US Global Dominance...

Every now and then, there are analysts who claim to study a country's economy and then present their findings. According to this report, the United States is on the failure list right now. As far as I can see, America is experiencing some downfalls currently but does this mean that it will never regain strength?
I think America is a strong country. It will rise from the dilemma. America changes rapidly and can afford to manage all the changes they are faced with. Talking about corruption, I agree that there is terrible corruption in America but yet there are other countries where their corruption far outweigh that of America's. For example, China.
America still maintains power because it is the sole country that has money in every other country. I think this news was just to broadcast some sort of scare or to make America appear to be failing. America will certainly learn from this experience now and should be wise enough to make adjustments, as it always does.

Great Thing To Keep

It is such a pleasing feeling to have good memories. Do you agree? Can you remember any of your good moments? I always try to cherish great memories.These memories are things cameras could not capture.
Currently I am so happy in my English class at GSU (Georgia State University). We are blessed to have a humorous, understanding, and cool tutor. Mr Miller appears to be very smart and is so calm. Some students, probably are not aware that he allows them to get away with 'murder'.I guess because he is so understanding.
We laugh a lot in this class and we disagree with grace. There are some students that I will never forget. Each of us some awesome and unique qualities. I think class was a great mix of personalities. Few appear to be laid back but managed to pull some surprises on us. Few are crazy about fashion and will go all out to show it. Then there are others who ask some questions that will leave you pondering but laughing out without control. We are a wonderful mix and I hope I will see these folks around and in the future and be able to remind them of our jolly class times.Oh, I almost forgot about the ones (Yours truly being one) who are always eating or munching on something, yet there is absolutely no sign of where all the food ends up!
For now, I just want to encourage everyone to enjoy the good times wherever you are and wherever you may go. Life is too short to sweat over silly, unimportant things. Live, love,laugh and don't forget to PLAY! Yes, adults can play too and you may change the rules of the game to your liking.Always remember that no matter what you are going through, someone else is experiencing worse than you. Give thanks for what you have and also for what you don't have. Think about it.

Customer Service

When was the last time you had it really good? I mean great enough that it pleases you? If you can't remember, then that means you probably have the same issue as I do right now. I am referring to customer service, get your mind out of the gutter if you thought something else! More recently than before, I have noticed that there is so much poor customer service around. Why?
I went to a Kroger near to my house, which I always shop two weeks ago and asked the florist at the flower center for some assistance. She answered me then went around the back of the bakery in the supermarket. I waited, then five minutes went by, she did not return, so I waited another five minutes, she still did not return. I was hoping that maybe she was so busy that she forgot I was waiting on her; so I asked another worker there to call her and he did. Still she did not come. I saw her and asked her if she had forgotten about me and to my surprise she said that she was 'off' for that morning. I asked her why she had not said so from the start instead of having me waiting like Bob Marley! By this time I was so pissed. This was 7.50 a.m. and she told me she was having her tea.
I wonder if these workers have any idea that if customers do not use their businesses services or do not shop at their stores that the owners will have no money to pay their salary. Sometimes I get so annoyed of these poor customer service that it is painful. I know life can get burdensome at times but we can not afford to let it ruin our days all the time. Come on folks, liven up and be cheerful, at least just to serve customers.

Crappy 'art', Worthy 'art'

Whoo! Man. How I love John Legend's music! when I listen to his songs I just feel so relaxed and happy that there are still great singers and musicians around. With songs like these you can always remember that there is great art in the world as well as that love do still exists. Check out few of his videos at http://new.music.yahoo.com/videos--23032537. Enjoy!
I love to watch folks partake in dancing. I like to dance too but some of these moves, I am yet to learn. However, watching Columbus Short is one of my favourites. I think dancing is a great form of art and also that anyone who intends to enjoy dancing should do it responsibly (just like drinking!). Check out some Short's moves at http://www.imbd.com/video/screenplay/vi327942425/.
Don't you think this sculpture is beautiful artwork? I really do and I admire the artist, Laura Facey for being so bold and truthful in completing it. Though it was (and still is but not as bad) a very controversial piece of artwork in Jamaica, many people admire it and tourists travel from wide and far to take photos of it. This is a wonderful representation of the mind, body and soul. I think art forms like these are great ways of expression. This one in particular depicts truth and freedom and life needs more like these! "None but ourselves shall free our minds". This is just awesome "aesthetic beauty". Being that I had done Art Appreciation few years ago, I understand the true beauty behind this kind of artwork. What is your take on it? Engage in more information about this at http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/columns/html/20030810T010000-0500_47397_OBS_REDEMPTION_SONG.
Well, well. What on earth do sensible people find appealing about 'rock music'? I am so annoyed by rock music and rock bands! I just think the singers/screamers/jumpers are weird, make noise and dress scary most of the times. Are rock bands folks really singing or just making noise? Please! I could never find myself listening to these types of music, some may consider to be wonderful art! If you wish to view more info about this group or other rock crap, you may do so by visiting, http://www.mtv.com/videos/misc/193934/rock-n-roll-all-nite-live-in-1998.jhtml.
I really admire fashion, but what the hell do you call this? Males (some females too) showing their undies in public? This just looks nasty and our of place. I understand that fashion can be a great from of art but this? I really pray that the laws against this ridiculous 'art' would be extended and to all states and especially to schools . Why do you think anyone wants to view your undies and worse too, at times these undies can be ugly and do not match anything the culprits are wearing! Fix it please! Information about this issue/art may be found at http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/OnlyinAmerica/story?id=3519569.
Oh my Lord, how I love Tyler Perry! The thing I don't like is more African Americans acting like 'Buffoons'!This series by Tyler Perry, 'The House of Paynes' is truly a PAIN! I hate seeing this grown, black man acting silly. There is nothing comedic about him or this series for that matter. I enjoy watching comedies but this series is such a turn off. You may see some of this nonsense at http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi4074504473/.
This rude creature, 'Spongebob' is another so called form of art that I really hate with a passion! Who in this world created this thing and what is the purpose of it? I know some folks like him with a passion and some kids would have a fit if they are not allowed to see it but it seems so silly to me. I think it has no value and the character it depicts appears to be rude in my opinion. I do not allow my kids or any other who visit me to watch this silly creature. Worse, there are so many collectibles in his name and pictures! Some folks collect them all. How could they? View more of it at http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi13603963/.

I appreciate many forms of art but honestly, some kinds could best not be publicized. Great thing is the world is made up of such a splendid and sometimes weird set of people that certainly there art that suit everyone.

Maria Full of Grace

Maria Full of Grace would fall in the movie genre of drama. It was a very interesting movie without much graphic scenes. Though the context of the movie was about drugs trafficking , it did not judge real traffickers in the movie. This is not a true story but reports some of what happens everyday in real life.

Maria- the title character is a bold, beautiful, strong, determined, and smart seventeen year old. She grew up in a small rural town north of Bogota. She worked in a menial job but had to shoulder the responsibility of her family. She left that job and got entangled with drugs but did it without her family knowing. The movie showed Maria's unpredictable odyssey from Columbia to New York- risks, determination, survival.

Take note of the title -'Maria' means Mary in Spanish; also Maria was pregnant in the movie without any vivid information of a father, just like Mary in the story of the Bible. Take note too of the picture with Maria looking up as if she is receiving communion... like what is done in a Catholic church. Why did the writer make this connections? I wonder. Also in some scenes in the movie I noticed some symbols of 'Jesus' depicted in stores as well as Maria wore a cross on her chain throughout the movie. In the hotel, one of the drug kingpins, while watching television (waiting for mules to release pellets) did the cross action across his upper chest. What's up with all these connection to the 'spirit', considering the acts that were being done? Is that all these people connected in the drug trafficking were seeking protection from the holy spirit or is it that viewers were to see them as innocent despite what they were doing? Is it that we were expected to look deep for the morals of the story?

This guy, Don Fernando, played a 'good Samaritan' in the movie. It appears as if he owns a funeral parlor and is aware of the ' drug mules' situation in New York. He helped out Maria in some sense after she told him the story about Lucy. He managed to 'pull some strings' and found Lucy's body, so she good get to be buried decently. Don Fernando appears to be a popular community figure. Lucy's sister, Carla took Maria to him so she could get a job, however he helped Maria in other ways.

This movie had much sadness, suspense and drama but exposed that there is hope after all the trauma. This is maybe another reason there were so much religious symbolism in the film. I would surely recommend others to see this film.

Tom Yoder on Great Depression

Interviewer -Studs Terkel
Interviewee -Tom Yoder
Year of interview- 1971

In this interview Tom spoke about The Great Depression of 1929. Tom is a son of a suburban housewife. He mentioned that he had never gone to bed hungry. Tom spoke about food shortages and the poverty that reigned in the Great Depression.Apparently he was told by his family who were alive in this era. He said that the depression had left scars on many people. From his interview I gathered that the upper class were the ones mainly worried because they were never used to poverty and not used to not having enough. The poor on the other hand, had it even worse because even they were accustomed to poverty but they were feeling it greatly during the depression.

Tom mentioned that the generation who grew up in the Great Depression did not want to talk about it to their other after them generation. Tom said to that it appears as if the sufferers were ashamed of the poverty they endeavored at the time. He believes that people should not be ashamed because that was a great depressive time in America's economy and that it had taught America a lot and hopefully they have learned from it and hope that it will never happen again. He thinks that the government should be the ones to be blamed and should be concerned mainly.

From the interview I gathered that Tom maybe did not have enough information about the Great Depression in a sense. It sounded like he was repeating information about what was told to him by his family who maybe were a part of the depression.


Whatever it is and however it occurred, I do pray it does not happen again... Do you think we could possibly survive another Great Depression now?

Dem. President & Congress

I hate discussing politics but since this an assignment I have to complete let me comply. There is no quick fix to the pestilineal problems that America's society is enduring right now. However, being that America is now under a new system of governance with both a Democratic President and Congress there is much to think about. Could this also mean too much government?

I do not think it has so much to do with the same party President and senate. I think it's Obama's appeal to both parties that will make a difference, if any.I hope there will be more money for schools because the youth will need this for OUR future. The next four years will definitely be challenging for us all. Having a Democrat President and senate does not mean that the Congress will support the President. The Republicans also have the liberty to stop the Democrats from passing certain laws because senate does not have 2/3 votes to do as they like.

These were the same senate and President who were with President Clinton and they created a system that caused all this financial crisis now. I figure also that a lot of 'big' government will be getting even more involved in state government.

Also I think many people will stop saving, if they have not yet done so. In previous years American saved up to 12% of their money over year. This changed when Clinton took over; and this may happen again in the next four years.

My prayer is that it all work out for the benefit of us all.(Even though we are expected to separate church from State: We will pray in secret). When everything on earth fail, we have to turn a spirit. What's your take? I understand that the spirit may not be able to help us during these four years but... it will worth a try.

To end I think both Congress and President will work to stimulate the economy but it dos not mean that all is well because they are of the same party (majority in Congress). Let's see...