podcast

Today during my English 101 class, we had a podcast session. This podcast was everyone's overall take from the class and how we felt about climate change This podcast session was pretty interesting because i really got to hear everyone's input on the class. I loved hearing about James's story on what he went thru after hurricane sandy. This was the first time i really had gotten a chance to hear everybody's feelings on climate change and what they believe we should do to help climate change. Fatima's statements were so strong and clear. Fatima really wants to raise awareness of climate change and her idea of posting up banners in the subway was a very smart idea. I also believe we should have a better awareness strategy in new york city. I really enjoyed learning about this topic in my english class. I have always heard about climate change and global warming but now I'm more aware then ever. This class was one of the most interesting classes i have taken this semester and i have learned so much. I feel like now that i have received so much information on this important topic, i will raise awareness myself. Even if the awareness does not reach as far as i would hope it too. i still will spread the word. thank you professor for an amazing semester and i really did wish you taught 102 so i could have had you for fall semester as well. This podcast was a great way to hear everyones thoughts as this semester comes to a conclusion. I am happy to have met everyone in my eng 101 class.

divine purpose

Zeitoun felt a sense of a "divine purpose" to stay back and help during Hurricane Katrina. Divine purpose is a reason behind your actions that is influenced with god. One example of divine purpose would be how Zeitoun had saved five elderly lives and felt "compelled to stay by a power beyond his own reckoning"(Zeitoun 106). Zeitoun felt a higher power leading him to stay back while his family left New Orleans. Zeiotun thinking he has a higher purpose is understandable. Saving someone's life im sure will take your mind to places where you think you were meant to be there at that very moment. If Zeitoun had not been there when that elderly woman was dangling in her apartment then just maybe she wouldnt have survived. He did have a purpose to save her life. Another example of divine purpose occurring in the text is when Zeitoun's brother Ahmad tells him to go back to his family but Zeitoun feels that "They need me here more"(Zeitoun130). In other words, Zeitoun feels that New Orleans needs him more than anything during Hurricane Katrina and he had an obligation to he there and help whoever he can help. Zeitoun's family did need him but he felt New Orleans needed him more. That's a heroic thing to do in my opinion. Most people say family comes first but he  knew his family was safe and he wanted to save lives. Is there something really wrong with that?

Zeitoun

In my English class we are now reading a book called Zeitoun written by Dave Eggers. This book revolves around Zeitoun and his family's experience with hurricane Katrina. Zeitoun stays back in New Orleans while his family decides to leave due to the warning of the category 5 hurricane. While Zeitoun had stayed back he saved lives. I believe Zeitoun is a selfless man. He's saving lives of people. He is saving lives of some that he does not even know. That to me shows a sign of selflessness. The book talks about how Zeitoun rescues the eighty year old woman(page 103). He lifts the eighty year old woman who is over 200 pounds while she is on the ladder and while Zeitoun is under water. Zeitoun gets her on the motor boat safe and sound. He did not give up on that eighty year old woman and did whatever he can to help her. He seems like a very heroic person who would save a life to his best extent. If Zeitoun had not been there then that lady might have not survived. Zeitoun is a normal man who saved plenty of lives. He is selfless and heroic.

Hi my name is Nazneen and i believe one adequate response New York City had in affect after hurricane Sandy was setting up the rescue centers for victims. I would call this accommodative setup because New York City organized rescue centers near areas that had gotten hit hard by hurricane Sandy. So that way victims can be provided with food and water. Accommodative setup is when something is organized to help and supply others with help. In Sandy Storylines Sheri states that she'd get up and "go to the rescue center for food and water, there were no stoves to cook on"(waiting for daylight). Setting up rescue centers for victims was a very accommodating thing to do because it helped out a lot of people with no power or water after hurricane Sandy. New York City was not fully prepared for this hurricane but the rescue centers were very a good source of help. If there were no accommodative setup then during Super storm Sandy, a lot of people would have to struggle with not having items they could not get right away. Rescue centers were very essential to victims of hurricane sandy.

I believe New York's response to hurricane sandy was adequate because privatization schemes did not occur. Privatization schemes are when a project, land or anything else that can be privatized are handed off to private companies or individuals. In the passage Blanking the Beach from The Shock Doctrine, Naomi Klen takes the tsunami in Sri Lanka and mentions how after the tsunami the government had privatization schemes in effect. She states "The newly elected government would need billions from foreign creditors to reconstruct the homes, roads, schools and railways destroyed in the storm"(Naomi Klen74).  This clearly states that after the Tsunami in Sri Lanka, the government handed out contracts to foreign companies to rebuild from the storm. This keyword can also relate to Naomi Klen's passage Super storm Sandy from The Shock Doctrine. During hurricane Sandy, Naomi Klen talks about certain individuals in New York City suggesting "many of those public works project shouldn't be public at all"(Naomi Klen129). A lot of New York City's officials believed that the reconstruction after hurricane sandy should have gone to private companies and not public companies but the law did not let them proceed with this idea. This statement is a direct relation to privatization schemes. Some government officials attempt to use a crisis like hurricane sandy and turn it into a privatization scheme is ridiculous. But thank god we have law in this country to prevent them from doing so.

I am writing this blog about some Sandy story lines for my English 101 class. One of the sandy story lines revolves around the Turner family and their struggle to get back into their house. Mrs.Turner was 8 months pregnant when sandy hit and she had to deal with the pressure of finding a rental home for her family as well as a load of paperwork to fix the damages to her house. She calls it the "hamster on the wheel"(sandy storyline; Mrs.Turner).  She believes they're just going to keep running and "eventually maybe we'll get off the wheel"(sandy storyline). It is like a constant run when you have to go back and forth trying to get paperwork done. Living in a rented place and still having to pay mortgage on your home. Mrs.Turner can't even walk away from the house because she still owes money. Imagine being stuck with something you don't even want. It will take up to a year before she can actually move back into her house. It must be harsh to deal with so much when you have a new born son and a daughter to take care off. I'm sure there a plenty of families who still don't have a proper place to stay after hurricane sandy. My question is why? The clean up after hurricane sandy should not take this long. Mrs.Turner and her family should not have to wait a year to get back into their homes. If just a storm like hurricane sandy can have such a big impact on Mrs.Turner and her family then just imagine when climate change really occurs and we will be having more severe storms. Just as Nordhaus William describes in his book The Climate Casino. Climate change is occurring and the worst is yet to come.

Doreen Willem ,in the sandy story line "We're Still here", is another victim of hurricane sandy. She witnessed the storm with her own two eyes. She states "I never seen anything like this in all my years"(Doreen willem sandy storyline). She describes the storm as a frightening event. The tree in front of her house was rustling back and forth and she was scared the whole entire time that the tree will fall straight into her house. Doreen had no heat or electricity for three weeks. But she decided she won't be going anywhere and she will keep cleaning her house in and out. Doreen is such a strong willed woman who stands her ground. i can interpret this because she does not complain about the fact that she has no electricity or heat but she rather states that her and her family are preparing thanksgiving at the moment. People like Doreen are good to have around because it makes everyone have a much stronger will to get thru hard times. Going thru a storm which you do not know the outcome is pretty scary. Doreen's boyfriend swam out to the front of the house to try to save the cars but was not successful. A lot of their processions had been ruined. Hurricane sandy affected people like Doreen and now she is more aware. Maybe due to hurricane sandy people can be more aware about climate change and give attention to the details. In the Climate Casino, Nordhaus talks about more awareness of the people is needed to help prevent global warming. I'm sure the victims of Hurricane Sandy can be some out of a bunch that would be willing to learn more about global warming.

I think New York City's idea on building sea barriers to stop flooding can really work. In the New York Times, Mireya Navarro wrote an article called New York Is Lagging As Seas and Risks Rise, Critics Warn. In this article it talks about sea levels rising and what steps New York are taking to help flooding and other risks. A lot of New Yorkers think we should concentrate on preventing floods, "like armoring city waterways with the latest high-tech barriers"(Navarro). Its smart to plan ahead and build sea barriers because its not only a good investment for our future but it might just be a big help. If we can spend so much money on the after effects of a storm then why cant we spend money to prevent flooding of New York City. It is better to prepared.