Goal 7 (one of the two groups):
One of the Goal 7 groups concentrated on Indai just like my group did, but they picked a specific city, Mumbai. It was interesting to see how they went about the same goal as I did. They had someone assigned to different aspects of Mumbai and pollution. One person worked on the slums in Mumbai of which 60% of the people live in but the slums only take up 6% of the land. Other areas of concentration included the corporations, water pollution (and hazardous wastes), government's connection to Mumbai in relation to environmental sustainability, and then general history of Mumbai along with backgroud on the development goal 7. The industries and large corporations caused a large portion of the pullution in Mumbai while the government hasn't take really any action or enforced any action that has been taken. A lot of the large corporations like coka cola have greatly contributed to the pollution but interestingly many have started becoming environmental friendly and they are acting as role models for other corporations and for the governement and citizens. Beside the ratio of people living in slums and the percentage of land that the slums take up in Mumbai, this last bit of information was the most interesting to me. Through my research I hadn't found any information on this subject, partly because I wasn't concentrating on that aspect. I wouldn't have though that those who contributed to the pullution would see their wrongs and begin to correct the mistakes.
I really like the presentation of this group as it was a movie/documentary. They all read off their information while different picture were shown and music played in the background. I would have liked to watch the entire film.

As I mentioned volunteering at Common Bond's Skyline Towers in the Homework department has been very wonderful. I remember my first week helping a younger Somalian girl write her name and having difficulty with it; noticeable with writing one of her letters backwards. However, two weeks later when I came back she ran up to me, gave me a hug and showed me how she'd improved since I'd last seen her. No more backwards letters! I'm so glad that this was my first week because I was able to see immediately that my time there is really beneficial.

I haven't had other major success stories since but there is improvement to be seen week from week when I work with some of the same kids.

I really enjoy seeing the kids and feel bad when they ask me if I will be back the next week. And from observing the kids interact with the other volunteers, from the University, other organizations and even from the housing complex, I can see that the kids really rely, look up to and enjoy the presence and relationships with the volunteers. It is equally noticeable that we the volunteers feel the same.

I've been reading a few of the other architecture students’ blogs and from reading their less successful stories with the organizations I feel very lucky to be apart of Common Bond and at Skyline. I couldn't ask more of the lady who is in charge of the homework center. She is very energetic, open and understanding (when on some occasions I've needed to come in early and leave early to make an appointment. The other people working with the volunteers are also equally positive and I really feel that they appreciate us.

And so, because of this organization I can add another volunteering opportunity that I like to be involved with.

Entry 2:
I wanted to mention something that I've witnessed during my service hours. Since I'm working at Skyline Towers which is an affordable housing apartment it is understandable that those that live there probably don't have many expensive possessions. While I am working with the kids I have gotten comments on my rings about how pretty they are and they often ask to look at them. Since wearing rings is, for me, nothing unusual and I always have them on I never think about taking them off for volunteering. However, I'm thinking that taking them off would be a good idea. I always feel embarrassed about wearing them since the children really notice them much more than anyone my age ever has. Whether my rings are expensive or not is not the important point, rather the fact that such a small thing can draw such attraction from these kids is. I think it really shows a division between our two cultures or at least a difference between something everyday and something rarer. It also shows other things like the great perception to details that these kids have.

Entry 3:
The week just before spring break I was volunteering and was talking to my supervisor Yvonne who told me that her nephew had had a hate crime acted against him. He had been at a local bar with a friend when a white man started harassing him. Her nephew talked to the bar tender who asked the white gentleman to leave. 20 or so minutes later this nephew went out to smoke deeming it safe and was beat nearly to death by this man who was still there. Numerous ribs were broken along with other injuries and he was put into a coma. The reason that I am bringing this up is because most of us think that Minnesota is a non racial state for the most part and that other hate crimes happen in the south more often (there were flyers out earlier this year about two hate crimes in the south, one on a homosexual and another on a black man). I think it is important that we realized that racism and other prejudices still exist in most places, even Minnesota and it is important to aware of these incidents so that we might try to prevent them in the future.

Entry 4:
Today at volunteering wasn't much different from most weeks. I helped this one girl who was working on subtracting 3 digit numbers. I'd corrected this type of assignment before with her but this week she seemed to be working faster through the problems. The last time I'd worked with her she had written down the numbers 1-18 in order to help her (I don't exactly remember when she resorted to these numbers) but this time she wasn't using them as often. It was really great to see the progress she'd made within a couple weeks.
One of the other girls that I see almost every time I go is Salado. She is one of the younger students to come to the homework center and she usually doesn't have much homework to do. Normally she'll have a small spelling, reading or writing assignment. But she likes to stay in the center and always comes up with imaginative games that she wants to do. The other week she made up on the spot a type of game with these colorful button type things she had. I really like seeing her creativity even if I don't understand exactly what she wants me to do in her games.

Entry 5:
There are a handful of students who are very bright but who do not apply themselves at the homework center. One of the girls in particular, I am always told is very smart but pretends to not be. She always distracts herself and sometimes her mom is in the room with us and watches her progress which is often slow going. Sometimes I feel slightly uncomfortable in this situation since they want me to keep her focused on her work while also not making things easier for her since apparently she knows exactly what to do but just procrastinates. The mom overseeing also makes it slightly awkward since I don't want to look rude or mean while encouraging her distracted child to do work that she apparently can do. On the other hand it is really great to see some of these children that learn so quickly and are sometimes very independent with their homework.

Entry 6:
Today was my last day volunteering. I helped a few kids with their homework like usual. The one boy I helped was working on prefixes and suffixes. He was quiet and not very responsive and since he didn't just go to work on it like a lot of the kids do, I assumed I'd have to guide him through the worksheet. However, once he figured out what he had to do. He went to town writing down examples of prefixes and suffixes, their definitions and example sentences. He told me he just wanted to get it done so he could go outside.
Salado came over and we play Connect Four for a while, but ended up just following her rules as usual.
It was kind of slow so Daniel and I were told to go outside and play with the kids. We joined up with Pat (another volunteer though the Architecture class) and Michael and played cops and robbers. It was fun to see how some of the kids strategize. Some went to Jail right away pretending to have already been caught and would wait until a lot of kids were in Jail and then free them. Others would try a rescue attempt and try to sneak up behind the Jail. Others took a direct approach and ran in. There was a bit of a problem of some of the kids not following the rules and not going to Jail when tagged or saying they hadn't been tagged and then going to free people. They had a lot of fun though and it was a really nice last day at Skyline.

These layouts are very striking and beautiful which for me is important because I have the horrible habbit of always judging a book by it's cover. The 3rd's simple elegance and catching colors are very intriguing. I love the black and white with the touch of red, very class I think. And the first one I have to admit I thought the green lamp thing was grapes from afar. But anyway these layouts encourage us to continue flipping the pages, a very important quality to have.

There are of course tourists from other countries, sometimes in more traditional and stereotypical outfits but I will just concentrate on Americans verses Europeans. The Europeans dress much more sophisticated in generals than Americans; they blend into the surrounding building and landmarks.

It’s probably an unconscious thing starting from centuries ago with the kings, queens and the aristocracy when they would show off their luxury in any way they could. But this trend hasn’t changed much in the culture of Europeans. Their culture, from behavior to dress, stays in tune to the beautiful buildings that decorate their country. In this way their environment affects them. And also, just like within in almost any environment, the public joins the bandwagon, so even if there are those that would prefer to not wear or act in the more classy style of Europe, they would continue to do so because everyone else continues to. In this way the surrounding environment, the buildings and monuments and decorations etc affect the people frequenting these place and these people affect the new generations of people who are exposed this environment. It is a clockwork, a pattern that continues to repeat.

This ongoing repetition is present in the fashion world, obviously. The only reason I’m gong to bring this up is because Paris (France in general) whose environment I just explained above noticeably affected me. I went to France for a year with a suitcase containing mostly t-shirts, some nicer ones from say Fossil, a few soccer shorts, jeans and a handful of nicer shirts. I specifically remember one day walking around town with my host mom within the first month or so, wearing an every American day outfit of t-shirt, soccer shorts and cool soccer like shoes and realizing I would never dress publicly like that again while in France.

Needless to say, I stuck to this decision and came back home after a year in France with only nice shirts and cute shoes in place of my t-shirts, now only used for working out and for lounging in solitude in my room.

This constant flow of style, originating from the fashion capitals of Europe, Paris and Milan, has changed me and my mental framework of what I put on; and just to delve a little deeper into a subject I won’t broach on, it also changed how I eat and some other cultural aspects specific to France. And as lecture presented us with, this changing of what I deem appropriate to wear (framework) along with the continuously changing fashion (clockwork) creates the phenomena of fashion: what's appropriate and why/when it's popular.

Laisse-moi vous dire que j'avais envie de faire ce blog au début, mais je viens de lire un email qui m'a vachement ennervé (deviens à qui il est arrivé) . Donc, si ce blog a l'air mechant, je m'excuse... un peu.

D'aboard, je m'excuserai si mon français n'est pas parfait - je sais bien que je ferai des errors partout mais bon.

Il faut qu'avant que je commence, quelque choes sois mentionné. Monnaie ne possera pas de problème. Je ne sais pas comment ça arrivera mais peut-être que mon premier boulot me payera trop et je n'aurai pas de dette puis que les bourses seront attribué à moi pour mes études.

Et puis on commence.

Moi, je travaillerai quelque part en Europe en reconstruire, en faisant la restauration et la conservation des bâtiments construient pendant les époques de la Renaissance et du Baroque. Et pas seulement les edifices connus mais les petits châteaux ou les maisons qui ont l'air de la Renaissance ou du Baroque. Les bâtiments seront manifiques après avoir été renovés. On ne verra plus des bâtiments trists, comme les fantômes, et train de crouler. Et puis c'est comme ça que je ferai ma première, ou peut-être que pas, restauration. La maison sur la falaise en Granville, ma ville pendant un an. Mon père d'aceuil, qui est architecte, m'a raconté tout l'historire de cette belle maison autrefois habiter. Je ne me souveins pas de tout l'histoire mais, apparament, la grande maison a été une grande maison comme toutes les autres. Une famille riches aurait du y viver autrefois et puis les domestiques habiter dans la petite maison juste à côté, en fait je pouvais la voir à traverse les arbres dans la maison de mon père d'aceuil, Lionel. Bref, cette maison est devenue un hôtel, dans une certaine mannière ou là où les gens vont pendant les vacances jusqu'à, malheuresement, l'hôtel n'est plus. Le gouvernement l'a acheté et maintenant cette belle maison sur la falaise est en train de s'effondre. Lionel a proposé au gouvernement de reconstruire maison mais ils n'en voulaient pas. Alors, cette maison, et d'autres bâtiments, m'attendent pour que je puisse les faire à nouveau beaux.

Et parce que j'aurai les semaines composées de 30 + heures par semaine, je serai capable d'écrire ma poèsie et mes romans. Oh oui, et cela sera une autre raison pour lequel j'aura beaucoup d'argent. Et puis que je serai architecte, je peux en fin construire le palais dans mon premier roman. J'aurai un livre des photos de mes bâtiments et mes endroits imaginaires avec lequel je mettai dans un livre à vendre, mais je crois que non. Et la raison pour laquelle je dis que non est parce que je veux que les petits usent leur imagination tout seul en créant les images pour eux même.

Je ferai partie du club de Rotary en France et dessus mon autorité, quand je serai la présiente pendant un an, j'arrangerai que mon club sera plus comme celui de ma ville ici en Minnesota. Plus acceuillant on sera, et puis nous serons touts les choses que mon Rotary en France n'était pas. Nous acceuillirons les femmes dans notre organision (c'est déjà fait puis que j'y serai!)

Je conninuerai plus tard.

Silence and sound

Cascading wave of blue and green
The kind of things no one every sees
Aspen and grain shining in the sun
Wouldn’t you want to walk among?
The crashing of waves in the ocean far
They come in breaking on the sand bar
The pitter patter on the leaves
And the gentle wave from the breeze
The flowers that bloom in the early spring
And the beat of a flying bird’s wing
The sound of the ocean in conch shells
And the singing of the church bells
The crying of infants world round
And the silence that cannot be found
The ringing of laughter in our ears
And the quickness of our flying tears
The strength of those courageous and bold
And the overwhelming stories that have never been told
The chirp of crickets at night
And the sound of wings taking flight
The drop of water in a pond
And the graceful arched neck of a swan
The noise of those in the unknown deep
And the rhythm of a drum beat
The laughter of a child’s play
And the coldness of the autumn rain
The brightness of the sun’s light
And the fullness of a mountains height
The grace of a deer’s step
And the touching of noses when they met
The Earth we live on big and round
And all its silence and its sound
10/23/02

It might be argued that fighting for the environment is fairly futile since rewards for such work are not concrete. However, as one can get a sense from from this poem, natures way of expressing it's gratitude is in an abstract manner. The loss of environmental phenomena is a tragedy, in my opinion. The beauty nature provides and the essential resources we take from it are invaluable. We protect natural wonders like Niagara Falls, the Great Barrier Reef, etc but what about those unknown marvels that are being destroyed because they lack a title due not being able to be the biggest, longest, greatest, etc etc? Their beauty is subjective for the most part since everyone is partial to different things. However this beauty is absolute because of many things; its silence, its innocence, its wildness, its sound, its ability to trigger an emotional experience, its simplicity etc etc. Sustaining the environment is essential to preserving these unknown and known wonders.

Pictures from National Geographic
http://photography.nationalgeographic.com/photography/photogalleries/nature-weather

This weekend I found an aritcle in the Pioneer Press about the recent increase in homeless animals due to the poor economy.

When the budget's too tight for a best friend
As the economy turns sour, the number of pets being dropped off at metro-area shelters is increasing, and adoptions have waned as owners are turned out of their homes.
BY BOB SHAW | Pioneer Press

Article Last Updated: 02/09/2008 09:45:49 PM CST

Buster, a 2½-year-old American Staffordshire terrier, looks out from the kennel where he played one day last week with Frank Caminati and Scott Amy, who visit him each day at Animal Ark, a no-kill shelter in Hastings. (SHERRI LAROSE-CHIGLO, Pioneer Press)

Photo slideshow
Dogs and cats don't worry about recessions.

But maybe they should.

Because of Minnesota's economic downturn, the number of unwanted pets given to local shelters has jumped 50 percent in one year, according to Mike Fry, manager of Animal Ark No-Kill Shelter in Hastings.

"People are moving, getting evicted, losing their houses," Fry said. "Bad economic conditions always mean bad times for pets."

At the same time, the rate of adoptions into homes is down about 20 percent, he said. "It is not a good picture," Fry said.

The increase reflects a national trend, as animal-welfare workers are seeing the fortunes of animals sinking along with the economy.

Nationally, some Humane Society shelters have reported increases of more than 125 percent in unwanted pets, said Nancy Peterson, spokeswoman for the Humane Society of the United States.

Bill Stevenson, an officer for St. Paul Animal Control, said he is seeing more animals without vaccinations or routine spaying or neutering - another sign of economic stress.

Stevenson sees far more complaints in less affluent parts of St. Paul - such as Frogtown or the lower East Side - than in wealthier sections like Highland Park.

OPEN VS. LIMITED ADMISSIONS

In the Twin Cities, Fry founded the Home for All Pets Coalition, composed of 14 animalrescue groups, all of which have seen spikes in the number of incoming pets in the past year.

But curiously, many Humane Society shelters - including those in the

Twin Cities - are not seeing increases.
"People know their animals are likely to be killed at the Humane Society, so fewer people are surrendering them," Fry said. "Ironically, at the same time you are seeing empty cages at the Humane Society, we have a waiting list of 300 names."

The Humane Society's Peterson said about half of the 8 million animals accepted nationally into its shelters each year are euthanized.

She said that's because the shelters are "open admission" - they take in any animal for any reason, including old, sick or aggressive animals that can't be adopted.

Peterson said no-kill shelters - what she calls "limited admission" shelters - typically pick the healthiest and most adoptable pets until their pens are full, then turn away the rest.

"If you have a dog that is aggressive, biting or not safe, what are you going to do? You sure can't take it to a no-kill shelter," said Laurie Brickley, spokeswoman for the Animal Humane Society in the Twin Cities.

The Animal Humane Society accepted about 36,000 unwanted animals last year, she said, and 25,000 were adopted into homes or placed with other rescue groups. She didn't know the euthanasia rate but said it was well below the 50 percent national average.

The national Humane Society's Peterson said animals surrendered in an economic downturn are more likely to be healthy, adoptable animals - the kind accepted in no-kill shelters. Meanwhile, Humane Society shelters may have experienced no increase because the number of diseased or difficult-to-adopt animals isn't increasing.

Fry said Animal Ark, which completed 1,000 adoptions last year, does accept diseased and undesirable animals.

In fact, he was home most of last week caring for a dog named Bernie who is dying of cancer. In the Animal Ark shelter are two cats rescued from the Hurricane Katrina disaster.

"We care for some that (the Humane Society) would put down," Fry said. "They are not completely upfront about the mass killing they have been doing."

SEEKING QUICK SOLUTIONS

The economic downturn is harder on some animals than others.

Pit bulls remain the dog breed most seen in shelters, because of their undeserved reputation for aggression, Fry said.

Animals are the victims of human fashion, especially for what are considered ferocious guard dogs.

"In the '60s, it was Dobermans. Then it was Rottweilers and now pit bulls," said Fry.

Cats are among the hardest-hit, said Ingrid Harding, a volunteer with the St. Paul cat rescue group Cause for Paws.

In tough times, owners are less likely to spend the money for spaying and neutering cats than for dogs. They let cats outside, where they breed, Harding said.

"Unfortunately, people place a lesser value on cats," Harding said. "If a dog gets hit by a car, it goes to the vet. If a cat gets hit, people say, 'It's just a cat.' "

Harding - who emphasized Cause for Paws is not a no-kill group - said many pet owners don't want to wait weeks for a no-kill shelter to accept their animals.

"It's a problem, and they want it fixed," Harding said. "We are a quick-fix society. We want things perfect right away."

Bob Shaw can be reached at bshaw@pioneerpress.com or 651-228-5433.

Paris 1700's

Paris 1866

Paris: Ile de France before renovation

Paris: Ile de France with changes for the renovation indicated

Paris: red lines indicate major changes in streets. Need for straight roads through city for transportation purposes