What do you think?

Throughout the graphic novel "Persepolis" we've watched Marjane grow up over the years. We've seen her conquer many trials and obstacles but she turned out alright. In the book she changed as she grew up which is completely natural, but her appearance was altered because of what people thought of her and what she thought of herself. What did you think of yourself before bridge...and what do you think of yourself now?...

Moving on in life

In the book True Notebooks, these young guys have endured a lot of problems in life. To them they feel like they have failed, and are worthless at times. I know sometimes in life we may feel like we have failed at things, making us loose hope. What do you do to not loose complete hope and to strive to keep going in life, what do you tell yourself to say motivated and positive about bad situations?

We almost there!

Hey everybody! This is the last week for Bridge Program 2010! Now that we are nearing the end we have to try extra hard to get our work done and show that college ready behavior! I don't know about you but I am excited for this last week! Tell me what are you looking forward too and or excited about with this Fall. Whats your major? Come on folks tell me about yourselves!

We're pulling OUT of IRAQ!!!

I dont know to what extent you know about our countrys was against Iraq. But in short, its pointless and our President, Barack Obama seems to agree. According to him; We will be pulling out of Iraq by the end of this month! The last "strker brigade" which is a fancy term for our U.S Troops, is set to end combat operations again, by the end of this month, August 31st. This is HUGE. With this done, out country will have more money for our own resources and etc. How do you feel about this? Does this make you appreciate and believe in our President more and give you hope that he will continue to manifest and make our country better? Or what do you think his chances are of earning another term at election 2012 with the progress that he has made?

The Genocide In Darfur

International Humanitarian Law

If you were at all curious about international law regarding human rights, this website can explain more:
http://www.icrc.org/ihl

Darfur Genocide

With the One Million Bones project in mind for next Thursday, it may be important to become more familiar with the idea of genocide and how it is affecting the world even to this day. We have already taken some time to watch a video on the genocide taking place in Darfur. The following statistics on Darfur were borrowed from Danielle's and Steve's course blog (they are another Bridge class).

1. Over the past five years, over 400,000 Darfurian civilians have been killed.
2. 150,000 people have died directly from acts of violence in Darfur.
3. 90% of the villages of Darfur’s targeted ethnic groups have been destroyed.
4. 97% of these killings have been against innocent civilians and executed by militia groups instructed by the government.
5. 80 infants die each day in Darfur due to a lack of proper nutrition
6. 80% of those displaced are women and young girls who are consistently the victims of sexual violence and abducted into sexual slavery
7. Humanitarian refugee camps in Chad and Sudan are overcrowded, disease infested, and prone to attacks.
8. 2.8 million people have been displaced within Sudan.
9. 250,000 people have fled Darfur, mainly to Chad where they are facing further violence.
10. Despite an abundance of oil and other natural resources, the vast majority of Sudan’s people live in poverty, and its Government has been described as ‘the most repressive regime in the world’.

At this website, there is a selection of poems written about Darfur:

http://www.thehypertexts.com/For%20Darfur%20Poets%20Poetry%20Literature%20Art%20Genocide.htm

Take some time to read through some of the poems. This shouldn't be too unfamiliar since we have read a couple poems in class already. After reading through, find one that particularly resonates with you and write a response. If you'd like, you can include the poem in your own post.

When you get done with your response, continue responding to your classmate's.

Staying Sane

In our Monday lecture, the speaker talked about how creative people are more likely to suffer from depression and have thoughts of suicide. In true notebooks a lot of the characters say that one of the main reasons behind why they like to write is because it helps them escape from prison life and keep their heads up. Do you feel like you have your own creative "escape" from stresses such as the inmate's passion for writing?

It's Time to Grow Up

In True Notebooks the boys are like us in a way they're on their own. See me I always had someone there for me. Would being on your own be a hard thing to do? Do you really think you are ready for this college life? Are you ready to grow up?

This is just a senario to better know my peers...If a stumbled upon a magic lamp and powerful Genie appeared and offered you three wishes of anything...what would you wish for?---there are a few exceptions...you can not wish for anyone to return from the dead or for anyones decease, you cant wish anything that may hurt of harm people animals or enviroments. with that being said, what three things would you wish for?

jay z - Intro - American Gangster

Gangs

Living in Chicago, a lot of us know theres a very violent underworld that sometimes spills over into our everyday lives. Its no secret, that many gangs and mobsters originate here. But gangs and criminal organizations have expanded all over the globe. Although living in city with high gang notoriety, Ive notice a lot of times people are stereotyped based of their appearance. Even though alot of the real gangsters arent even on the street,many of them are in government . This made me want to ask, what does a gangster or gang banger really look like?

Are...You...READY?

In my book Persepolis, Marjane is sent by her parents to Austria for a better life. she undergoes a serious change and has to learn to adapt to an all new life; just like we are in college. believe it or not, we are going through a major transition in our lives. college is a entirely new frontier and we must be ready for the challenge. how will you prepare yourself for the challenges ahead? would you need to change anything about yourself to adapt to this new enviroment called college?

personal blog

Life... its a hard long road to a destiny that none of us has reached yet. many battles you will come to face and many struggles that long await. many loved ones you will come to embrace and many creations that you are destinied to create. what do you think your future as in store for you?

C H A N G E

As we all know change is inevitable. Doing this scavenger hunt having a theme of change made me think of the changes overall that we as Americans face as a whole. With our country in an aimless war and the BIG issue with immigration not to mention our citys budget deficit. With all these things going on we still have to manage to get through the day and live our life as if it doesnt directly affect us, though in many unobvious ways they do. i.e our ability to get loans or our ability to gain housing and benefits (whats left from the illegal immigrants). Thinking about all of these apprehensions what are you doing as a person to contribute to the betterment of our situations?

What did I do wrong?

Have you ever been in an area where the residents or natives looked at you weird, or just gave the impression that you weren't welcome? Do you ever wonder why they do such things when we all live on the same planet? Has anyone ever experienced anything like this?

Making Changes

We talked in class today about how you have changed since entering the Bridge program. I think it would be interesting to look at how that change has been documented through the blog's writing. Look back at some of your older posts (and your classmates' older post). Then, try to clarify, edit, critique what you and the class has written. Was a particular post unclear? Why? How has your writing changed since day one? How has your classmates? What types of topics are you covering now that you didn't feel comfortable talking about in other posts. Try to be reflective of this blogging time and your writing experience.

Creative Talents and Writing

We all bring different creative talents here to our classroom. Write about how your creative outlets and expressions intersect with your writing. You can focus on writing for this class and for other types of writing both inside and outside of Columbia.

Live Your Life..

When I first heard this song I looked at myself.. foreal & really, truly realised how things are laid out for me. There's this saying about how you shouldnt really harp on what other people say or do because "what they eat don't make you sh*t". When you digest that properly and let it sink in you will realise how small minded you are acting when you focus more on other people than yourself. I feel like tomorow is not promised so you should live each day as though your last, but at the same time be cautious of the reactions to your actions. This song was my anthem during a period in my last year of high school and I think this song is relevant to the point I'm trying to get across.

Empty Space

In True Notebook the character Patrick was distanced from his father. Do you feel like you are distanced from someone (family member) and do you think it has affect on your life?

Taken for granted

In the book "True Notebooks" the boys write about things that they miss while there locked away from society. When reading this I realize all the things that I take for granted in my life. If you were locked away,like these boys, what would you miss and what do you take for granted?

never g i v e - u p

As a follow up from the last video, this also speaks well about being able to accomplish what you want to, just in a different aspect and speaking from a different point of view. What I gained from listening and confiding in this song is that nothing is holding me back but myself. That through it all, regardless of what, I can still make big things happen.

Local question #3

In the book “True Notebooks” the inmates talked about a time when they went out on a limb and helped one another even when it was against there best interests, because they were in rival gangs, or being the fact they were a different race. Put in a similar situation knowing the consequences could be fatal would you still help them out because it was the right thing to do, or would you ignore it?

Inspiration

Yesterday at the lecture, Ms. Akuntundey spoked briefly on how we should take things serious and that we just have to believe. The example she gave about herself and what happend to her spoke to me beingh that I went through the same thing. The part of the lecture where she told us to point at ourself and say "I got this" was a small statatement but very meaningful nonetheless. Here is a song by a well known artist that really stood out to me, its kind of old but its still a good song that mainly focuses on believing in yourself and knowing you can achieve whatever you want to. I want to hear your thoughts on this song and if if speaks to you the way it speaks to me and what the conversation was about..

Global Question #2

In our two books, the main characters' lives are controlled in many different ways. In True Notebooks the teens' lives are regulated in every way possible: they live in cells; they can only do activities at specific times; and if one person screws up bad, everyone in the unit pays the price. In Persepolis, Marjane and her friends are told what to think and do especially when they go to school.

Now that you're out of high school and possibly living in a major metropolitan city for the first time, what triumphs and challenges are you encountering? Compare and contrast some of your experiences with the experiences of the characters in your book.

Local question 2

In the True Notebook. The author wrote a lot with slang to show the character of some of these young guys in the story. Do you think that the way he has portrayed teens to talk is common in the teens society today?

Is it really worth it?

I wonder what my peers at Columbia are doing for their housing situation. I'm sure everyone wants to live the downtown life, but is it really worth it? The price that we have to pay to stay on campus is like three times the amount we would have to pay for an apartment. Nonetheless, the experience of living in the atmosphere is priceless. Not to mention living close to classes could potentially eliminate excuses for missing class due to weather conditions ect. I myself am trying gain housing on campus for the simple fact that I feel like if I dont that this experience will just be like extended high school. What do you think?

Social Class

What effects on people does social class have in different countries around the world?

Global 2

What news station do you listen from / where do you get your news?

Local 1

What are you goals and concerns about the bridge program?