him he would see Jesus, physically, he thought. Toward the end of this essay he feels pressured to conform to his families wishes that he would see the lord and come to be saved at the alter as the preacher sang a hymn. Misinterpreting his family he finds he did not receive a visit from the lord and feels guilty for confessing and saying he had seen Jesus when he did not and he now does not believe Jesus Christ really exists anymore. If he learned anything from this situation it’s that he has to stay true to himself and tell everyone what he really feels, otherwise he’ll only feel the guilt inside if he doesn’t speak what he feels is the truth. There has only been one person in my life who has ever had the power to really pressure or tempt me to do anything I wouldn’t normally do. I’ll refer to her as Mai.
First time I was ever pressured to do drugs was when I started dating Mai. She was a wild party girl and a lot of fun to hang out with. The problem was that she was really into experimenting with drugs and drinking heavily due to her problems in the past. She says “It helps me to stop thinking about my problems.” Sometimes she would push me to try a drug, knowing she could make me do almost anything at the time because she knew I was practically in love with her. I’m proud to say I didn’t try the drugs realizing the consequences they would have on me and my life. Actually, I tried to help her out of her addictions and bring her back to Christ like she use to when she was younger before she began to lack in faith. I think I kind of got through.
Along with this, Mai also attempted to get me involved in her drug dealing game. She thought of herself as a king pin of the streets. She and a couple of her family members stole illegal drugs from a neighborhood dealer. She wanted me to go back and pick up her family members with the drugs in my car and drop them off safely at home. At the time, I thought I would have done anything for this girl but I took a moment to myself and remembered if I ever got caught , I’d lose everything I worked for. I’d lose my job at the police department and the military and I wouldn’t have such a bright future to look forward to anymore. In that moment I made the conscious decision to decline her proposition.
Also, in a brighter light, Mai pressured me to be more outgoing while I was with her. She and I went to all sorts of different parties around town. We went to bars, clubs, played pool, and drank all around the city. That’s not me, I’m normally the fly on the wall watching everybody else have fun. Although, that’s not the case when we kick it, we had more good times together than I’d ever had coming up.
I find that having had an emotional attachment with Mai made me so much more susceptible to peer pressure and any temptation she sent my way, may it be a good idea or not. More so than anyone else before her anyway. I never had a problem saying no in those situations until she came along. Caring for someone can make the most logical thinking person make some of the most illogical moves if your not careful. Luckily I was wise enough to think things through rather than be so impulsive. Mai ended up getting caught by the police in one of her drug lord escapades. That probably would’ve been me next to her in that cop car if I hadn’t resisted the pressure and realized in time she didn‘t really care about my well being. My parents taught me growing up this chapter, “Therefore take up the full armor of God, that you may be able to resist the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Ephesians 6:13.” It came in handy for me when the time came. In the back of my mind I hope Mai found a better life.
Dawn Blunk
HU090 Section A2
11.18.10
The Invisible Pressure
In “Salvation” Langston Hughes wrote of a time he fell to the peer pressure of his family and the members of his church. They told him he would see Jesus, physically, he thought. Toward the end of this essay he feels pressured to conform to his families wishes that he would see the lord and come to be saved at the alter as the preacher sang a hymn. Misinterpreting his family he finds he did not receive a visit from the lord and feels guilty for confessing and saying he had seen Jesus when he did not and he now does not believe Jesus Christ really exists anymore. If he learned anything from this situation it’s that he has to stay true to himself and tell everyone what he really feels, otherwise he’ll only feel the guilt inside if he doesn’t speak what he feels is the truth. There has only been one person in my life who has ever had the power to really pressure or tempt me to do anything I wouldn’t normally do. I’ll refer to her as Mai.
First time I was ever pressured to do drugs was when I started dating Mai. She was a wild party girl and a lot of fun to hang out with. The problem was that she was really into experimenting with drugs and drinking heavily due to her problems in the past. She says “It helps me to stop thinking about my problems.” Sometimes she would push me to try a drug, knowing she could make me do almost anything at the time because she knew I was practically in love with her. I’m proud to say I didn’t try the drugs realizing the consequences they would have on me and my life. Actually, I tried to help her out of her addictions and bring her back to Christ like she use to when she was younger before she began to lack in faith. I think I kind of got through.
Along with this, Mai also attempted to get me involved in her drug dealing game. She thought of herself as a king pin of the streets. She and a couple of her family members stole illegal drugs from a neighborhood dealer. She wanted me to go back and pick up her family members with the drugs in my car and drop them off safely at home. At the time, I thought I would have done anything for this girl but I took a moment to myself and remembered if I ever got caught , I’d lose everything I worked for. I’d lose my job at the police department and the military and I wouldn’t have such a bright future to look forward to anymore. In that moment I made the conscious decision to decline her proposition.
Also, in a brighter light, Mai pressured me to be more outgoing while I was with her. She and I went to all sorts of different parties around town. We went to bars, clubs, played pool, and drank all around the city. That’s not me, I’m normally the fly on the wall watching everybody else have fun. Although, that’s not the case when we kick it, we had more good times together than I’d ever had coming up.
I find that having had an emotional attachment with Mai made me so much more susceptible to peer pressure and any temptation she sent my way, may it be a good idea or not. More so than anyone else before her anyway. I never had a problem saying no in those situations until she came along. Caring for someone can make the most logical thinking person make some of the most illogical moves if your not careful. Luckily I was wise enough to think things through rather than be so impulsive. Mai ended up getting caught by the police in one of her drug lord escapades. That probably would’ve been me next to her in that cop car if I hadn’t resisted the pressure and realized in time she didn‘t really care about my well being. My parents taught me growing up this chapter, “Therefore take up the full armor of God, that you may be able to resist the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Ephesians 6:13.” It came in handy for me when the time came. In the back of my mind I hope Mai found a better life.
Friday, November 12, 2010
Journal 6: "Cell Phones and Social Graces" response essay On a Cellular Level
Marquise Nurse-Williams
Dawn Blunk
HU090, Section A211.11.10
On a Cellular Level
In the essay “Cell Phones and Social Graces” Charles Fisher speaks of the many cases he witnessed a continuing cycle of rudeness from cell phone users and the “slavish” dependency, as he put it, human beings today have to stay accessible at all times. He begins comparing his traditional phone to the new cell phones pointing out the cons of cell‘s, like the roaming charges, or how people are charged when others call them, and how cell phones are often gargled or unclear when the user is in a certain area. Fisher then goes on to remember another moment of bad manners as a woman walking quickly, talking on her cell, walks past him ignoring him entirely. Fisher doesn’t bother to share salutations as she doesn‘t pay him any mind or acknowledgment that he is present. He goes on to talk about his own family’s trespasses as they have had a cell go off in the middle of a funeral eulogy . Along with this, Fisher spoke of a time a young man gave absolutely no recognition to the dean whom handed the young person his diploma on stage in front of hundreds of people as he graduated because he was too immersed in the conversation with his friend as he walked the stage. Cell phones can be a pain sometimes especially when they go off during formal settings, but personally an individual answering their phone in front of me isn’t discourteous, it may be important. In fact, cell phones keep me in touch with people more often than without one.
For one, with a cell phone it’s much easier to get in touch with friends than without one. In retrospective, when I was a child I had a companion named Shannon I lost contact with years ago when my immediate family and I left Germany for America. Seventeen years later Shannon contacted me on my cell phone. I found out she and her family moved to Ohio a few years after mine did. She looked my name up on the internet one day and found some of my fan art displayed on a comic book web site. She obtained my contact information from the site owners and called me out of the blue, I would have never imagined that happening to me in a million years. To this day we stay in contact on our cell phones as well as Facebook.
Next, cell phones keep me in contact with family and in the loop for family functions. Every holiday my family has a get together at either my aunt Linda’s house or at the Murry household. Me, I don’t remember any of these dates for family functions, and forget nearly every year. To remedy this my sister gives me a call as she has always been into “family togetherness” and staying in a close knit. Without her and her cell updates I would probably have been yet another stranger to my family by now.
Lastly, my cell keeps me in touch with my colleagues, and classmates keeping me in the loop and informed at all times. For instance, when my co-workers and I need each others help, input, or to relay information, we use our cell phones as we are normally separated through out the day. A simple phone call on the fly can remedy the most important moments of the day, like letting the people I am responsible for know what time the next meeting is, or where to meet at as information changes without warning most of the time.
As mentioned before, cell phones are a pain when they interrupt an important moment in the day , although, they are very convenient on multiple levels. People are very busy and I understand Fisher see’s cells as a nuisance, but for me, I would have missed out on some great opportunities without one. Like family events, or long lost friendships. I would never want to trade those moments just to sit at home alone starring at the ceiling, wondering where Mya went.
Dawn Blunk
HU090, Section A211.11.10
On a Cellular Level
In the essay “Cell Phones and Social Graces” Charles Fisher speaks of the many cases he witnessed a continuing cycle of rudeness from cell phone users and the “slavish” dependency, as he put it, human beings today have to stay accessible at all times. He begins comparing his traditional phone to the new cell phones pointing out the cons of cell‘s, like the roaming charges, or how people are charged when others call them, and how cell phones are often gargled or unclear when the user is in a certain area. Fisher then goes on to remember another moment of bad manners as a woman walking quickly, talking on her cell, walks past him ignoring him entirely. Fisher doesn’t bother to share salutations as she doesn‘t pay him any mind or acknowledgment that he is present. He goes on to talk about his own family’s trespasses as they have had a cell go off in the middle of a funeral eulogy . Along with this, Fisher spoke of a time a young man gave absolutely no recognition to the dean whom handed the young person his diploma on stage in front of hundreds of people as he graduated because he was too immersed in the conversation with his friend as he walked the stage. Cell phones can be a pain sometimes especially when they go off during formal settings, but personally an individual answering their phone in front of me isn’t discourteous, it may be important. In fact, cell phones keep me in touch with people more often than without one.
For one, with a cell phone it’s much easier to get in touch with friends than without one. In retrospective, when I was a child I had a companion named Shannon I lost contact with years ago when my immediate family and I left Germany for America. Seventeen years later Shannon contacted me on my cell phone. I found out she and her family moved to Ohio a few years after mine did. She looked my name up on the internet one day and found some of my fan art displayed on a comic book web site. She obtained my contact information from the site owners and called me out of the blue, I would have never imagined that happening to me in a million years. To this day we stay in contact on our cell phones as well as Facebook.
Next, cell phones keep me in contact with family and in the loop for family functions. Every holiday my family has a get together at either my aunt Linda’s house or at the Murry household. Me, I don’t remember any of these dates for family functions, and forget nearly every year. To remedy this my sister gives me a call as she has always been into “family togetherness” and staying in a close knit. Without her and her cell updates I would probably have been yet another stranger to my family by now.
Lastly, my cell keeps me in touch with my colleagues, and classmates keeping me in the loop and informed at all times. For instance, when my co-workers and I need each others help, input, or to relay information, we use our cell phones as we are normally separated through out the day. A simple phone call on the fly can remedy the most important moments of the day, like letting the people I am responsible for know what time the next meeting is, or where to meet at as information changes without warning most of the time.
As mentioned before, cell phones are a pain when they interrupt an important moment in the day , although, they are very convenient on multiple levels. People are very busy and I understand Fisher see’s cells as a nuisance, but for me, I would have missed out on some great opportunities without one. Like family events, or long lost friendships. I would never want to trade those moments just to sit at home alone starring at the ceiling, wondering where Mya went.
Friday, November 5, 2010
Journal 5 "Darkness at Noon" response essay Never Assume Anything
Marquise Nurse-Williams
English
Darkness at Noon Response Never Assume Anything
In Harold Krents’ essay “Darkness at Noon,” Krents reflects on the ways people treat him as a blind, handicapped member of society. He shares an example of how people assume he is not only blind but deaf as well. Krents also remembers a time when people assumed he needed an interpreter to translate what he is saying, which in fact annoyed him deeply insulting his intelligence as it was obvious he never needed one in the first place. I myself, haven’t the privilege to work with the physically or mentally challenged often in my time and lack the experiences to truly convey an understanding of their trials and tribulations. Nevertheless, on a serious note, I find the movies like The Eye, Forrest Gump, and also Rain Man open a window to their view of life with disabilities and the way people treat them in contrast to the treatment of a person without their quality.
One way the average human being may treat others with disabilities is assuming they are not intelligent people. For example, in the movie Forrest Gump, Forrest’s teacher insisted he could not attend school with the other children because his scores weren’t reaching the minimum of an average student. People assumed he would never amount to much of anything as a person with learning deficiencies. He proved the world he lived in wrong as he graduated from college, became a decorated war hero, met three different presidents for three different occasions and started his own company selling shrimp becoming a billionaire in the process . This story was fictional but a lot of fiction could be based on exaggerated events from the lives of real people. There are people with challenges who accomplish great things that many think could never happen for a person such as this.
Along with this, In Forrest Gump, he was treated differently because of his speech. Forrest spoke slowly and awkwardly. People around asked him “Are you stupid or something?” On multiple occasions. It’s an assumption people make off first impressions that made people treat him poorly and or disrespectfully.
Also, people treat the handicap differently by judging them by their looks, especially if the physical handicap is highly noticeable. For example, in the same movie Forrest was considered an outcast by his peers because of his legs and the awkward metal used to align his posture. The children wouldn’t give him a seat on the bus knowing absolutely nothing about him. Along with this, they would chase him on their bikes launching rocks at his backside as he ran down the dirt roads of Alabama. As it is well known, children as well as adults can be distastefully cruel toward others for frivolous reasons such as these.
The handicap are normally perceived by folks as dependant or incompetent by their peers just as Forrest was seen in his life time in the movie. Remarkably, he overcame his shortcomings just as many people do in real life. A lot of people assume the handicapped can’t take care of themselves, but they can be very independent of help. Jessica Alba shows just how independent the blind can be in the movie The Eye. She had a job as a violinist and maintained her own apartment. She got around with only a walking stick and her other senses. These are movies based on fictional characters but they reflect the perseverance of those with problems much greater than the norm.
English
Darkness at Noon Response Never Assume Anything
In Harold Krents’ essay “Darkness at Noon,” Krents reflects on the ways people treat him as a blind, handicapped member of society. He shares an example of how people assume he is not only blind but deaf as well. Krents also remembers a time when people assumed he needed an interpreter to translate what he is saying, which in fact annoyed him deeply insulting his intelligence as it was obvious he never needed one in the first place. I myself, haven’t the privilege to work with the physically or mentally challenged often in my time and lack the experiences to truly convey an understanding of their trials and tribulations. Nevertheless, on a serious note, I find the movies like The Eye, Forrest Gump, and also Rain Man open a window to their view of life with disabilities and the way people treat them in contrast to the treatment of a person without their quality.
One way the average human being may treat others with disabilities is assuming they are not intelligent people. For example, in the movie Forrest Gump, Forrest’s teacher insisted he could not attend school with the other children because his scores weren’t reaching the minimum of an average student. People assumed he would never amount to much of anything as a person with learning deficiencies. He proved the world he lived in wrong as he graduated from college, became a decorated war hero, met three different presidents for three different occasions and started his own company selling shrimp becoming a billionaire in the process . This story was fictional but a lot of fiction could be based on exaggerated events from the lives of real people. There are people with challenges who accomplish great things that many think could never happen for a person such as this.
Along with this, In Forrest Gump, he was treated differently because of his speech. Forrest spoke slowly and awkwardly. People around asked him “Are you stupid or something?” On multiple occasions. It’s an assumption people make off first impressions that made people treat him poorly and or disrespectfully.
Also, people treat the handicap differently by judging them by their looks, especially if the physical handicap is highly noticeable. For example, in the same movie Forrest was considered an outcast by his peers because of his legs and the awkward metal used to align his posture. The children wouldn’t give him a seat on the bus knowing absolutely nothing about him. Along with this, they would chase him on their bikes launching rocks at his backside as he ran down the dirt roads of Alabama. As it is well known, children as well as adults can be distastefully cruel toward others for frivolous reasons such as these.
The handicap are normally perceived by folks as dependant or incompetent by their peers just as Forrest was seen in his life time in the movie. Remarkably, he overcame his shortcomings just as many people do in real life. A lot of people assume the handicapped can’t take care of themselves, but they can be very independent of help. Jessica Alba shows just how independent the blind can be in the movie The Eye. She had a job as a violinist and maintained her own apartment. She got around with only a walking stick and her other senses. These are movies based on fictional characters but they reflect the perseverance of those with problems much greater than the norm.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Journal 4 “ So What’s So Bad about Being So - So?”
Marquise Nurse-Williams It’s All in Good Fun
In Lisa Wilson Strick’s article “ So What’s So Bad about Being So - So?” Stricks analyzes the spirit of competition and how it has effected the way kids spend their recreational time. She explains saying that “Unfortunately, doing things badly has gone out of style. It used to be a mark of class if a lady or a gentlemen sang a little, painted a little, played the violin a little….But in today’s competitive world we have to be “experts” - even in our hobbies.” In other words, people can’t have fun with hobbies anymore, they have to be the best or nothing at all. She shows an example of how an amateur jogger can’t go anywhere without being shown up by the “expert” marathon runners in their new high top sneakers, and full tack suits. Stricks then goes on to show how dancing has changed from a fun activity to a set of complex practices and exercises. Next Stricks gives an example of a young gymnast who is nervous about getting into the best gymnastics school. She finds she does nothing for fun and has absolutely no aspect of free time to engage in a fun hobby. Toward the end of the article, Stricks gives her solution that everyone should stop to smell the roses and take a break from that serious activity and enjoy something new or different for a moment. I agree with that notion, taking a breather to do something for kicks and giggles takes the stress away. I think Competition is inevitable when going for something important, like a job position. But when the spirit of competition is among friends in a friendly game of soccer it should stay friendly. My friend Jermall and I have always competed against each other in every video game we’ve ever played one on one, and as ridiculous as it sounds, sometimes it would end up in a negative attitude.
One game Jermall and I compete at is Tekken 6. It’s a martial arts game with about 40 characters to choose from with different martial art forms, and is a highly competitive fighter. We start out having a friendly game with a little smack talk like “Man, you weak fool!” or “ how bout this Dragon Punch to your face son!” also “Punk, you aren’t even worthy to take on my best character, you got to work your way up again!” As the competition progresses, he starts to get mad if I win, because I use to really suck at that game and never stood a chance against him before. I guess that stole his thunder. If he loses one too many times he becomes indifferent towards me for a while because of all the garbage talk the loser of the competition has to eat, then he’ll go back to normal after he licks his wounds from getting whooped on so bad.
In the end we always remember we’re boys, and we can’t let the competition to one up on each other get the best of us. We never forget our motto “Never forget the fourth grade homies.” Competition can cause a lot of negative vibes when it’s suppose to be for fun. I think people need to try to keep that in check when it starts to become serious in what is suppose to be a friendly test of skill. Especially Jermall, unless he wants another taste of this Dragon Punch son!
In Lisa Wilson Strick’s article “ So What’s So Bad about Being So - So?” Stricks analyzes the spirit of competition and how it has effected the way kids spend their recreational time. She explains saying that “Unfortunately, doing things badly has gone out of style. It used to be a mark of class if a lady or a gentlemen sang a little, painted a little, played the violin a little….But in today’s competitive world we have to be “experts” - even in our hobbies.” In other words, people can’t have fun with hobbies anymore, they have to be the best or nothing at all. She shows an example of how an amateur jogger can’t go anywhere without being shown up by the “expert” marathon runners in their new high top sneakers, and full tack suits. Stricks then goes on to show how dancing has changed from a fun activity to a set of complex practices and exercises. Next Stricks gives an example of a young gymnast who is nervous about getting into the best gymnastics school. She finds she does nothing for fun and has absolutely no aspect of free time to engage in a fun hobby. Toward the end of the article, Stricks gives her solution that everyone should stop to smell the roses and take a break from that serious activity and enjoy something new or different for a moment. I agree with that notion, taking a breather to do something for kicks and giggles takes the stress away. I think Competition is inevitable when going for something important, like a job position. But when the spirit of competition is among friends in a friendly game of soccer it should stay friendly. My friend Jermall and I have always competed against each other in every video game we’ve ever played one on one, and as ridiculous as it sounds, sometimes it would end up in a negative attitude.
One game Jermall and I compete at is Tekken 6. It’s a martial arts game with about 40 characters to choose from with different martial art forms, and is a highly competitive fighter. We start out having a friendly game with a little smack talk like “Man, you weak fool!” or “ how bout this Dragon Punch to your face son!” also “Punk, you aren’t even worthy to take on my best character, you got to work your way up again!” As the competition progresses, he starts to get mad if I win, because I use to really suck at that game and never stood a chance against him before. I guess that stole his thunder. If he loses one too many times he becomes indifferent towards me for a while because of all the garbage talk the loser of the competition has to eat, then he’ll go back to normal after he licks his wounds from getting whooped on so bad.
In the end we always remember we’re boys, and we can’t let the competition to one up on each other get the best of us. We never forget our motto “Never forget the fourth grade homies.” Competition can cause a lot of negative vibes when it’s suppose to be for fun. I think people need to try to keep that in check when it starts to become serious in what is suppose to be a friendly test of skill. Especially Jermall, unless he wants another taste of this Dragon Punch son!
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Unit 3: Journal #3 (Quindlen) Stuff Is Not Salvation response
Marquise Nurse-Williams
Stuff Is Not Salvation Response
10-20-10
Get Money!
In Anna Quindlen’s article, Stuff Is Not Salvation, she touches on the subject of American materialism and our desire for wants over needs. She starts off showing how crowds of people stampeded over a man who fell to the floor of a Wal-Mart store during a Black Friday sale, because they just needed get their grubby hands on that new microwave or television set for half the price. She goes on to speak of the national debt, as America falls into a trillion dollar credit card debt. Then she refers to how the average person’s cell phone only lasts about 16 months at the most, only because it has gone out of style. She then moves on to talk about the children and their want for the newest items in the toy commercials during Christmas and how they are unappreciated by Easter, collecting dust in the garage. As a solution, she finds the happiest people don’t rely on “stuff” or appliances to bring them happiness, but in fact she found a family in Pennsylvania that has learned to appreciate the small things. They kept their lives simple so that even the smallest gift would have meaning to it and wouldn’t be just another toy in the car hold. As an American citizen I find that Americans do put too much money into things they don’t need as people from other countries spend on necessity and rarely on what they want.
An example of American spending over necessity would involve my amazing cousin Ivor. He bought a $300,000 Rolls Royce with a house on the side on credit and while doing the payment he lost his job working in real estate. If he had any since, he would have bought a more practical car rather than something that he really didn’t need.
One example of how people are different in spending overseas, from my experience, was my time I got to spend with the foreign nationals Balad ,Iraq. They were people from all over the world. China, India, Russia, Yugoslavia and even Pakistan and they worked along side my coworkers and I. These people worked everyday with no days off for months to years at a time, for very low wages in a contracting gig called KBR. My buddy Kumar from India, told me the money he earns goes to his large family back home. It’s for food, water, shelter and nothing else. It was nearly the same situation for the rest of these people. When me and my American coworkers would give them birthday parties on the job and gifts, the smallest recognition for their time and effort meant the world to them. The job and the money it brought in meant everything to their families and their well being as well.
I find the American mentality to “keep up with the Kardashion’s” is a false salvation, as Quindlen proposes. Everyone wants to be on the top and in control, instead of feeling like they’re being lorded over I suppose. People believe money is what makes a person happy when in fact it’s the small things that people eventually learn makes a person happiest. Things like real family who would be there to help you when times get bad, or one real true friend over the hundreds pretending to be just that. Or even that special someone who would rather be with you than anyone else and those moments you get to spend with them. The all mighty dollar won’t buy these things, and many people in this blessed country forgot that. As Brian would say “We lost the values, but kept the weed…”
Stuff Is Not Salvation Response
10-20-10
Get Money!
In Anna Quindlen’s article, Stuff Is Not Salvation, she touches on the subject of American materialism and our desire for wants over needs. She starts off showing how crowds of people stampeded over a man who fell to the floor of a Wal-Mart store during a Black Friday sale, because they just needed get their grubby hands on that new microwave or television set for half the price. She goes on to speak of the national debt, as America falls into a trillion dollar credit card debt. Then she refers to how the average person’s cell phone only lasts about 16 months at the most, only because it has gone out of style. She then moves on to talk about the children and their want for the newest items in the toy commercials during Christmas and how they are unappreciated by Easter, collecting dust in the garage. As a solution, she finds the happiest people don’t rely on “stuff” or appliances to bring them happiness, but in fact she found a family in Pennsylvania that has learned to appreciate the small things. They kept their lives simple so that even the smallest gift would have meaning to it and wouldn’t be just another toy in the car hold. As an American citizen I find that Americans do put too much money into things they don’t need as people from other countries spend on necessity and rarely on what they want.
An example of American spending over necessity would involve my amazing cousin Ivor. He bought a $300,000 Rolls Royce with a house on the side on credit and while doing the payment he lost his job working in real estate. If he had any since, he would have bought a more practical car rather than something that he really didn’t need.
One example of how people are different in spending overseas, from my experience, was my time I got to spend with the foreign nationals Balad ,Iraq. They were people from all over the world. China, India, Russia, Yugoslavia and even Pakistan and they worked along side my coworkers and I. These people worked everyday with no days off for months to years at a time, for very low wages in a contracting gig called KBR. My buddy Kumar from India, told me the money he earns goes to his large family back home. It’s for food, water, shelter and nothing else. It was nearly the same situation for the rest of these people. When me and my American coworkers would give them birthday parties on the job and gifts, the smallest recognition for their time and effort meant the world to them. The job and the money it brought in meant everything to their families and their well being as well.
I find the American mentality to “keep up with the Kardashion’s” is a false salvation, as Quindlen proposes. Everyone wants to be on the top and in control, instead of feeling like they’re being lorded over I suppose. People believe money is what makes a person happy when in fact it’s the small things that people eventually learn makes a person happiest. Things like real family who would be there to help you when times get bad, or one real true friend over the hundreds pretending to be just that. Or even that special someone who would rather be with you than anyone else and those moments you get to spend with them. The all mighty dollar won’t buy these things, and many people in this blessed country forgot that. As Brian would say “We lost the values, but kept the weed…”
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Hella Late Intro (edited)
Hi, I'm Marq, I was born in Wiesbaden, Germany at Lindsey Air Force Base. I'm studying Media and Animation. Love art, always have. I'm Working as a security gaurd for a college and soon to be Staff Sargeant in the Air Force reserves. Personally, I try to be decent towards people, but I tend to keep to myself. I try to be talkative but I really don't have much to say, so please don't get offended if I don't spark a conversation every time. Good side to that is, I have a good ear if you have anything to say. Stay up, stay positive.
Assignment 2 Amy Tan, Fish Cheeks : For Shame Essay
Marquise Nurse-Williams For Shame
English
10-12-10
In Amy Tan’s article, Fish Cheeks, She wrote of an embarrassing moment in her life that she felt ashamed about. It was Christmas time at her families house among friends and relatives. Her family invited the minister of their church and his family over for dinner. Tan had a crush on the son of the minister, and felt she would be humiliated at dinner over the food her family had chosen to serve for this occasion since the minister and his son were of a different background. She was also demoralized on the differences of her families customs and courtesies at the dinner table as her dad let’s out a large belch at the end of the meal to show the cook he is satisfied. In the end her mother lets her know that she shouldn’t be ashamed of her background and it’s customs and courtesies. Tan eventually learns her lesson from this situation as she matures. I do not have any similar experiences such as this, but I have been embarrassed even though I know I shouldn’t have. My embarrassing moments started when I bought my first car.
First thing that embarrassed me about my car was that it was one of the smallest cars I’ve ever seen on the road, the 1996 Chevy Metro. There was only room for two people at the most, and it was still cramped inside to sit in. It didn’t even look like a full vehicle, kind of like the car Steve Urkel drove on Family Matters. When I’d park it in the parking lots outside a store I would have the hardest time just trying find it again because it was so small it could hide behind just about any other car.
Next, I was embarrassed of my cars unique deficiencies it came with. For example, it had a large crack in the front window that stretched as far as the eye could see. The radio was ripped out of socket, and the back seat had a big black stain that looked like blood. I’m still not sure what that stain was. It looked as though a robbery or murder had taken place before this car was up for sale in the lot.
Lastly, what bugged me about my car at the time was the simple fact that I compared my car to my sister and brother in-law’s vehicles. My sister had a sleek champagne colored Mercedes Benz at the time, and my brother in-law had bought a Lexus SC 430 convertible with ridiculously shiny, clean, cream colored exterior and leather interior. At family occasions they would pull up next to me and make my ride look like a toy.
At the time, I was a bit immature or possibly a little materialistic. When I look back and think about the idiosyncrasies I had toward my first car, it makes me laugh. I had no reason to be ashamed of that car. The insurance was dirt cheap, and it never gave me any mechanical problems. It got me where I needed to go for three years, and filling up at the pump was only a third in cost of any other car. After I fixed the window and radio it was an excellent car for me. I would have been smart to have kept it in the recession now that I think about it.
English
10-12-10
In Amy Tan’s article, Fish Cheeks, She wrote of an embarrassing moment in her life that she felt ashamed about. It was Christmas time at her families house among friends and relatives. Her family invited the minister of their church and his family over for dinner. Tan had a crush on the son of the minister, and felt she would be humiliated at dinner over the food her family had chosen to serve for this occasion since the minister and his son were of a different background. She was also demoralized on the differences of her families customs and courtesies at the dinner table as her dad let’s out a large belch at the end of the meal to show the cook he is satisfied. In the end her mother lets her know that she shouldn’t be ashamed of her background and it’s customs and courtesies. Tan eventually learns her lesson from this situation as she matures. I do not have any similar experiences such as this, but I have been embarrassed even though I know I shouldn’t have. My embarrassing moments started when I bought my first car.
First thing that embarrassed me about my car was that it was one of the smallest cars I’ve ever seen on the road, the 1996 Chevy Metro. There was only room for two people at the most, and it was still cramped inside to sit in. It didn’t even look like a full vehicle, kind of like the car Steve Urkel drove on Family Matters. When I’d park it in the parking lots outside a store I would have the hardest time just trying find it again because it was so small it could hide behind just about any other car.
Next, I was embarrassed of my cars unique deficiencies it came with. For example, it had a large crack in the front window that stretched as far as the eye could see. The radio was ripped out of socket, and the back seat had a big black stain that looked like blood. I’m still not sure what that stain was. It looked as though a robbery or murder had taken place before this car was up for sale in the lot.
Lastly, what bugged me about my car at the time was the simple fact that I compared my car to my sister and brother in-law’s vehicles. My sister had a sleek champagne colored Mercedes Benz at the time, and my brother in-law had bought a Lexus SC 430 convertible with ridiculously shiny, clean, cream colored exterior and leather interior. At family occasions they would pull up next to me and make my ride look like a toy.
At the time, I was a bit immature or possibly a little materialistic. When I look back and think about the idiosyncrasies I had toward my first car, it makes me laugh. I had no reason to be ashamed of that car. The insurance was dirt cheap, and it never gave me any mechanical problems. It got me where I needed to go for three years, and filling up at the pump was only a third in cost of any other car. After I fixed the window and radio it was an excellent car for me. I would have been smart to have kept it in the recession now that I think about it.
Assignment 1, Prompt1: Fired At Will (edited)
Marquise Nurse-Williams Fired At Will
Journal Entry 1
Prompt 1
10-9-10
Getting fired from a job can be, at times, unjustified and trivial. However, some reasons for an employer to fire a person can be totally and utterly justified morally and by law. Reasons such as an employee’s lack of attendance, physical assault, sexual harassment, and undeniable theft are but a few possible scenarios relating to why a person may as well lose his or her job.
For one, physical assault is one of the most guaranteed ways to lose a job. For example, a friend of mine got in a fight with a coworker at his job at Wal-Mart a few months ago. The coworker threw a large piece of wood at my buddy’s chest. He then retaliated later with a piece of wood at his coworker’s backside. As a result the coworker told the supervisor what happened and my friend was fired from his job.
There are many ways a person can lose his or her job. Physical assault, I find, is one the more serious reasons. It can start as a small quarrel between coworkers, and can end up as a life threatening shoot out. I think, a lot of these reasons are avoidable, yet some are inedible.
Journal Entry 1
Prompt 1
10-9-10
Getting fired from a job can be, at times, unjustified and trivial. However, some reasons for an employer to fire a person can be totally and utterly justified morally and by law. Reasons such as an employee’s lack of attendance, physical assault, sexual harassment, and undeniable theft are but a few possible scenarios relating to why a person may as well lose his or her job.
For one, physical assault is one of the most guaranteed ways to lose a job. For example, a friend of mine got in a fight with a coworker at his job at Wal-Mart a few months ago. The coworker threw a large piece of wood at my buddy’s chest. He then retaliated later with a piece of wood at his coworker’s backside. As a result the coworker told the supervisor what happened and my friend was fired from his job.
There are many ways a person can lose his or her job. Physical assault, I find, is one the more serious reasons. It can start as a small quarrel between coworkers, and can end up as a life threatening shoot out. I think, a lot of these reasons are avoidable, yet some are inedible.
Monday, October 4, 2010
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