Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Freeze
Gosh... today is really cold. I think it's the coldest I've experienced in STL.
I left home this morning feeling quite happy that the sun is out after a whole weekend of freezing rain. Thought it'll be warm BUT i was deceived.
I see some signs of snow and lots of flurries (small flecks of snow) in the air. Can't capture the flurries in my picture. But just imagine small flecks of snow that just melt on contact.
I had my first lesson in Social, Economic and Political Environment. Whenever I tell people that I'm taking the module under Mark Rank, I get a very cautious reaction from people, warning me that he's very demanding. I even knew of someone who switched lecturer after hearing Mark Rank's reputation.
Despite these, I was still determined to meet Mark Rank. I heard about this book which he wrote which I was really interested in and hence decided to take the module under him. Apparently he's well known in the States because of this book. Picked up his book from the campus bookshop a few days back.
I was quite intrigued by some of the figures reported in his book. Quite hard hitting figures he has. Can you imagine 3/4 of all Americans between ages 20 and 75 will spend at least one year of their lives in poverty?and 2/3 aged 20-65 will be on a welfare programme and this figure will go up to 40% in 5 or more years. Sounds impossible considering America as the strong hold of the world's economy but real as what I see since I arrived.
Some hard facts and numbers and I liked the way he likens American poverty to a game of musical chairs in which once the music stops, more often than not politicians will only focus on the players out of the game without seeing how the game is structured to produce losers in the first place. I also like this part of the book which he described an observation made that if a homeless person were to die on the streets, the person will get the attention and resources of Police cars, ambulances, emergency services BUT is not entitled to any resources before his death.....
I can go on and on about his book but anyway, after attending his first lesson, I don't regret at all. In fact, I think he has a lot to offer. I like his sense of humor as well.
Tomorrow's my first lesson on Social Work Practice with Gays, Lesbian and Transexuals. Interesting huh? ¶ 1/16/2007 10:02:00 PM
I left home this morning feeling quite happy that the sun is out after a whole weekend of freezing rain. Thought it'll be warm BUT i was deceived.I see some signs of snow and lots of flurries (small flecks of snow) in the air. Can't capture the flurries in my picture. But just imagine small flecks of snow that just melt on contact.
I had my first lesson in Social, Economic and Political Environment. Whenever I tell people that I'm taking the module under Mark Rank, I get a very cautious reaction from people, warning me that he's very demanding. I even knew of someone who switched lecturer after hearing Mark Rank's reputation.
Despite these, I was still determined to meet Mark Rank. I heard about this book which he wrote which I was really interested in and hence decided to take the module under him. Apparently he's well known in the States because of this book. Picked up his book from the campus bookshop a few days back.
I was quite intrigued by some of the figures reported in his book. Quite hard hitting figures he has. Can you imagine 3/4 of all Americans between ages 20 and 75 will spend at least one year of their lives in poverty?and 2/3 aged 20-65 will be on a welfare programme and this figure will go up to 40% in 5 or more years. Sounds impossible considering America as the strong hold of the world's economy but real as what I see since I arrived.
Some hard facts and numbers and I liked the way he likens American poverty to a game of musical chairs in which once the music stops, more often than not politicians will only focus on the players out of the game without seeing how the game is structured to produce losers in the first place. I also like this part of the book which he described an observation made that if a homeless person were to die on the streets, the person will get the attention and resources of Police cars, ambulances, emergency services BUT is not entitled to any resources before his death.....
I can go on and on about his book but anyway, after attending his first lesson, I don't regret at all. In fact, I think he has a lot to offer. I like his sense of humor as well.
Tomorrow's my first lesson on Social Work Practice with Gays, Lesbian and Transexuals. Interesting huh? ¶ 1/16/2007 10:02:00 PM
