new insights - culture days!

source: http://maxxii.edublogs.org/2011/02/11/super-shadow/

This week was special. You could also call it stressful, exhausting and study-intensive, but special definitely sounds more positive so let's stick to that! On Monday and Tuesday we finally had our Culture Days and everyone from our English classes gave a short presentation on his or her culture topic. We were supposed to listen to at least ten presentations, seven from the culture we chose for our big exam at the end of the semester (in my case American culture) and three from the other one (Irish). 

As I had a really hard time making my decision on which presentations I wanted to see, I finally decided to watch more of them and pick the ten afterwards and this was a really good dicision. By doing it that way I was able to listen to some really interesting presentations. Presentations which privided valuable insights and made me look at certain topics from a new perspecitive. Here is my choice :)

1) Same-sex Marriage in the United States

source: debatos.com

Miriam Egger gave this great presentation and started by comparing the current situation in the United States with the one here in Austria. Listening to this presentation was really interesting because it once again reminded me of the fact that there's still a long way to go in our country as well as in the United States. In Austria domestic partnership is allowed but not the actual marriage. In America the situation is different: Massachusetts was the first state in which same-sex marriage was declared legal and even though many other states did the same, there are still some conservative states opposing same-sex marriage. I really enjoyed listening to this presentation first because I'm interested in the topic and second because Miriam spoke with a clear and loud voice and was able to offer new insights.
 

2) Arab-Americans after 9/11

This was the title of another presentation I watched by Andreas Moser. I really liked his Prezi and  the information he gave. By reading the title I could already guess what the presentation would be about but then there was much more information! Andreas talked about racial profiling, islamophobia as well as workplace discrimination and the case of Raed Jarrar. This man wore a shirt with an Arab text saying "We won't be silent" and because of this shirt he was barred from flying by an Airline called JetBlue. This presentation successfully showed how 9/11 changed an entire country.

3) American Indian boarding schools

I must admit that I didn't intend to watch this presentation but then I was sitting in this room and thought "why not" and stayed there. Aaaaand, it was definitely worth it. Judith Schwandner gave a great presentation and showed how American Indian boarding schools tried to change and actually really changed Native American children. Seeing pictures of a boy before and after attending the school you wouldn't believe this was the same person. Watching this presentation made me want to know more about this topic :)

4) The KKK and Mississippi Burning

As this had also been the topic I had chosen for my oral matura, I was more than interested in this presentation by Rita Kovacs. I really liked the fact that she told the story of the Ku Klux Klan, about the three "different" Klans that existed throughout history and how some strange forms of the Klan still exist today. As I have already watched the movie several times I would have liked to see a short part of the film but even without the video the presentation was more than interesting. 

5) The Never-Ending War on Terror

Helene Kortschak gave this presentation and I have to say that it was a really great one. Not only was the topic extremely interesting, but Helene was also able to captivate her audience's (or at least my) attention! She started by summing up the events of 9/11 and went on by talking about the war in Afghanistan and Iraq and how the US tries to win its War on Terror. Well done! 

6) Rosie the Riveter

source: dartbeat.com

Again you could say that I watched this presentation by accident because  I wanted to watch the one after Stefanie Gigler but stayed in the room. Lucky me :) Rosie the Riveter - why hadn't I heard that name before? It was a well-structured, great presentation about a governmental campaign in the Second World War. Rosie the Riveter was designed by Norman Rockwell in order to recruit women for the workforce. Even though I had not heard the name before, I did of course know the pictures of Rosie and I guess nearly everyone does... 

7) Guantánamo 
When I was in Cuba we also went to Guantanamo (the municipality in Cuba, not the prison) and our guide told us a little bit about the history. Now I was really interested in this presentation of Anna Müller which turned out to be very informative. Anna told us about the history of the prison and about the situation today and the discussion to close the prison which has been led for years now. I was really impressed by Anna's Prezi which had a cool design and by the information she provided. 

8) Irish Intelligence at its peak

This was the first Irish presentation that I watched. Julia Kölbl did a really great job as she was able to liven up her presentation by asking the audience some questions and by having a sense of humour. Even though all of us must have known at least the most important facts of Irish history Julia repeated some events and explained the background so that everyone was able to follow. For me it was particularly interesting to hear about the two sides in the Irish War of Independence and about Michael Collins, Director of Intelligence. By listening to this presentation I gained some new insight into Irish history.

9) Belfast - a city still split by the Troubles
Everybody knows about Belfast and the role it played in Irish history but for me it was deeply interesting to hear what the situation is like today. Stefanie Schauer started by giving some historical information and explaining the background and went on by explaining what has changed so far and what the future plans for the city look like. She told us that the city aims to create more interface areas and that the walls should be teared down by the year 2023. 

10) Irish women: From Household to Gender Equality

Margarita Misihaev's presentation on that topic was the last presentation I watched. It was really informative but sometimes I had little difficulties to follow. Margarita talked about the constitution of 1937 and read out article 41 of it. She then explained the Women's Movement towards Gender Equality, which was really interesting, and the situation today. I had already heard of Mary McAleese, the second female president of Ireland, before but for me it was new that Mary Robinson was the first female Irish President.

So that's it for now. Ten presentations and all of them definitely worth watching. I'm glad that we did these presentations because it's a good practice for our future lives. 

For my KGP I chose the following topics: 

• The KKK and Mississippi Burning
• American Indian Boarding Schools 
• Rosie the Riveter
• Same-sex marriage
• Arab-Americans after 9/11

Correction of my report

source: slmhealth.com.au

The latest topic of our English course was health. A really huge topic if you ask me. There are so many different aspects you can look at, deseases, sports, a healthy lifestyle, medicine,

just to name a few.

Some weeks ago we had to write a report on a health related topic and this is my correction of it: 

Health Report

This report is based on the findings of a survey carried out over a four-week period during which all patients of Dr. Steinburg, general practitioner and specialist in acupuncture, filled in a questionnare. Patients were asked to evaluate the surgery as well as medical treatment and waiting times. While the survey showed reasonable levels of satisfaction with the medical skills of the general practitioner, there were serious issues raised regarding the explanation of procedures, waiting times and atmosphere of the surgery. 

Doctor's surgery

Overall, patients were positive in their views of cleanliness and amenities of the surgery. However, the majority of patients voiced concerns that both the waiting room and the examination room looked cold and sterile due to the cold, bare walls and furniture. "Sitting there you feel even sicker" or "This waiting room increases my anxiety about visiting a doctor" were typical complaints.

Waiting time

One issue which emerged from the responses was the long waiting time, first, for an appointment and second, for the actual treatment in the examination room. A large number of patients indicated that they had to wait up to four months between their calling to schedule an appointment and the actual appointment date. Even though a majority also disapproved of the long waiting times in the surgery, some patients made a positive remark about the acupuncture information and reading material in the waiting room. 

General Practitioner 

The evaluation of the medical treatment was very mixed. While patients were very positive about Dr. Steinburg in terms of friendliness, sensitivity and medical skills, as far as time spent for each patient was concerned, the surgery scored very badly. More than half of the patients got the impression that the general practitioner did  not spend enough time explaining the procedure and listenind to the patients' medical history.

Recommendations

Dr. Steinburg's surgery should seriously consider redesigning the amenities in order to make the surgery comfortable. I would further recommend scheduling more time for each patient. This would not only reduce the waiting time for each patient, but it would also ensure accurate treatment including enough time for the explanation of the treatment and the procedure of acupuncture. 

The Reinventions of Malcolm X

Good morning everybody :)

The end of the semester is near, I can feel it! By July 4th at the latest everything will be over and I can tell you - I am REALLY looking forward to that day! 

This week we finally had our Culture Days in English. Everyone had to give a presentation on the essay he or she had written either about an American or an Irish topic. As I have always been interested in the Civil Rights Movement and the situation for blacks in the 1950s and 1960s I decided to write about Malcolm X. At the beginning, my knowledge of this person was modest, so when I started to do my research work I was more than surprised about what I found out. Throughout his life this man not only changed his name, he also changed his whole identity and convitions. To me, this was a fact that really caught my attention and I decided to write my essay on this topic. 

This is what  finally came out: 

source: nbmbeaver.wordpress.com

The Reinventions of Malcolm X

A life of reinventions. This sentence characterizes the whole life of a man who certainly took his place in history. Malcolm Little, Detroit Red, Malcolm X, El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz. Who hides behind all these names and why did he change his identity, his convictions and attitudes several times throughout his life? Malcolm X was a man who challenged the mainstream Civil Rights Movement by choosing a different path and by encouraging black people to defend themselves by “any means necessary”. This is what history tells us, but in order to get a deeper understanding of the person Malcolm X, it is necessary to have a closer look at certain events in his life -- turning points -- which changed everything.

source: malcolmx.weebly.com

Malcolm Little was born in 1925 in Nebraska and even as a small child he experienced what it meant to live in a society dominated by whites. His parents believed in the philosophy of Black Nationalist leader Marcus Garvey, who considered Pan-Africanism -- the belief in the independence of Africa and all colonial states blacks lived in -- as the only solution to the problems African-Americans were facing. Their ambitious effort in spreading Garvey’s ideas finally destroyed the family: When Malcolm’s father was brutally murdered, his mother was no longer able to cope with the situation and suffered an emotional breakdown. These events had a strong influence on Malcolm who developed a hatred for white people’s supremacy. When he further realized that being black meant not being seen as a human being, this feeling even intensified. The first turning point in Malcolm’s life was the moment when his teacher told him that becoming a lawyer was “no realistic goal for a nigger”. This sentence shattered his dreams. Gone was the good boy he had once been. Malcolm dropped out of school and became famous as Detroit Red, a hustler in the streets of Harlem who changed his appearance and tried to look as white as possible.

source: atlantablackstar.com

In 1946, this new lifestyle came to an abrupt end when Malcolm was arrested for burglary and sentenced to ten years in prison. In this hopeless period of his life, Malcolm first came into contact with the philosophy of Elijah Muhammed, leader of the Nation of Islam. In deep admiration for that man and his idea of establishing a separate state for African-Americans, Malcolm spent hours reading and educating himself and later became a member of the movement. By the time he was released from prison Malcolm changed his surname to “X”, representing the lost identity of black people in America. Maybe it was due to what he had experienced so far that Malcolm became so successful and established such a strong audience among urban blacks. People believed in his words because they could identify with him. They believed him when he encouraged them to fight for their rights by any means necessary and they believed in the truth of his words when he held one of his emotional speeches criticizing both civil rights leaders like Martin Luther King and white politicians. As a product of the modern ghetto, Malcolm convinced his audience that the white man was the devil due to the crimes he had committed on African-Americans and that there was no mercy left for them.

Malcolm X was a loyal disciple of Elijah Muhammed and spread his message passionately, but then things suddenly changed. Malcolm’s mighty, truly admired leader had committed adultery and did not at all stick to principles he himself had declared. This was the trigger that led Malcolm to rethink the whole movement and to his decision to leave the Nation of Islam. His new life started when he visited the holy city of Mecca on a spiritual Hajj and converted to orthodox Sunni Islam. By the time of his return he had undergone the last significant change. Malcolm came back with new convictions and a new name: El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz. Even though he was still convinced that racism was the origin of all evil and that black people had to free themselves, his views became more moderate.

“My pilgrimage broadened my scope. It blessed me with a new insight. In two weeks in the Holy Land, I saw what I never had seen in thirty-nine years here in America. I saw all races, all colors, -- blue-eyed blonds to black-skinned Africans -- in true brotherhood! In unity! Living as one! Worshipping as one! No segregationists -- no liberals; they would not have known how to interpret the meaning of those words.”

In my opinion it is ironic that Malcolm X was assassinated in 1965, just when he had finally found a moderate way of dealing with racial segregation and inequality. No one knows what might have happened, had he had more time. Throughout his lifetime he changed his views several times, influenced by his surroundings and by what he experienced. Maybe it is not enough to reduce his message to a strong hatred for white people. Even though his ideas and politics were radical and he did not attempt to soften his message, he gave people hope for a better future and I believe that hope is one of the most important messages one can have.

Sources: 

http://books.google.at/books?id=RownbjVryWIC&printsec=frontcover&dq=malcolm+x&hl=en&sa=X&ei=vNRwU6XEBa6A7QbQ2YGQCQ&ved=0CDYQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=malcolm%20x&f=false
http://www.malcolmx.com/about/bio.html
http://www.history.com/topics/black-history/malcolm-x
http://www.colostate.edu/orgs/MSA/find_more/m_x.html

http://www.malcolmx.com/

http://books.google.at/books?hl=en&lr=&id=a7U9xrYAlNQC&oi=fnd&pg=PR9&dq=Malcolm+X&ots=vIxJOwOxM4&sig=Q0-tg6WqwE3ME8hQoNTO8h494bU#v=onepage&q=Malcolm%20X&f=false

http://digital.lib.lehigh.edu/trial/reels/films/list/0_18_6
http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/malcolmx/canalysis.html