Current Event Blog #8

Molly Quaid
December 11, 2014

Why is Eric Garner's story just getting out now? Garner was a man protesting in New York and did not get too forceful but was put into a banned chokehold. After screaming and screaming, "I can't breathe," Garner died. This intriguing action happened back in July but is not just getting out, which is odd considering that the case of Ferguson just ended. Unfortunately, the police officer responsible for putting Garner in the banned chokehold is not being out responsible for his actions which relates to the Ferguson case.

Garner showed courageousness and strength in protesting, but because of the circumstances, Garner's message must be passed on and since the incident, protesters have been filling the streets of New York with signs and tape saying "I can't breathe." Garner showed greatness through his actions by standing up for things he believed in. The protesters now, protesting what happened to Garner, are truly showing how Garner instilled courage and strength in many people fighting for the same issues.

Current Event Blog #7

Molly Quaid
November 18, 2014

Greatness is not a destiny, it is a constant journey.

Dan Laughlin, the business mentor, discussed many interesting points in our group discussion, but one of the points that really caught my attention was the fact that it is tough to be great, but even tougher to maintain such greatness. In order to sustain greatness, one must be focused, innovative, comfortable with change, a good team member, disciplined, and lastly accountable for his/her actions. Being focused is key in any retail/business environment, because one's focus evokes a sense of passion, which is crucial for being great. Also, leadership plays a key role, if not the biggest role, in achieving one's greatness because a great leader knows his/her greatness, but best of all, they have the ability to find greatness in others.

When a person is passionate about their job, they grow confidence and genuinely love what they do, which leads to greatness. Back in our last discussion six weeks ago, Mr. Laughlin expressed the idea one must be comfortable with constant change, or else one will only be good, not great. The biggest problem with people once they become good is that they lose the motivation to be great and once they grow comfortable with being good, being great is never achieved.

In these two discussions, I grew a new understanding of what being great is. Being great is not just doing extraordinary acts for others, being great is being comfortable with change and being able to truly dig out your inner greatness. I know that greatness is in everyone, but not everyone discovers their greatness, which causes them to settle for being good, but once a person digs down and finds something they love, they will truly discover their greatness.

Current Event Blog #6

Molly Quaid
October 30, 2014

For the past two weeks, I have been assisting the teachers of Saint Margaret's of Scotland in their "homework club" program. This program adheres to kids of all ages ranging from kindergarten to eighth grade, but I mostly work this kindergartners. This program includes us helping the students with their homework, any arts and crafts, or simply just helping them line up and get their coats on.

Ever since helping out at homework club, I have developed a better sense of patience and understanding. When I first attended homework club for the first time, I was overwhelmed with the amount of students but once you start becoming involved and helping, it seems less and less overwhelming.

But how does a homework show what it means to be great?
Saint Margaret's of Scotland homework club shows that being great is showing a need for help and showing that you're not always right. Also, it challenges one's patience and understanding towards children who struggle. This experience definitely shows that being great is elicited through asking for help and understanding others.

Current Event Blog #5

Molly Quaid
October 9, 2014

This year, our class is centered around what it means to be great. This past Monday, I met with a retired business and retail worker who gave me his insight and wisdom on what it means to be great and also how to find your passion in life.

To be successful, he highlighted the three P's: passion, people, and performance-these are the key points one needs to be successful in the retail business. Going back on the topic of what it means to be great, he mentioned that in order to be great, you need to be passionate in what you believe in and know your weaknesses. By surrounding yourself with people who have different view points than you, you are becoming exposed to different opportunities and visions of others that you may aspire to. Along with the exposure to new opportunities, he mentioned that a person's biggest mistakes in life are the mistakes that a person does not make.

There is a fine line between leadership and management. Leadership is when one  provides the philosophical visions that everyone relates too, while management is when one is merely just put in charge of something. Having leadership means setting missions and goals. High performance teams play a big part of leadership. The six main parts of a high performance team are being focused, innovative, having a strong sense of urgency, having a sense of teamwork, being disciplined, and lastly being able to be accountable for one's actions.

Being great is not just what one is known for, but how one acted in his/her life that caused them to be such a powerful impact on society; and being comfortable with change and being able to accept everyone is not what it means to be great in the literal sense, but to be great for oneself is what matters.

Current Event Blog #4

Molly Quaid
Mod A
Source: http://online.wsj.com/articles/u-s-ebola-screening-grows-1412293227?mod=WSJ_hp_RightTopStories

What would you do if your family member or friend came home Ebola? Ebola is an infectious and generally fatal disease marked by a fever and severe internal bleeding is spread through contact with the infected body fluids by a filo-virus (Ebola virus). In Dallas, Texas, Eric Duncan was diagnosed with the Ebola virus. Duncan had come in contact with approximately 100 people before realized he had Ebola. Many people in Texas are now being screened and are being put in the 21 day isolation periods. How would you feel if you were the cause of many others catching a very fatal disease?

Eric Duncan's story relates well with Abraham Lincoln's Second Inaugural Speech because although the context is different, the message of main point is the same-to have hope. Duncan's story begins with a very grim story starting with his diagnosis but as the story goes on, Duncan's story becomes more and more hopeful. Even though Duncan is still struggling with the Ebola virus, each day he struggles with it is hopefully one day closer to getting rid of the virus.

Current Event Blog #3

Molly Quaid
9.25.14.
Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/26/us/ferguson-police-chief-apology-michael-brown.html?ref=us&_r=0

Could you ever imagine hearing that your son/daughter was shot while unarmed and killed? In Ferguson, Missouri seven short weeks ago, an unarmed eighteen-year old was shot fatally by a police officer. The eighteen-year old Michael Brown died and was left in the street several hours after being shot. After the shooting happened, the suburb of Ferguson formed riots and one of the riots caused five people to be arrested and two police officers to be severely injured. The reason the people rioted was not just to protest the unjust act of shooting an unarmed man, but the unjust act of racism. The tension, even seven weeks after the shooting, is still on the rise. The police officer who shot Michael Brown just came out with a public apology to the family of Michael Brown and the community of Ferguson. The apology seemed to be very scripted and insincere. The question that comes up with the people aware of the Ferguson shooting is, "Was it really a just shooting or did the officer shoot him due to his race?"

Unfortunately, this is a question that cannot be answered.

Just like in Left to Tell, where Immaculee Ilibagiza confesses how she overcame her struggles in life with the genocide and how to move on in life, the family of Michael Brown can relate. Michael Brown's family has not overcome their struggles in life yet, but by using their courage and determination and finding out why their son was really shot, they can grow a better understanding to overcoming this obstacle in their life and keeping their son's memory with them.

Current Event Blog #2

Molly Quaid
9.18.2014.
Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/19/world/middleeast/us-faces-tough-struggle-on-ground-to-oust-isis.html?ref=us

The United States was never fully aware of what terrorists were capable of until 911-a time where thousands of brothers, sisters, husbands, and wives were killed in a terrorist attack. The United States is under very close surveillance due to an ISIS threat. Obama is trying to deliver the best way to stop these terrorists from attacking us; but, in that effort, he is wasting time. Once a threat is made towards our nation, we must move on it.

Each and every day we try to think of solutions, we are putting ourselves in more danger. This article about the U.S. trying to ground ISIS relates to Plato's idea of different realities. One of the interpretations from Plato's "Allegory of the Cave" highlights how the escapee tries to see a different reality and attempts to tell the prisoners about it and they refuse to acknowledge what he is saying. That situation relates to the U.S. trying to deal with the ISIS threat because I believe that there is something we can do about it, but we are all stuck in one mindset-just like in Plato's "Allegory of the Cave."

Current Event Blog #1

Molly Quaid

     In Time's article,they recognize a photographer who goes farther than just snapping the shot. Photographer Keith Goldstein snaps photos of people visiting the 9/11 memorial and all of the photos taken convey a different message or emotion, which is what makes each photo unique. In memorial to 9/11 happening thirteen years ago today, Goldstein wanted to compile photos of people's emotions when going to the 9/11 memorial and admiring where the World Trade Centers stood. The pictures indicated that even though every person was looking at the same thing, each and every person's reaction was different-some showed grief and despair while others showed happiness and hope. 

     In our class, we relate older writing pieces to the modern world. In each story, the author utilizes his/her own voice in their writing. Just as the authors use their voice to highlight their own opinion, Goldstein uses his abilities and candidness to capture all emotions of a human at one sight. Goldstein focuses on making the people in the picture stand out, rather than just the picture itself. By using a voice in writing or art pieces, authors and photographers are engaging the reader or observer with their intriguing opinion. 

   
Source: http://time.com/3329648/photography-world-trade-center-tourists-keith-goldstein/