The Drowning Wave

Yesterday, a boy, fishing on the pier, was pulled into the ocean by a giant wave.

The day was warm, a perfect day for outdoors activities. For people living near the beach, fishing on the pier was the perfect thing to do that day. Like most local boys, Tony S-----later and Alan B--- (both age 15) went fishing around noon.

Everything seemed fine, the day was nice, and they had caught 4 fish by 3. However, an unexpected wave hit them as they sat waiting for their next catch, pulling Tony into the ocean.

“This huge wave came and just knocked me flat”, said Tony, “There was nothing I could do to stop myself going over the edge and into the sea.”

As any good friend would do, Alan jumped into the ocean to save his friend.

“[Tony] is a good swimmer, but he couldn’t get back to the pier. I didn’t think; I just jumped in to try to help him”, he said.

However, neither of them could swim against the strong current that forced them out to sea. It was a third person, Mark S--------, which saved the kids. Luckily he was a qualified lifesaver at a local pool, and immediately jumped in to help them, pulling first Tony, then Alan out of the water.

“No I don’t think of myself as a hero. I don’t want any fuss made. I just did what anyone else would have done”, He said.

The boys were taken to a St Margaret’s Hospital. The police are investigating reports of the pier being not safe for fishing.

Motivation that Changes

Changing is very difficult for a human. It is just the way we are made. We always have a pattern, even in the smallest things that we do, or the way we say certain things, or think about certain things.

People only tend to change something if they are motivated, by something or someone. The motivation can come in many different forms, such as a threat by someone, or just some events that can mess up the "equilibrium" of they're life-patterns.

People cannot willingly change their habits, unless the motivation is great enough to cause them to change. Some changes are just inevitable, such as missing the bus that you take to work everyday because you were out partying all night. Or forgetting to pick up your coffee on the way to work. Ward SyBouts, author of Planning in School Administration: A Handbook, says, "To change is to risk something, to making us feel insecure." He basically is saying that without a fear of something, there would be the possibility that the motivation would not work, resulting in no change whatsoever.

Murphy's Law: The Worst Day EVER!

Murphy's law states that "if anything can go wrong it will at the worst possible moment".

When I first read this quote, I thought it was hilarious. It seemed so crazy, something that would never happen. Things could never possibly go THAT wrong. But little did I know, everything would go wrong that day.

It was the 22nd of January and the weather outside was horrible. It was the day of Sam Breslin's birthday and I had been attending a Korean-Literature class at school. After class I went home, took a shower, and prepared to leave. The party started at 12 pm. I knew that I could make it on time if I got on a bus by 10:30, and then on the train by 11:30.

I waited at the bus stop, but no bus came. I waited and waited; by 10:45 I was sick of waiting. So I attempted to go by a different route. I got on a different bus, and promptly fell asleep. When I woke up 30 minutes later, the area around me seemed very familiar. I thought it was my stop and got off.

Looking around, I realized my mistake. I had gotten off 20 minutes too early. I checked my watch. 11:30. With only 30 minutes to go, the only idea that I could come up with on the spot was getting on a taxi, so I did. I rode the taxi down the Sahil, hoping I would make it in time.

Then I noticed that the taxi-meter was starting to run up pretty quickly. What started off as 2 lira continued until it became 10, 15, then 20 lira. I checked my wallet, to make sure I had enough money. I only had 23 lira. My mind started racing, thinking of all the different options: Should I just get the taxi near his house and run off without paying? Would I get caught? What other options did I have?

It was then that we passed the bowling alley, I remembered that we were planning on bowling there as the main event of the party. Quickly calling the to the driver to stop, I payed and got off, only to find that I had left my cellphone in the car. Thankfully the phone rang and the guy stopped to find out what was ringing. I ran to catch up with the taxi and retrieve my phone.

I attempted to call Sam at home, telling him I would be waiting at the bowling alley. I dialed, then waited patiently as the phone rang, continuously, until Catherine Rice picked up on the 5th ring. I started to tell her that I would be at the bowling alley, and I think I got the main point across before the call ended. No more kontors. Things were going pretty bad.

I walked into the bowling alley, feeling a little awkward being alone. The man at the counter glared at me. I'm pretty sure he thought I was a crazy foreigner; my hair was wind-blown and in a crazy state. I sat down at a table, waiting for my friends to come.

It took them 30 minutes to arrive, and I waited patiently, as the man glared at me every now and then. The rest of the day was pretty uneventful, but fun, especially after I beat the birthday boy in bowling.

That concludes my story. Even today I wonder if it was just my fault. Maybe it was fate. It does seem like Murphy's Law. But its not like this happens too often. I guess we'll never know what it was.

Test 2:Essay "Does easier mean better?"

Changes that make our life easier do not necessarily make our life better. Things like faster cars or faster computers give us a sense of self-worth; however they do not help us accomplish things that they seem to be advertising, such as faster speed, or more productivity.

Cars for example, can get us from point A to B in a shorter amount of time, but it depends on one main factor: traffic. No matter how fast your car is, bad traffic (such as in New York City) it will take the same amount of time to get from a location to another as any other car.

Development in technology makes our lives easier. But it does not necessarily mean that it makes our lives more productive. When we do things on the computer, we tend to think that it will get something done faster. It may, but in most cases it will just cause us to rush things, such as a paper for an English class.

While using my computer, I tend to “wander off”, doing other things that are not relevant to my main objective, such as watching a movie online, listening to music, or just “surfing” the internet rather than finishing an assignment. There was even a time when it took me a couple hours to complete a simple worksheet, due to my lack of concentration on the goal at hand.

In the cartoon Spiderman, the most famous quote is “with great power comes great responsibility”. However, things like the computer do not help us be more responsible. Because of things like internet banking, people all across the world “hack” and steal money.

This happens mainly through e-waste (electronics that are thrown away) that contain personal information about people. There was a documentary that showed how people’s pictures, bank accounts, and other personal details remained on hard drives, leading to great losses in privacy, money loss, giving people a sense of uneasiness.

Technology is very distracting. It does not really help us do things better, because most of the things we do on the computer can usually be done by hand faster. However, if we concentrate more, it might produce results that we want.

post #7: Mass Swine-flu Vaccinations

Turkish authorities have decided to launch a massive immunization program against the H1N1 Type A, also commonly known as "swine-flu", on monday.

Only after 1,500 cases of the H1N1 virus have been reported, has the Turkish Ministry of Health made a move against it. The vaccination, imported from Swiss-based drug company Novartis, will be registered to Turkish pilgrims traveling to the hajj starting monday. The mass vaccination of schools will follow later, during the end months of November. We hope this will bring an end to the spreading of the virus.

Source:

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php?n=mass-swine-flu-vaccinations-start-today-2009-11-01

post #6: A drunken man's end

A drunk 19 year old man was killed late thursday afternoon, when his car spun out of control on the rain-slickened road and into the front of a bus.

The owner of the said vehicle, Ozan Alparsan, was driving 20km over the speed limit when his white 2005 renault broadway spun out of control, and unto the other side of the road. There the IETT bus, driven by Cem Bayir, crashed into the car. Alparsan was not wearing a seatbelt, and was thrown into the windshield, dying instantly.

Hospitability, Social "No No"s and so much more.

Turkey, unlike most countries around the world, has a very open culture. However “open” takes a very different meaning in this culture. It does not mean that we can be free to wear and do anything we want. Things like wearing shorts around or looking at people –especially women- in a direct way can be considered shameful. “Open” means that the people are very different, more caring towards others.

However, such cultural “shuns” are not present in our home countries, especially Korea or America. A long-term resident of Turkey, Aaron A---- compares, “There is no precedent or cultural ‘No No’s in America. However in Turkey, looking at woman can be considered very adulterous.”

The most basic thing that Turkish people like to do is greeting each other, and whether it be a friend or a total stranger, they start with a peck on both cheeks, and perhaps some kissing sounds while they do so.

They are very hospitable people. Once you greet your neighbor after moving into an apartment, they will generally greet you, and call you over for tea. “Turks are far more hospitable than Americans. They put the needs of their guests far above anything else and are quick to take care of you-even if they just met you.”, are the words of Charlotte P---, who has been living in the local community for the past 5 years.

This friendliness is generally not the same in our home countries. “In America, they are quite the opposite”, complained Gabe N--, second year resident of Turkey. “For the most part, you will be invited to their home only after a certain level of intimacy is established.”