"Marie Dedieu was a 66-year-old lady. She was
wheel-chair bound. She was suffering from cancer and from heart disease. She
needed daily medication. And when she was kidnapped from the island near Lamu,
she didn't have those medications with her," he said.
A 66 year old handicap woman was taken from her own home in
Kenya to Somalia. I do not understand why you would do that. The woman was completely
helpless and her health was not exactly in the best condition. I wonder how the
people who kidnapped her benefited from the situation. How did she improve
their lives? Why would they need to take her away from her home and deprive her
from her medication?
I tend to be more careful when I am around older people,
just because they are more fragile and sensitive. I would expect others to do
the same. I would expect them to at least kidnap a kid or something, whose
parents would pay to get them back. On top of that, the general public tends to
value the life of children more than that of the older generations due to the
fact that they have more years left ahead of them. This makes them feel
obligated to ensure that the kids are given the opportunity to live out their
lives and experience it for what it is.
Either way, I do not understand why people would kidnap
others in the first place. It does not solve anything or improve their lives.
They must be dealing with some serious psychological issues.
I am excited for the month of November. During the first
weekend, I am going to Portland, Oregon, which I am really excited about because
I have never been out of California. I wonder what it is going to be like
there. Although I would imagine it be different than it is here, I feel as
though it is going to be very similar.
During the second weekend, I am going up to UC Davis. I am
going to spend the whole weekend up there, which is cool because UC Davis is my
dream college at the moment. I am staying at my sister’s apartment, and she is
going to show me around. We are going to Old Sac Town, which has a western
theme to it. It is really cool cause it is unlike most places in California
today. It is basically just a town that was never modernized. I think it is
kind of cool to see how things used to be. On top of that, she is giving us a
tour of the college.
Not long after that is Thanksgiving break. About time it
came around. A week away from school, away from work, except that is not
exactly true because teachers always assign homework. What is the point in a
break if they are just going to assign us work that we would do in class? We might
as well be going to school. Oh well, I would rather be doing work at home when
I feel like it than waking up early and going to school.
Each person on this
planet has different values in life. A person can value any aspect in their
life that they feel is completely necessary to live their own vision of a
fulfilled life. A person's values can ultimately decide the path to where their
life is headed. – Kevin Jang
I completely agree with Kevin. The prioritiesyou have and what you value is what determines what path you go down in
your life. Two people could grow up in the same environment, given the same
tools and benefits, but end up in two separate places. The difference is how
they choose to adapt to their environment, how they react to it, and how they
use it to their benefit.
What are some of your values?
I value my time. We all have 24 hours in a day, but what we
do with those twenty four hours shifts where we are headed and how far we have
gone. I value my close friends. Good friends are hard to come across. It is
really disappointing how many people you have to become friends with and interact
with, just to realize that they were not who you thought they were and are not
as dependable as you would like them to be. So, when you realize who your good
friends are, hold onto them and do not take them for granted. I value trust.
When I turn to people for help, or vice versa, I expect them to keep it
confidential. When others turn to me, I do the same because that is what I
would like. When a person really needs me, I don’t take it so lightly.
I was browsing through Google Reader when I came across Linde Huang’s blog. Check out some points she made.
Time is passing. I hear everyone stressing about college. About where they want to go and what they want to be.
I completely agree with her. It is that time of year that all seniors dread and hope to never come, but time to wake up and face reality, it is time to apply for colleges and begin to think about our future. Of course we have thought about it or brushed upon it before, but we never had to make a decision that may impact us greatly. The colleges that we will be attending will determine what kind of education we receive, the type of people we run into, and what career paths will be engraved in our lives. There is the constant pressure of receiving admission into the schools that is accepted by our peers. Sometimes, it feels like we are going to a college more for them than ourselves, or at least that is how I feel. Am I the only one who feels that way? I doubt it.
I started doing UC applications last night and it was lightweight nerve-wrecking. What I would be putting down in the applications is what will determine whether or not I will have the opportunity to attend the school in the fall. What if I say the wrong thing? What if I do not say what I should? There are so many “What if”s and “Should I”s. I wish we could skip this part of our senior year and fast forward to the time where we receive our acceptance, or rejection, letters. The wait time between the time we enter in our applications and when we receive notice of the results will be so stressful to deal with. I just want to get it over with.
Bhutan's 31-year-old king has married a student 10 years his junior in a colourful ceremony that has seen the remote Himalayan nation declare three-days of national holiday to honour the event.
After a brief purification ceremony, the couple walked hand-in-hand, smiling to the inner sanctum of the monastery where an hour of blessings, prostrations and prayers culminated with the queen taking the throne.
Yet again, another royal wedding captures the attention of many across the globe. Many are amazed and awed by the extravagant customs that other nations have. American weddings seem so simple and plain compared to the weddings of other nations; however, that may just be due to the fact that we are used to the ceremony and are familiar with it, so it does not seem as special. I wonder if those in other countries look at our weddings and are just as amazed as we are when we view their wedding ceremonies. It seems like the wedding ceremonies in other nations are so much more intricate and detailed than that of American weddings. On the other hand, one must keep in mind that it was a royal wedding, which has a lot more emphasis on the couple and may require more steps than their average weddings. Can you imagine having your wedding public to the entire world, having it photographed and published for billions to see?
In addition to an overly flamboyant wedding, the female who takes part in the ceremony is not only getting married and tying the knot with her fiance, but she is taking the throne along with him. I can’t even begin to imagine what it would be like to be responsible for ruling and keeping order in a nation. I probably would not be able to take responsibility and take charge for the Senior class itself. Taking on a role so grand must be intimidating.
Senior year is supposed to be your best, easiest, and most
fun year out of your high school experience. Well, so far I am not feeling it.
Maybe it will kick in second semester when college applications are over and
grades do not matter as much anymore. Honestly, I am so done with school. My
motivation to do well and get work done has gone down so much. I struggle to
bring myself to complete homework assignments or study for tests, especially
since I was never exactly the best studier in the first place. Senioritis is
definitely kicking in my system, and it is taking over my mind. I just want to
skip to the senior events that we should be enjoying.
I want to experience
Senior Picnic, Senior Ball and Graduation. They are the only things I have to
look forward to in school now. I guess that once everything about college blows
over, this year will be good. I can’t wait for the summer-a summer free of
summer assignments and studying for upcoming tests, such as SATs or ridiculous
and unnecessary tests on the first day of school. I am excited for the day that
all the seniors get together, go somewhere together and just have fun. I can’t
wait to see all the seniors dressed up again in formal wear, spending the night
together and not caring about homework or tests because it is OUR night.
Finally, I can’t wait for the day where all our hard work pays off, and we
finally get to branch off in our different directions, inching towards our
future goals, seeing how far we have come. Although things are not fun at the
moment, it will be worth it when some of weight on our shoulders is loaded off
and done with.
In our society today, many companies across the globe are
advertising their stores and luring in new customers by using a different type
of tactic than one would expect. These companies shape their methods to the
image that they would like to protect to the general public. In this case, we
are discussing who is offered a job in the stores and how those particular
people would improve the sales rates for the company and attract more
customers. Marshal Cohen feels that the need for these types of people as
employees are essential to a store’s success.
What is an employee at stores anyway? The definition of an
employee can be interpreted in several ways. To the customers, they are
assistants there to help them find something within the store and people who
keep the store in order. To industry experts, they are “walking billboards” of
the store’s merchandise and desired image. Cohen is one of those industry
experts who believe that employees are a way of advertising. I disagree with
his perspective.
When I go shopping at a store, I could care less about who
is working in there as long as they provide me with good customer service and
have me leaving happy. I do not care what race the employee is. Neither do I
care what gender they are. All these extra factors pertaining to their
appearance is irrelevant to me. I could have a colored person, or white person,
with bright pink hair and tattoos everywhere help me with my shopping
experience. As long as that person treats me with respect and genuinely wants
to help me make my shopping experience a good one, then I am fine with the
employee; I would be more than okay with the employee placed in the store that
I shop at. I do not shop at a store
because their employees are good-looking. A good example of these industries is
Abercrombie and Fitch. I admit that some of their employees are good-looking
and do grab my attention, but that does not mean that I am going to make a
purchase there.
What these companies are basically trying to say is,” You
can become attractive like us if you start purchasing our clothing and
accessories.” That is not true at all. Wearing their clothes will not give you
a well-built body packed with a decent amount of muscle. Neither does it give
you a flat stomach, perfect hair, nice skin, or good facial features. The
workers and models are attractive because they were born with the good genes,
not because they began to wear Abercrombie and Fitch. What if, and keep in mind
that I am just saying this for argument’s sake, the clothing in the store was
ugly? Let’s say that Abercrombie and Fitch is next to Forever 21. There are
many differences between the two stores. First, Forever 21’s clothing is much
better than the clothing offered at Abercrombie and Fitch. Second, due to the
fact that Abercrombie and Fitch’s belief that their clothing is what makes
people attractive, Abercrombie and Fitch’s prices are three times what the
prices at Forever 21 are. Finally, Abercrombie and Fitch has hired better
looking workers there, but Forever 21 employees provide better customer
service. Where do you think most people would go? Most people would go to
Forever 21 because they have better products, can get more for their money’s
worth, and have better employees.
Another point that Cohen brings up is that “Retailers defend
the approach to hiring based on image is necessary and smart (…).” Yet again, I
strongly disagree to his opinion. Customers want good products that they can
leave with, not attractive workers in stores who they will probably never see
again. In addition to that point, when customers find out about the method that
the companies are using, then they may turn against the company and believe
that what they are doing is not moral. It is not okay to hire people based on
image because that leads to who the companies are not hiring. When stores are
hiring based on image, they run into several discriminations: race, gender,
religion, or disability. When the public discovers these intentions they will
turn against the company and the company will become infamous. When customers
find out that the company does not view them as attractive due to their
physical features, their self-esteem will go down every time they enter the
store. To them, the store will fill up with a bad vibe every time they make a
visit.
On top of the customers who are visiting these stores,
imagine how the employees feel. We are not discussing the attractive employees
that are at the front of the store interacting with people, but the not so
attractive employees that are placed in the back working with the inventory in
the stock room. Imagine working with a company, only to discover that the
reason you are not placed in the front is that you are not attractive and do
not fit the criteria of what they want as their image. These people will want
to quit their jobs and find employment elsewhere. This will harm the company
due to lack of employees. Let’s say that the company decides to hire more
people who are attractive to replace those who quit and were not attractive.
Since the company is hiring based on their physical appearance only, they are
not getting quality employees. What if these employees are more likely to make
mistakes that affect the company negatively?
Although companies do have the right to decide who they do
or do not hire, there is a point where it is no longer okay. One should be
hired due to good work ethic or experience, not physical appearance. Hiring
based on image is not going to dramatically increase sales. If anything, these
stores are harming themselves in the long run with this analysis. Keep in mind
that some of the things I said in this essay were said just to make a point and
may not necessarily be true.
I was looking through Google Reader when I came across this video on this incredible rugby player.
Six-and-a-half years ago under-21 England rugby player Matt
Hampson was paralysed from the neck down while taking part in a scrum. However,
despite the horrific injury he refused to turn away from the sport and decided
to raise money for others who have suffered sporting injuries. Al Jazeera's Lee
Wellings reports.
I have never loved something so much that I would refuse to
pull away from it even after a serious injury. I can only imagine how Matt
Hampson feels. First off, I would like to reiterate how he was paralyzed from
the neck down for participating in the rugby match. Before I was allowed to
take part in the Alameda Islanders Rugby Club, I had to sign papers that said
that I was aware of the possible injuries that could happen during a game.
Although they listed serious injuries, I thought of them as rare occasions that
almost never happen, yet here is a story of a man to whom it was occurred to
and who is helping others affected by those problems as well.
I find it really inspiring that he continues to place
himself in the rugby environment. On top of that, he is placing his attention
on those who have been seriously injured by sports. If I were placed in his
situation, I would not want to look at rugby anymore. I would blame rugby for
my injury and convince myself that it would have been best if I never took part
in it at all. I admire him for turning his experience into inspiration for
others and helping those in need.
Stupid mistakes on tests have always been a re-occurring factor in my
test-taking over the years, and it sucks that even though a lot of
people get the concept, their grade is drastically changed because of a
few little errors that contributed to a loss of a ton of points.
As he mentioned in his blog, many students are sick of this. It sucks how
much we may study, or how much we practice for tests and quizzes and still end
up receiving a less than satisfying grade. It is not even that we do not
or cannot grasp the concepts, it is the little mistakes that get us the
most.
In my situation, this occurs the most in math. I am taking AP Calculus and
it seems like everything has to be so precise! It sucks because I suck at
remembering what seems like intricate details. I might get a few points taken
off due to the way I worded my answer, or even in what form I presented it.
I recently got one of my quizzes back and I lost a total of
12 points because my calculator messed up my answer. Everything I did was
correct: the way I inputted the equation, the steps I took, the values I
searched for. However, that did not matter because my calculator did not give
me the right answer. I was off by a few decimal places. A few decimal places. I
lost the potential 12 points because my calculator was off. That is a whole
letter grade. Whatever, not like I need to pass, right? Sarcasm. I hate tests.
I wish that when it came down to it, things were not so exact and things did
not need to be so accurate. I wish that as long as we got the process down, we
passed.
