I decided to write about my old neighborhood in Ithaca, NY and a little about my neighborhood in Lansing, NY.
1. Some words to describe my neighborhood would be small city, urban, eclectic, new age hippy, green. Outsiders would probably hear a wide range of sounds, including people talking and shouting, music ranging from The Beatles to Pink Floyd. Some things to see would be the inlet across the street, ducks, the trees, and the busy traffic down the road. In my neighborhood, I am proud of how diverse people are, and there is little to no discrimination. However, I wish that our neighborhood was better off financially, and that there wasn't a disgusting building across the inlet. In general, though, people would quite enjoy visiting my neighborhood because of the closeness of downtown and the nice walk down the shore of the inlet. These facts would be things I would try to make people see, despite the hardships we faced.
2. Ithaca began changing in the 1950's when economic pressures caused urbanization of the area.
Part of Lansing used to be known as Libertyville. Rogue's Harbor Inn, South Lansing, a stop on the Underground Railroad and a speakeasy during Prohibition. http://www.historicithaca.org/2009/09/10/rogues-harbor-inn-listed-on-national-register-of-historic-places/
http://www.roguesharbor.com/history
Because Lansing is such a small town and there is no actual main street or center of town, many initiatives have been started by volunteers and members of the Lansing Community Council to bring attractions to the town. For example, the Lansing Harbor Festival, Farmers' Market (reflective of the Ithaca Farmers' Market), and many public events at the Lansing Community Library.
3. The projects had provided a safer place to live, as well as jobs for African Americans in the 1940s when African Americans were severely discriminated against otherwise.
4. My "universe of obligation" would certainly be my family. I have two nephews, soon three, who I adore and would do anything for. I love them so much, and I feel a great responsibility to my sister to help care for them. This goes for anyone in my family; we are all very close to each other.
5. The "universe of obligation" for the city of Chicago in the 1940s seemed to be a bit hypocritical. At the same time that the government was encouraging employers, landlords, etc to discriminate against African Americans, they wanted to protect them as well. They did this by creating housing projects such as the Ida B. Wells. Although the city considered their efforts great, they did not do much to positively influence the housing projects, and the situations became worse.
tirsdag den 8. november 2011
søndag den 30. oktober 2011
mandag den 24. oktober 2011
Midsemester Grades!
So my midsemester grade report looks like this:
Academic Writing I- S+
Self and World- S+
Personal Health- S
Intermediate Algebra- S
Psychology 103- S-
My reaction to this:
I am not surprised by my first two grades, I think I am doing very well in those two classes so far. However, I should have the same grades for Personal health and Intermediate algebra. For example, the last time I checked my points total for my health class, I had almost 20 points over the maximum amount possible. But I still only have an S? I also participate in every class and I have not missed a class. Same with algebra. I have only had one quiz in which I had one point taken off. The only thing I can think of is the test we had, which I'll admit I didn't do so well on. Still, I have not missed a quiz, I have participated, and I only missed one class, but still made it up. I'll be honest, I know I'm not doing so well in Psychology. However, I have done most of the bonus point assignments available so far. But I guess that's not enough. I still have the research paper which I can go above and beyond with, plus some more bonus assignments and the final exam. I aim to do top notch work the rest of the semester in this class.
My goal for the rest of the semester is to have improved all of my grades. Even the S+ grades. I want to succeed here so that I can have an easier time transferring schools and getting into the program I want. Also, the scholarships would be nice. I'm still working on improving my time management and getting more sleep. :)
Academic Writing I- S+
Self and World- S+
Personal Health- S
Intermediate Algebra- S
Psychology 103- S-
My reaction to this:
I am not surprised by my first two grades, I think I am doing very well in those two classes so far. However, I should have the same grades for Personal health and Intermediate algebra. For example, the last time I checked my points total for my health class, I had almost 20 points over the maximum amount possible. But I still only have an S? I also participate in every class and I have not missed a class. Same with algebra. I have only had one quiz in which I had one point taken off. The only thing I can think of is the test we had, which I'll admit I didn't do so well on. Still, I have not missed a quiz, I have participated, and I only missed one class, but still made it up. I'll be honest, I know I'm not doing so well in Psychology. However, I have done most of the bonus point assignments available so far. But I guess that's not enough. I still have the research paper which I can go above and beyond with, plus some more bonus assignments and the final exam. I aim to do top notch work the rest of the semester in this class.
My goal for the rest of the semester is to have improved all of my grades. Even the S+ grades. I want to succeed here so that I can have an easier time transferring schools and getting into the program I want. Also, the scholarships would be nice. I'm still working on improving my time management and getting more sleep. :)
torsdag den 20. oktober 2011
Reaction to The Bystander Effect
This article on "the bystander effect" gave me a whole new insight into how and why people sometimes will not intervene in a dangerous situation. My first reaction was, how could someone just stand there while someone is being stabbed, raped, or violently arguing with another person? I would definitely call for someone, such as the police, if it was me witnessing the attack. It makes me sad about the story of Genovese. 38 people witnessed her being murdered, and no one did a thing to stop it. She was being stabbed!! Hardly something to react to by saying "I was tired." Please, she died because you were tired. That just makes me mad. And about the story of the woman being raped. Even if I thought it was her boyfriend, if she was screaming for help I would certainly help in anyway possible. I'm a small person, but that won't stop me from at least calling the police.
However, after reading about the psychological factors of the bystander effect, I guess I can understand some situations in which a person might not be sure of what to do. If I were to put myself in a group bystander situation, I suppose I would be confused mostly. After the initial shock and/or confusion, I would probably ask another person what is going on. If they don't know, that would be my cue to get help. Of course, you can't just go into a situation and try to stop it if you don't know all the facts. On the other hand, it might be too late.
One example of an attack that did not involve the bystander effect described in the article occurred in Tucson, Arizona earlier this year. On January 8, 2011, a man shot at congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, as well as many other people. While this was happening, a man walked out of the Safeway store, right next to where Gabrielle was giving her speech. This man was carrying a gun himself. However, instead of just taking his gun out and shooting at who he thought might be the attacker, he stopped and observed what was going on to make sure he knew just who was the attacker. Because, at this point there were several people with their guns out trying to stop the man. While someone went to call for the police, he managed to help stop this man from shooting more people. He was very smart, in my opinion.
If studied enough, people would not fall victim to the bystander effect, and maybe be able to save a victim of a horrible crime. I now know what occurs during this event, and how to prevent it.
However, after reading about the psychological factors of the bystander effect, I guess I can understand some situations in which a person might not be sure of what to do. If I were to put myself in a group bystander situation, I suppose I would be confused mostly. After the initial shock and/or confusion, I would probably ask another person what is going on. If they don't know, that would be my cue to get help. Of course, you can't just go into a situation and try to stop it if you don't know all the facts. On the other hand, it might be too late.
One example of an attack that did not involve the bystander effect described in the article occurred in Tucson, Arizona earlier this year. On January 8, 2011, a man shot at congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, as well as many other people. While this was happening, a man walked out of the Safeway store, right next to where Gabrielle was giving her speech. This man was carrying a gun himself. However, instead of just taking his gun out and shooting at who he thought might be the attacker, he stopped and observed what was going on to make sure he knew just who was the attacker. Because, at this point there were several people with their guns out trying to stop the man. While someone went to call for the police, he managed to help stop this man from shooting more people. He was very smart, in my opinion.
If studied enough, people would not fall victim to the bystander effect, and maybe be able to save a victim of a horrible crime. I now know what occurs during this event, and how to prevent it.
torsdag den 13. oktober 2011
My Reaction to the Alcohol & Drug Presentation
This presentation gave me quite an insight into the causes and effects of alcohol and drugs. It was centered mostly on alcohol, which I believe is actually more of a problem than any of the illegal drugs that some people use.
During the presentation, I began thinking about where my friends, family, and/or I would fit into the causes and effects of alcohol. It made me think of problems some of my friends or even I have faced regarding alcohol and its abuse. I have been a peer educator in high school, talking about the effects of drugs and alcohol to my younger peers. However, there were many parts of this presentation that I had never learned in my peer education training sessions. For example, the reasons for people to drink. Why would someone want to drink alcohol if it can have such negative effects? I also learned the line between using, abusing, and being dependent on alcohol. These were subjects I had never even realized. There are actually some fine lines between abusing alcohol (sometimes only on occasion), and being dependent, or an alcoholic.
I also really liked the fact that we could share our own experiences on alcohol. We were able to look at our own lives and discuss the effects that some of these incidents had on our relationships. I could have told many stories of alcohol abuse among young people in Denmark and most of Europe, but we might have been there for a while. However, in a way it's a good thing for having a low drinking age; 16 years old. This way, teenagers are more responsible about drinking by the time they are able to drive; 18 years old. Here in the U.S., we have a problem with binge drinking, one very obvious reason being the late drinking age. Once young people hit 21 years of age, many do not know how to control themselves around alcohol because they have never experienced the effects. I feel that the presentation could have covered this topic shortly, and I could have made a strong, first-hand point of this truth. A lot of the problems we talked about during this presentation regarding binge drinking and abuse of alcohol revolves around the late drinking age we have in this country. I think young people need to realize this and parents especially need to know that it's OK to let their teenagers drink a glass of wine at dinner. This will help them learn how to drink responsibly if they so choose to drink at all.
Politicians believe they have lowered the drinking and driving casualties by raising the drinking age to 21 in the 1980's. However, it only increased binge drinking and did not do much to lower D.U.I.s. The U.S. needs to take a lesson from European and other countries when it comes to alcohol abuse and what the reason for it might be.
Overall, I very much enjoyed the presentation and gained a lot of knowledge from it. With this new knowledge I can now make positive choices as well as be there to help a friend who may have a problem with alcohol and/or drugs.
During the presentation, I began thinking about where my friends, family, and/or I would fit into the causes and effects of alcohol. It made me think of problems some of my friends or even I have faced regarding alcohol and its abuse. I have been a peer educator in high school, talking about the effects of drugs and alcohol to my younger peers. However, there were many parts of this presentation that I had never learned in my peer education training sessions. For example, the reasons for people to drink. Why would someone want to drink alcohol if it can have such negative effects? I also learned the line between using, abusing, and being dependent on alcohol. These were subjects I had never even realized. There are actually some fine lines between abusing alcohol (sometimes only on occasion), and being dependent, or an alcoholic.
I also really liked the fact that we could share our own experiences on alcohol. We were able to look at our own lives and discuss the effects that some of these incidents had on our relationships. I could have told many stories of alcohol abuse among young people in Denmark and most of Europe, but we might have been there for a while. However, in a way it's a good thing for having a low drinking age; 16 years old. This way, teenagers are more responsible about drinking by the time they are able to drive; 18 years old. Here in the U.S., we have a problem with binge drinking, one very obvious reason being the late drinking age. Once young people hit 21 years of age, many do not know how to control themselves around alcohol because they have never experienced the effects. I feel that the presentation could have covered this topic shortly, and I could have made a strong, first-hand point of this truth. A lot of the problems we talked about during this presentation regarding binge drinking and abuse of alcohol revolves around the late drinking age we have in this country. I think young people need to realize this and parents especially need to know that it's OK to let their teenagers drink a glass of wine at dinner. This will help them learn how to drink responsibly if they so choose to drink at all.
Politicians believe they have lowered the drinking and driving casualties by raising the drinking age to 21 in the 1980's. However, it only increased binge drinking and did not do much to lower D.U.I.s. The U.S. needs to take a lesson from European and other countries when it comes to alcohol abuse and what the reason for it might be.
Overall, I very much enjoyed the presentation and gained a lot of knowledge from it. With this new knowledge I can now make positive choices as well as be there to help a friend who may have a problem with alcohol and/or drugs.
tirsdag den 20. september 2011
Memories of 9/11
A little over a week ago, the nation celebrated (right word?) the 10th anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attacks. Whether or not you had family members lost in the attack, we all felt the effects of this moment in history. Some people probably chose to not acknowledge the event, some probably chose to hold a memorial for those who were lost or affected in some way. Some people probably took a moment to reflect on the memories they still hold.
On September 11, 2001, I was a fourth grader. I was 9 years old. As foggy as my memory tends to be, I can still vaguely remember what happened on that day. At some point during the school day, my mother and sister came to pick me up. The five minute ride home consisted of them vigorously discussing some disaster that was occuring. Me, being a naive little girl, had no idea what they could possibly be talking about. They mentioned having to turn on the news as soon as we got home. So that's what we did. We sat there, and on the television screen was a video of the world trade towers up in flames and smoke. The news anchors were frantically spewing out information on what was going on as it was going on. Two airplanes had crashed into the towers, apparently hijacked by a group of men. At about the same time, another plane had crashed into the pentagon in Washinton D.C., also a case of hijacking. A fourth plane had crashed into a field somewhere. Although I was young at the time, I still remember my parents and sisters fixing their attention on that television, no words coming out of their mouths, a look of shock on their faces. It was a moment that I couldn't quite understand at the time, but came to understand. On the 10th anniversary of this tragic event, I still take a moment to honor those who were lost in the attacks and those who were affected in some way, even though I was not.
On September 11, 2001, I was a fourth grader. I was 9 years old. As foggy as my memory tends to be, I can still vaguely remember what happened on that day. At some point during the school day, my mother and sister came to pick me up. The five minute ride home consisted of them vigorously discussing some disaster that was occuring. Me, being a naive little girl, had no idea what they could possibly be talking about. They mentioned having to turn on the news as soon as we got home. So that's what we did. We sat there, and on the television screen was a video of the world trade towers up in flames and smoke. The news anchors were frantically spewing out information on what was going on as it was going on. Two airplanes had crashed into the towers, apparently hijacked by a group of men. At about the same time, another plane had crashed into the pentagon in Washinton D.C., also a case of hijacking. A fourth plane had crashed into a field somewhere. Although I was young at the time, I still remember my parents and sisters fixing their attention on that television, no words coming out of their mouths, a look of shock on their faces. It was a moment that I couldn't quite understand at the time, but came to understand. On the 10th anniversary of this tragic event, I still take a moment to honor those who were lost in the attacks and those who were affected in some way, even though I was not.
News on my first few weeks of school
Now that we're into the 4th week of the fall semester, I have some feelings on how I am progressing. There have been some pretty great moments and some low moments. I would certainly say that the work load hasn't been as heavy or stressful as I had originally imagined. Now it's a different story. I am finally learning how to manage my time and get my priorities straight. It's still a work in progress, but I'll get there eventually. The hardest part by far has been getting to school and work in a timely manner and squeezing in homework and studying in between. Although all of my classes are going pretty smoothly, the personal health class has been somewhat of a problem. Not only is it hard to pay attention to the teacher's lectures, but the assignments are confusing. This may be due to the fact that the teacher's explanations are vague and hard to follow.
On the flip side, I am happy to wake up at the crack of dawn to get to my 8 o'clock Psychology class. This is most certainly my favorite class. The teacher is nice, thorough in her lectures, detailed about the assignments, and very helpful with questions. The coursework is interesting and I can actually apply it to my life. I also enjoy my freshman seminar class because it gives me a chance to take a breather and discuss how school is going. I can also dive into the issues that are most pressing in society and take a deeper look at my own life and how it compares to others.
The steps that I am taking to improve my time management are making appointments for study sessions, learning how to cut down on procrastination, and keeping an organized calender and tasks list. I guess we shall see how well it works out.... :)
On the flip side, I am happy to wake up at the crack of dawn to get to my 8 o'clock Psychology class. This is most certainly my favorite class. The teacher is nice, thorough in her lectures, detailed about the assignments, and very helpful with questions. The coursework is interesting and I can actually apply it to my life. I also enjoy my freshman seminar class because it gives me a chance to take a breather and discuss how school is going. I can also dive into the issues that are most pressing in society and take a deeper look at my own life and how it compares to others.
The steps that I am taking to improve my time management are making appointments for study sessions, learning how to cut down on procrastination, and keeping an organized calender and tasks list. I guess we shall see how well it works out.... :)
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