Fear of Death week4 Saturday, Feb 12 2011

                Kubler-Ross says that one of the main reasons people fear death is because no one knows when or how death is going to come but they know that it is certainly coming and there is no way to completely prevent it from happening. These three factors create peoples fear of death. The over arching reasoning behind this fear is the loss of control of a certain aspect of our lives. We as humans like to believe that we have a handle on everything but when it all comes to an end, no one has control over when and how they will leave this earth which gives an ominous feel to death.

                Personally, I know that I fear death because I am a person who likes to believe that they have control over when anything and everything is going to happen in their lives. If I lose that control, I feel like I’m going crazy. Also, I don’t like not knowing things. I pride myself in “knowing.” I know whether or not it’s going to rain. I know whether or not class is canceled, but I don’t know whether or not I I’ll die tomorrow, or thirty years from now. I feel that ultimately, human beings have given so much effort and pride to being in the know about everything that when it comes to things we don’t know and have no control over we become scared.

                I hope that for me, whenever it is my time to go, death comes like a thief in the night. Swift, and leaving no mess behind. I hope to go in my sleep which I think is the dream death, if there is one, of most people. I know that I cannot live forever, but honestly, not knowing when I’m leaving is killing me.

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Save Our Cemetaries Saturday, Feb 5 2011

Save Our Cemeteries is a fantastic way to promote a just and human society because even though I truly hate graveyards, they are one of the few ways we as human beings have to honor and respect our dead friends and family. The problem is that there are people who simply don’t respect the dead and their grave sites and do (or don’t do) things that could ruin and disrespect the grave sites. Save Our Cemeteries helps to maintain the sites and make sure they look nice and that records are kept to assure that future generations can find family members in the graves. Save Our Cemeteries in a way makes sure that even in death human beings are treated as such.
With all the multitudes of grave robberies and under attended grave sites, Save Our Cemeteries plays a prominent role in keeping the history of New Orleans cemeteries alive. The History of New Orleans is greatly maintained in their grave sites because of the way they are built. They are fashioned after cemeteries in France which are lavish and grandiose, and those cemeteries are fashioned after Greek, Roman, and Italian architecture. The New Orleans cemeteries help to keep that lavish style alive. Save Our Cemeteries keeps record of the different tomb styles and what each different symbol means.
Lastly, Save Our Cemeteries is prominent in restoration. New Orleans graves are unique for one other very important reason, and that is because they are above ground. Because of the flooding and harsh weather conditions due to our being underwater, if we buried bodies underground, they would always resurface, which is nasty. Save Our Cemeteries helps to make sure that doesn’t always happen.
Conclusively, Save Our Cemeteries is a great organization that helps to keep the history and traditions of New Orleans alive through the burial, maintenance, and respect of its dead and gone.

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A Memorable Funeral (Week 1) Thursday, Jan 27 2011

When I was a little girl, there was a funeral on a boat. It was my very first funeral and I was strangely excited to see what it would be like. I got dressed in my Sunday best, and my step mother and I proceeded to go to the funeral. When I got there, I learned that there is nothing at all wonderful about funerals. Coming from a city like New Orleans where any and every one could participate in a jazz funeral , I was mildly surprised to see everyone closed up in one room on a tiny boat with a dead body. It might seem very disrespectful to say, but I hate being around dead people simply because they are dead, but it is even worst at funerals because the makeup and clothes try to portray the idea that they are only sleeping when everyone knows what’s really going on. There were two bad elements affecting me at the moment. The first one was the presence of the dead body, the second was my second greatest fear, being surrounded by a body of water in a closed area. The movie Titanic was not only a love story for me, but a horror story as well, so mixing the element of death with my fear of drowning in the ocean made the experience worst. Since then, I have only been to one funeral. I also don’t like to think of what death may be like. I feel as though death is something so far in the future that it should be the least of my troubles, but I also know that my life can be taken from me at any minute and that though we play a special role on earth, once God or whomever you believe in decides that your time is up and your deed is done, they can pluck you from the earth like an unwanted hair. That’s why I live my life as if death is not an issue. I will live for however long God permits. I have come to take that at face value, but at the same time, I would rather distance myself from death if I can.

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A Memorable Funeral (Week 1) Thursday, Jan 27 2011

When I was a little girl, there was a funeral on a boat. It was my very first funeral and I was strangely excited to see what it would be like. I got dressed in my Sunday best, and my step mother and I proceeded to go to the funeral. When I got there, I learned that there is nothing at all wonderful about funerals. Coming from a city like New Orleans where any and every one could participate in a jazz funeral , I was mildly surprised to see everyone closed up in one room on a tiny boat with a dead body. It might seem very disrespectful to say, but I hate being around dead people simply because they are dead, but it is even worst at funerals because the makeup and clothes try to portray the idea that they are only sleeping when everyone knows what’s really going on. There were two bad elements affecting me at the moment. The first one was the presence of the dead body, the second was my second greatest fear, being surrounded by a body of water in a closed area. The movie Titanic was not only a love story for me, but a horror story as well, so mixing the element of death with my fear of drowning in the ocean made the experience worst. Since then, I have only been to one funeral. I also don’t like to think of what death may be like. I feel as though death is something so far in the future that it should be the least of my troubles, but I also know that my life can be taken from me at any minute and that though we play a special role on earth, once God or whomever you believe in decides that your time is up and your deed is done, they can pluck you from the earth like an unwanted hair. That’s why I live my life as if death is not an issue. I will live for however long God permits. I have come to take that at face value, but at the same time, I would rather distance myself from death if I can.

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Interview a Senior Sunday, Dec 5 2010

Apparently, I chose the most quite senior that I could -_-

Joi Williams

How do you feel about Xavier’s mission as it stands according to the mission statement?
Xavier actually does what the mission statement says it will do but I feel as though it can increase the amount of successful people that come out of Xavier.

Do you think that what Xavier does is in compliance to the mission statement?
Yes.

If yes, how so? If not, how so?
I know a lot of successful people that have graduated from Xavier so obviously Xavier is doing something right.

Joi didn’t have much to say, but in the enthusiam of her responses I could tell that she is very proud to got to Xavier and to be graduating in the near future with Xavier connections and reccomendations.

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My End-of-Semister Thoughts on Xavier Friday, Dec 3 2010

     At this point in my college career, I am still trying to determine if Xavier is the place for me. Having changed my major, I can’t figure out if I should stay here or go somewhere else. Still, Xavier is a great institution focused on helping its students and making a difference in the lives of students and people of all walks of life. There are many great things that I like about Xavier. First of all, I love the teachers and their willingness and genuine want to help students. I am aware that that is hard to find at a lot of colleges and can be the difference between students graduating and students dropping out. Also, I like that the teachers take time to get to know students which is also hard to come by at different institutions. Lastly, I like that Xavier is small. I know a lot of the people in the freshmen class and I feel that the small close knit nature of the school makes it very inviting.

     In some ways, the above stated things are large parts of the mission statement. The reason that i say that is because having a small community as a school will help us, as minority students, graduate and have opportunities that we didn’t have before. Most of us wanting to be doctors, and some of us wanting to pursue other professions, if we graduate, that will give us chances to help people and make differences in people’s lives. That in itself promotes a more just and humane society which is the mission of Xavier and is the most important thing St. Katherine Drexel wanted to do. With all of these things in effect, it would be impossible to say that Xavier is not striving to achieve its mission and give their students a sense of pride in doing so.

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comments on post Friday, Dec 3 2010

Week Six cnguye14

Week Seven cnguye14

Miscellaneous cnguye14

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Farmer’s Choice: Meeting’s or Patients Friday, Dec 3 2010

     Paul Farmer has a difficult time every month when making a decision about where he plans to be at any time and why he plans to be there. His two choices are meeting that can be at any place in the world for any time, or remaining stationary in Cange and being “‘just a country doctor.’” Paul says that “he heard two sets of voices.” One voice was telling him to go to the meetings because they contribute to bettering world health, but the other was saying to stay in Cange where they clearly needed him. He constantly struggled with this decision and found himself flying all over the world at all hours of the day or night because the decision could not easily be made. Ultimately, he constantly winds up cheating himself by being all over the place instead of settling down either in Cange or the states, therefore making things easier for himself.

     Though he is always on the go, his major actions have made it clear that he would like to stay in Cange. He enjoys how humble a place it is and how genuine the people are. He made Cange his home. For him, his dedication to the people of Cange trumps everything and everyone else. Still, he finds himself traveling the world, advocating for the less fortunate not only in Cange,but in other places such as Lima and Tomsk.  Farmer is depended on in many areas which is a blessing and a curse for him because his personality certainly doesn’t allow him to let people down or say ‘no’ to doing something that he thinks could benefit the entire community.

      In conclusion, Farmer wants to be in Cange, but the problem is that he seems to want to save the world all at once. He wants to be in Cange but he recognizes that there are so many other places in the world that need help that he can’t keep silent or stay in one place.

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Email to My Favorite Teacher Friday, Dec 3 2010

Hi Dr. Ireland,

     This is Kayla from the biology lab class that is held on Tuesdays at 10am. I was told for freshmen seminar to write an email to my favorite teacher, and for this, I chose you. The reason i chose you is because you make biology lab fun. When I enter the biology lab class, I feel enthusiastic about the experiment, and that is mainly because you yourself show so much excitement for each experiment. Also, you have a very genuine personality which makes you so likeable as a teacher even though I know that is not the most important thing that a teacher needs to be. Lastly, you always know what you’re talking about which makes me confident about the lesson each time. So ultimately, I want to thank you for being such a great teacher and putting so much work into making us into better students. Sadly, I changed my major to English because I enjoy english alot, but I hope to be seeing you around campus regardless.

 

                                                                                                         You’re Student,

                                                                                                                  Kayla Rodney

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What Would St. Katherine Drexel Think of Xavier Today? Friday, Dec 3 2010

     St. Katherine Drexel was a women who spent her entire life giving much of herself to the betterment of other people’s lives. Drexel, born in 1858, had a very difficult family life with two sisters and a single father. Her mother died shortly after giving birth to Katherine. After a while, her father was remarried and his new wife hired a nanny who helped to form St. Katherine as we know her today. In her lifetime, she became an example of a nearly perfect person in every way possible. She gave her life to the lord and used her as a vessel for hope and advancement.

     In her lifetime, she started several missions directed towards helping American Indians and African-Americans become more advanced and equal citizens. St. Katherine Drexel, as all Xaverites know, is the founder of our school, and was given her sainthood on October 1, 2000. St. Katherine is an amazing inspiration to all of the students here at Xavier and is held in high esteem. 

      I believe that St. Katherine would be proud of Xavier because we have become leaders in so many areas. Most importantly, we are knowing for getting the most African-Americans into medical school which is an amazing thing to be able  to claim. Also, there are many successful people who graduated from Xavier including lawyers, doctors, writers, ect. Katherine’s hope in founding Xavier was that it would help African-Americans move up in society, and Xavier has certainly done just that seeing as it is a historically black university and has put many great people into the world to make a difference.

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