CC#3: Ireland Pledges €4.7m For Syria

In a current article by Genevieve Carbery, an Irish Times news writer, entitled "Ireland Pledges €4.7m For Syria," Genevieve Carbery educates how 1) the Syrian government needs to stop fighting in the name of humanity, 2) how money plays a contribution to other countries and 3) how many people need humanitarian help.

"I appeal to all sides and particularly the Syrian government, to stop killing... in the name of humanity, stop the killing, stop the violence."  In summary, Mr. Costello stated at least 60,000 people had been killed since the violence begun in 2011...; the world body warned earlier this week by saying that without more money, it would not be able to help millions of Syrians.  With all these soldiers dying, the expenses would be more and they would need more humanitarian help...

"The contribution was made at a UN donor conference in Kuwait today seeking pledges of $1.5 billion of aid."  Additionally, Ireland pledged €4.7 million to help fund humanitarian efforts for millions of Syria affected by nearly two years of conflict.  All of the donations will support the provision of the life saving humanitarian supplies and essential services...

"...with 2 million people displaced and 4 million Syrians in need of immediate humanitarian assistance."  All of these people really needed humanitarian help because the donations brought the State's total contribution to the relief effort in the region to over €7 million.  Syrians are sheltering 700,000 registered refugees with another five hundred million dollars to bankroll humanitarian work for four million Syrians inside the country."

Personally, I can connect this article to myself because I have donated money to Nigeria before.  They were in need of supplies at a time, so I heartly made a contribution to stop the struggle.  Relating to another text, the article connects with "The Good Samarian" story in the Bible.  The man got help from the Samarian, expressing how Ireland assisted Syria financially.  Globally, the countries of the world are having to help each other with money as friends to help fund militia, weapons, and/or possibly the government!  This situation can connect to the American Dream because if we aid other countries like Ireland did Syria, then we can become a better nation, including the opportunity of peace with other nations in the world too!

Genevieve Carbery educates how Syria struggles through the war humanly and financially, looking for and finding a helping hand to get them through the tough situation they happen to be in.

BR#1: Slam! - Walter Dean Myers

"Basketball is my thing. I can hoop. Case closed."  Greg "Slam" Harris, the main character, started out in the book on how his prodigious skills on the court represents his life.  Walter Dean Myers's Slam! symbolizes the connection of Slam himself and me.

What can I say about this book? The novel's theme shows one how life is more than a basketball game; life is a game itself.  "Slam! will fly off the shelves into the hands of basketball fans, and will give them a lot more than a game."  The Voice of the Youth Advocates describes how this book will give one a broader perspective of life in the book, rather than a simple, fictional book on a ball player. With many athletes reading sports books, Walter Dean Myers aspires them at the same time by putting the content of life in the novel too.  "A Harlem teenager learns how to apply the will he has to win at hoops to other parts of his life in this vivid, fluent story..."  Kirkus Reviews summarizes how Slam's game can be distributed personally, not physically.  While never doubting himself on the court, he applies the will he has to win at hoops to other parts of his life to "portray the dream of a Harlem teenager."  "Myers has a neat trick of making the reader see the world through Slam's streetwise, life-naive eyes....The conclusion is hopeful, and the basketball scenes are tough."  Metaphorically, Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books compares Slam's hoodlum-like struggle in his life with the quote stated.  As described in the quote, the basketball scenes are tough; the quote also analyzes that life can be tough too, just like times in a basketball game.

"Slam's game is like his temper---hard and fast."  Walter Dean Myers makes me believe in him as a person because of the trials and tribulations Slam has to go through. Anybody can come to a common ground with this character because of all the reality-like sections he faces in the novel.  "With me it's not like playing a game, it's like the only time I'm being for real."  I like how Slam's dedication to what he loves makes him conscience of his character.   His seriousness of the game delineates himself throughout the book.  "That's the word and I know it the same way I know my tag, Slam. Yeah, that's it. Slam."  If he was not a bit cocky and confident, the novel would be depressing.  Feeling influenced by the book, the way Myers scripts his literature and draws out Slam assembles the book to be a phenomenon.

"It's hard to compare [great things] to [things in general.]"  Since the novel to me exemplifies sensation, I can closely relate this novel to Myers other classic, The Beast; "...with the connections and situations teenagers face today," the novel glistens to The Beast with real-life scenarios, creating the bond with Slam!.  Currently, this book relates to events and issues in life generally; even though the novel was copyrighted in 1996, seventeen years later, the essence of the novel still reflects among humans today.  Personally, this book develops a connection with me because I admire track; when I eventually "go one-on-one with my own future, I [arguably] will not have the crowd chanting my name, sprinting down the straightaway to the finish line..."

I recommend this novel to anyone and everyone due to the fact that with any position and problem one has, the book will permeate one's life just by reading the book.  Because of the life-changing magic the novel presented to me, I can conclude that Slam! is an astonishing piece of literature towards everyone who read the amazing novel.

"What Is Your American Dream?" Essay

    

The Notorious B.I.G. tells us that "no dream is too big. The sky is the limit."  The famous, deceased, diamond-selling rapper quoted this because everyone dreams.  Whether the dream happens to be an eight-hour sleeping fantasy of one's celebrity crush or a vision of becoming the President of the United States of America, dreams apply to everyone.  As a citizen of this nation, I see quite a few "ups and downs" going on in our nation.  To take into consideration, would one prefer more high times or low times?  In my perspective, I would LOVE to have more good, "up" times in our nation, making this LOVE a dream.  My universal dream towards America, the patriotic palace of the best nation in the world, is to revive peace among the people socially and personally.

Socially, to gain national peace for the fulfillment of my dream, we need to acknowledge "the rules" in order to be more tolerant and polite to each other.  "...And that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things..."  For instance, our Founding Fathers created the Declaration of Independence not only to become an independent country from the King, but also to create a peaceful nation.  After the independence of this country, we, the fifty states, were responsible to develop peace among each other.  "We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America."  While comprehending this statement closely, I concluded that the roots of all the components in the Preamble to the United States Constitution redirects to peace.  If the thought of peace was not considered, the United States Constitution would simply be feckless.  With establishing peace in a society, if we do not abide to the important documents that our Founding Fathers composed or tolerate people politely in general, my dream of national peace would become a nightmare.

Personally, to gain national peace for the fulfillment of my dream, we need to individually build our character to the pinnacle of our lives.  "Nobody can bring [one] peace but [oneself.]"  This powerful quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson means that as long as people are nice to one, their approach to peace towards one is not as important unless one happens to be at peace with oneself.  To build character, inner-peace must be a prerequisite before the construction begins.  "Those who are at war with others are not at peace with themselves."  Word from William Hazlitt, the quote indirectly states that if one poses cruelty to others, basically, one poses cruelty to themselves. For example, if one judges a person negatively, one primarily judges themselves because the concept of peace is not present; if one does not treat other people the way they want to be treated, character-building will definitely be difficult, especially if one wants peace in their character.  The Peace Pilgrims tell us that "when [one] finds peace with [oneself,] [one] becomes the kind of person who can live at peace with others."  With establishing peace in one's persona, if we do not consider inner-peace within our character, my dream of national peace would not only be an issue, but possibly, a failure towards the country.

Without any peace, our nation would be corrupt.  Dreaming national peace, we should strive to assemble peace socially and personally.  God shaped this world to be peaceful.  While America struggles on that, if we all apply peace to each other socially and personally, my dream of national peace will be accomplished, making the achievement an "up" to everyone in the country and myself.

CC#2: Flu, Whooping Cough and Vomiting Virus: What's Going On?

In a current article by Rachael Rettner, a MyHealthNewsDaily staff writer, entitled "Flu, Whooping Cough and Vomiting Virus: What's Going On?," Rachael Rettner describes how 1) vaccines can play a vital role to overcome the outbreaks 2) how seriously and badly any of the viruses affect the people and that 3) there is no relations within the diseases.

"...As more people get vaccinated against them, and more perfect vaccines are developed, rates of these illnesses are expected to go down."  Dr. Andy Pavia says this about the outbreaks.  "They are both vaccine-preventable diseases."  "...Since 2012, higher numbers of people have presumably developed immunity to the virus after being infected."

"Cases of whooping cough, or pertussis, have been on the rise in recent years, and in 2012, the numbers of illnesses soared to more than 41,000 --- more than any other year since 1955."  The vaccines made back then did not protect the people as well until today; "the early start to this year's season, as well as the particular strains in circulation, may be reasons why more people are sick this year."

"As far as we know, they're completely coincidental and separate."  Dr. Andy Pavia mentions the uncertainty of all the outbreaks occurring at once.  Even though quite a few Americans are getting sick, the diseases are not all influencing their queasy attitudes simultaneously.  "Despite the seeming inundation of illness, experts say there is no connection between the three outbreaks, or any reason why all would be happening now."

I personally can connect this to myself because I was affected by the flu when I was in middle school.  I received yearly shot now and the vaccine has helped me overcome the disease.  In the Bible, people were impinged by the Ten Deadly Plagues in the book of Exodus.  Worldwide, everybody interacts with diseases in general whether   it is a common cold or cancer.

Rachael Rettner describes how we should not confuse the fact that all of the outbreaks have a special relationship and how the situation has not shown forth in such a horrible in over fifty years.

CC#1: Gunmen Kill 10 In Remote Northwest Nigeria: Police

In a current article by Rueters, an international news agency, entitled "Gunmen Kill 10 In Remote Northwest Nigeria: Police," Rueters informs 1) where the attack was located 2) how the Islamist insurgency was at fault 3) who the possible gunmen were.

"There was an attack in these villages in Zamfara and people were killed."  Specifically in Kaduna, Nigeria, Zamfara was the setting of "the raiding in two neighbouring villages."  The neighbouring villages, Makera and Usu, had around 10 deaths reported by the local police.

"Analysts say the insurgency has also brought a breakdown of law and order across the north, creating opportunities for armed gangs and ethnic militias with scores to settle."  By forming such policies, the insurgency is shown to be vulnerable, giving chances for ANYONE to come through, including robbers and criminals.  They tried to focus on the insurgency was "northeastern Borno state and surrounding areas, but a military crackdown this year has pushed it into several states further south and west, including Zamfara."

"[Hassan Usman Talba] said the prime suspects were gangs of Fulani herdsman but that police were still investigating."  The Fulani herdsmen "led to decades of conflict with farming communities across central and northern Nigeria that often erupts into violence."  They assume it was them due to all of the trouble and chaos inflicted in the area; the police first did not suspect anybody, but they decided to lean towards the Fulani herdsmen.

I can become an active participant in my learning by taking more interest into what goes on in a country where my roots are linked to.  I can take responsibility for my learning by routinely logging on to news websites to read such current events happening in our world.

Rueters informs how this article is one of the pieces of reported Nigerian killings happening in a weekly basis.