Bob Woodruff

Watching the special on Bob Woodruff yesterday, To Iraq and Back, made think about how lucky I am. Bob Woodruff was reporting from Iraq when a road side bomb destroyed his tank. One second he was on top of the world: lead reporter for ABC news, wonderful family, and living his dream. The next second he is fighting for his life. It is amazing how quickly life can change. It took several months for Bob to recover and it truly is a miracle that even he survived the accident. Now, months later, Bob is alive to tell his unbelievable story.

I sometimes forget how blessed I am. I have a great family, friends, and I am in good health. What more do I need! In the special last night, I saw kids my age (18 years old) in war. What a wake up call! These kids risk their lives each day to protect our country. There are many kids my age that have been severely injured in Iraq. Some with missing arms or legs, others with permanent brain damage. They go through each day not knowing if they will make it. They truly are heroes and I hope they can come back safely. I need to appreciate what I have and count my blessings each day. God Bless The Men And Women Serving This Wonderful Country.

I Wish I Was There!

This is a picture of a place where I wish I could be for Spring Break! Instead, I am staying home and the weather here (in Michigan) could not be any more different than the weather in this picutre. So far there has been an ice storm, which has made the roads brutal to travel on. I am jealous of all my friends who are somewhere like this picture. It was my choice not to go, but I really do not have the money to spend. A couple of my friends, like me, stayed home, so it looks like we will be hanging out for the majority of break. Hopefully, the weather will start to turn around and so will my break.

Cinco de Mayo

Well, I really wasn't sure what restaurant I wanted to do a review on, but I think I found the one. I decided to go with Cinco de Mayo, a Mexican Restaurant located on Beech Daly Road, just past Five Mile. There were many restaurants to choose from, but I decided on this one because I have never been there before. My mom and her friends go out to eat here, and they always rave about how much they love it . I will not be biased toward the restaurant and I think that it sounds like a very interesting place to do a review on. I believe that I will be able to go there tomorrow, so I am looking forward to the experience.

I called the restaurant today to get some background information (the restaurant's history) before I go there. I spoke with one of the owners, Guillermo Torres. He explained that his family owns half of the restaurant, while Miles Handy owns the other half. The Torres family moved from Guadajara, Mexico. They had been looking to open a restaurant for quite some time, and when they talked with Miles Handy the right opportunity presented itself. He mentioned that most of the food is homemade. A lot of the food is taken from recipes used back in Mexico. Trucks deliver new food each day, which keeps the food fresh. The restaurant opened November 24th, 2006. I can't wait to eat here!

Paper Agenda

1.) The first thing that I need to do is to change my thesis around. Professor DeGenaro said it was very good, but I just need to steer away from making it sound like a five paragrapg essay thesis. I already have an idea in mind.

2.) The second thing that I want to change is making the body paragraphs follow the P-I-E format better. I tried to do this in the rough draft, but I need to improve on what I have already done. I have a clear idea of what needs to be done.

3.) The last thing that I want to do add is more vivid details. I have established a good tone for the paper, I just need some more details. The more details, the better!

Restaurant Essay

As I was looking at the class syllabus, I noticed that we are going to have to write a restaurant review essay over Spring Break. Although, I am not to excited about having to write and essay over break, the idea seems interesting. I have a couple of restaurants in mind, but nothing set in stone. I absolutely love to eat, and I love to go out an eat with family and friends. The restaurnat experience always seems to make eating that much better. I am curious to see the requirements for this essay. Hopefully, they won't be too bad!

I am finishing up the corrections that I had to make from my peer viewers. I tried to incorporate their input/ideas as best I could. I think I did a pretty good job of doing so, but I shall wait and see. This week is very busy for me and I am sure that it is very busy for the rest of you too. I have a test, mid-term, and the profile paper all due on Thursday. I am trying to keep ahead, but it seems like things just keep getting piled on!

"I Just Want To Be Average"

After reading this essay it certainly makes me realize how lucky I am. I take so many things for granted, so when I read or hear a stopry like this, it makes me feel sad. All of the things that I take for granted are things that people, like Mike Rose, only dream of having. Mike Rose's father inspired me because even though he was very sick, he still managed to keep his family together. He never complained about how much pain or suffering he was in, which truly is incredible. Roses' father tried to be the rock of the family, and from the sound of things he did a excellent job. I enjoyed reading about the special relationship that Mike and his father had; it was something special.

The last paragraph from this excerpt was the one that I thought had Rose's main message. He says, "What finally affected me was subtler, but more pervasive: I cannot recall a young person who was crazy in love or lost in work or one old person who was passionate about a cause or an idea" (122). He then went on to say, "I developed a picture of human existence that rendered it short and brutish or sad and aimless or long and quiet with rewards like afternoon naps" (122). These two quotes gave me the idea that Rose'schildhood affected him in a neagtive way. It painted him a "picture" of society that no young child should have to deal with or understand. His childhood taught him that life was tough and most of the time things are not as promising as they seem. It is sad that Rose had to experience these things at such a young age. Most kids are lucky enough and do not have experience the struggle that Rose had to.

Resonse to Today's Class

I really enjoyed reading the two essays today by Stephanie and Holly. Both were about people who had great personalities and who had a real love for life. After reading their essays, I noticed that in my paper I could describe Mayor Landry a bit more. I tried to stay away from making the essay to personal, and concentrated on making more critical analysis. However, I realized that adding a few more details would make the paper that much better. It would allow the reader to have a better picture and understanding of Mayor Landry, which is vital.

In response to the comments I received, I really appreciate them. Both of the readers said that my paper was very good and that I stuck to my thesis throughout. Two things that I want to work on are: having more action verbs and making a few more original claims. I tried to make sure that I addressed these two areas in the rough draft, but I need to do more. I was very pleased at how the rough draft turned out, and hopefully the final draft will be that much better.

Peace Talks

Listening to the news two days ago, I heard something very interesting: The United States and North Lorea may have a possible agreement. It sounded like the U.S. would help North Korea turn around their economy, if North Korea in turn agreed to disarm or stop their nuclear weapons and nuclear program. This is what I took out of it, but do not quote me on it. However, if this is the case, I would be quite happy. Being able to solve such a huge problem diplomatically and peacefully would be awesome. This may not be as easy as it sounds, but it is certainly a step in the right direction. Let's keep our fingers crossed and hope that all goes to plan.

I was also watching the President's press conference (briefing) yesterday and that too caught my attention. It seems like the U.S. has the same problem with Iran and their nuclear weapons program. I know that there looks to be no agreement in sight between these two countries, but it is imparative that we get one done. The U.S. needs to find a way to talk with Iran and resolve their problems. It will be very difficult, but it looks like we made headway with North Korea. I have all the confidence that we can do the same with Iran!

Songs

1.) Rags to Riches by Tony Bennett/Trick Daddy- The title of the song symbloizes Novi's transformation as a city. Years ago, Novi was just farmland, but now it is one of the nicest places to live and its economy is in great shape. Nobody use to want to live here, but now it has become a hotspot.

2.) All Night Long by Lionel Richie- I choose this song because Novi is known for being a big party city, with all of its bars. Although I can't go to them, my brothers tell me that they are always busy and the party seems to last all night.

3.) Forever Young by Rod Stemwart- Novi is an extremly young city. It contiunes to grow each day and new things are constantly being built. It has a great future.

4.) All About the Benjamins by Puff Daddy and Mase- As I mentioned earlier, Novi's economy is healthy compared to many others cities in Michigan right now. Plus, when people go to Novi they usually spend a good amount of money at Twelve Oaks, restaurants, movie theaters, etc.

5.) Yeah Yeah Yeah by Uncle Cracker- The song says, "Don't no why I come here, but I know I'll never leave, it's the only place I want to be." I love the city of Novi and I hope that I will be able to live in this city when I move out of the house.

6.) In the Air Tonight by Phil Collins- I live in Novi so I am a little biased toward the city. However, Novi provides me with a feeling of happiness. It provides me with a place where I feel comfortable and where I know that I will enjoy myself.

7.) Cheeseburger in Paradise by Jimmy Buffet- This song reminded me food and Novi has great restaurants. Novi has all types of different restaurants to choose from. You can enjoy your friends and family during a great meal.

8.) Can't Touch This by MC Hammer- I feel that Novi is a very special city and I enjoy each day living here. I do not think that other cities can offer what Novi has to offer.

Profile Essay

Well, I am doing my profile essay on the Mayor of Novi, David Landry. I e-mailed him Tuesday after class and before the end of the day he e-mailed me right back. I conducted the interview on Wednesday night. The interview lasted for about twenty minutes. I never met Mayor Landry before talking to him so I was quite nervous. However, after talking to him I found himself to be in awe of how nice of an individual he is. He treated me so kindly, and he answered all my questions thoughtfully and thoroughly. The experience was awesome. I learned a lot about him and what his job involves. I also talked to two other people Sarah Walsh (Community Relations Manager ) and Clay Pearson (City Manager of Novi). Both had nice things to say about him and they provided me with great information. I was able to find articles written on Mayor Landry in the Novi News, which will help me with writing the paper. It should be interesting.

Abu-Jamal

Live from Death Row, written by Mumia Abu-Jamal, truly is a powerful story. So many different lines caught my attention. "Law is simply politics by other means" (135) rang very loud in my mind. I agree with Abu-Jamal when he says this. People who do not have a lot of money or who are in the minority suffer greatly in court because politics influence the court system in a way that hinders their chances. When I read the part about the cages, death cases, designed only for the African American inmates I was astonsihed and upset. I cannot understand why African American inmates have to be treated worse then the White American inmates. It simply is not fair!

The last part of the essay was very moving. I cannot imagine how embarrassed Abu-Jamal must have felt when he was not allowed to hug, kiss, or hold his daughter. He must have felt hopeless and rage probably filled his entire body. I would never want to experience such feelings and I wish those feelings upon no one.

Profiles

Looking at the various profiles was quite interesting. Wendy Case's profile really jumped out at me. Her profile engaged me and it kept me looking forward to see what happened next in her life. She struggled throughout most of her life with alcoholism, which is a sad. However, reading about how she persevered was incredible. The thing that I appreciate the most about her story is how she quit drinking, while she still continued to tour with the band. Alcohol was surely present on tour when was trying to get sober, so the temptation to pick it back up must have been overwhelming. Being able to stay away and say 'no' shows how strong of a person she is. Reading a feel good profile like Wendy Case's made me feel happy. I wish her the best of luck and keep up the good fight.

I also enjoyed reading about the Detroit Red Wings head coach, Mike Babcock. I never knew how he struggled before he reached his dream job as an NHL head coach. He spent many long and hard days coaching junior and college league hockey teams, not knowing what would happen next in his life. He spent many nights awake in his bed, wondering when the pressure he felt would ultimately go away. Through his hard work and dedication things in his life began to turn around. Eventually, the Anaheim Mighty Ducks gave him his first shot, by hiring Babcock as their head coach.

These two profiles have a common theme. Wendy Case and Mike Babcock had to work extremely hard to persevere through their difficult times, and now they can showcase their talents for everyone to see!

Today's Class Discussion

After reading through my free-writing paragraphs today, two lines stuck out. The first line said "Winter takes a toll on everyone" and the other line said "The weather sucks the life and energy out of me." These lines both had the same meaning/point to them. The winter months create a depressive feeling for everyone. People try to stay positive by saying that Spring is just around the corner, but this does not seem to do the trick. The cold, freezing temperatures simply add insult to injury.

Listening to what other people said about the winter contributed to me picking these two lines to blog about. The overwhelming attitude toward the winter was one of frustration and exhaustion. Disappointment and anger filled the faces of many people. Hearing what people had to say about our current weather situation sounded very similar to my own opinions/feelings. The message I received from my peers was that they too feel the affects of winter. The winter truly is taking its toll on them too. I do not have advice to give on how to get through the next few months, but hopefully Spring will come soon. Spring Break certainly cannot come soon enough.

Detroit 'cool'

Reading about this new promotional campaign for the city of Detroit excited mine. I think that this idea could be a huge success. Many people worked very hard to get this idea developed, and they deserve a great deal of credit and respect. I respect them because they did not give up on Detroit, but rather they continued to work on an idea that will show people how great Detroit can be.

The attributes selected for this campaign have good variety and are all interesting. I agree with Larry ALexander, president and CEO of the DMCVB, when he said that these strenghts "best set us apart from other cities" (1). Alexander and others have done extensive research and surveys on this project and it looks like they captured the five best atrributes for Detroit. These strenghths are diverse and innovatice, which should grab people's attention.

One of the reasons why I think this campaign will work is because it specifically targets the ages between 21-34. The article mentions that the campaigns's "target audience is much narrower than past efforts" (2). To me, this makes sense and is a great idea. Narrowing the target audience down allows you to focus your attention on the people who will most likely enjoy and respond to the promotion. The research team decided that this age group gives the campaign the best chance for working, something I agree with.

Detroit has heard many visitors say that Detroit's offerings have not been easy to find or well-promoted. In response to this the TEDC, (Tourism Destination Districts) has geared this campaign toward making life on their tourists much easier and more enjoyable by chossing five specific districts. The Districts include Downtown Dearborn, Wayne, Macomb, South Oakland, and North Oakland. This will provide tourists with a great way to understand and enjoy metro Detroit through "concentrated , smaller destinations" (2) making their trip that much better.

In response to the visual, I see creativeness, ingenuity, and classiness. The DMCVB gave this campaign a logo that looks fresh, alive, and positive. I think they did a great job with it. Putting the campaign's five strengths/attributes on the logo is a nice touch because it reminds their audience what Detroit 'cool' is all about.

Here is a link to the article!