International Bussines Girl

Euthanasia: accepting the patient's will

2006-05-15T18:11:00.000-07:00

The right to life is the most important human right. We were born to be part of a family, to be educated and follow our dreams, but we were born supposedly to enjoy life and be happy because of all the magnificent things we see and do everyday. However, what should happened when life is so deteriorated because of a terminal illness that the only thing you can do is to lay down in your bed waiting for the moment when your body can’t resist any more pain and you die? Euthanasia is a medical practice in which the patient, who wants to die because he is only suffering, has the option to receive help to stop the pain, in other words, the patient is helped to die. Here are three reasons why this medical practice is the best choice.

First, euthanasia will help the patient to stop the pain that the medication cannot. Yes, science has evolved and many cures have been discovered to treat illness or the pain that they cause. But sometimes the medication is not always the solution, in part because all bodies react differently after a treatment; another reason is that the pain can be so strong that pain killers only decrease it, but don’t stop it. A patient, who is terminally ill or in coma, is suffering with no need. Euthanasia will help that person to die in a more humane way and avoid useless pain.

Second, euthanasia allows patients to use their right to freedom. All the people are free to choose whatever they feel is going to be better for them. If patients in a good mental condition want to get the euthanasia, I believe they have the right to receive it. “Make people live with incurable pain is worse than allowing them to die in peace” (“Hacer que la gente viva es peor que permitirles morir en paz”, Eutanasia: Muerte Digna). Many movements have been created in order to fight for the creation of laws that permit euthanasia as a way out of the suffering. On the other hand, opponents say that this practice doesn’t respect the right of life. When you don’t accept the personal choices of others, you don’t respect the right of freedom and autonomy every human has.

Finally, euthanasia avoids useless pain to the family of the patient. Relatives are the people who suffer the most when there is a member of the family in a terminal condition and there are not medical possibilities to stop the pain this person is suffering. Euthanasia will help the relatives to stop the image of their patient who is dying slowly and painfully. As a matter of fact, this medical practice will also help the patients because if they have a terminal illness and are not in a coma, they are able to see how their families are suffering and that could be worse for their condition.

Opponents of euthanasia say that this practice omits the right to life. In addition, they also say euthanasia will make the numbers of cases of suicide or homicide increase because many people can say that the reason for “helping” the person to die was that the person was in terrible pain and didn’t want to live anymore. If this happened, many murderers will be released from prison or couldn’t be arrested. These points have a lot of truth. But it also depends on how the legislation of euthanasia would be written. Holland is a country with legislation that allows euthanasia and the numbers of suicide or homicide has not increased because it is clear in what kind of cases euthanasia can or can’t be used (“Eutanasia: Muerte Digna”)

In conclusion, my posture is pro-euthanasia only when the patient is in a terminal condition or is in a comma that is not able to recover anymore. I recognize there are some valid arguments against euthanasia, but I think that when there is no way out, when the patients can’t get better and do normal things like walk, eat, speak, and when they and their relatives are suffering with no need, this medical practice is a good choice to finish life in a more humane way.

WORKS CITED

ESCALANTE, Maria Guadalupe. “Eutanasia: Muerte Digna”. 2005. <www.monografias.com/trabajos/muertedigna.htm>

WHAT DO PEOPLE THINK ABOUT MIDDLE EASTERNERS AND WHY?

2006-05-15T17:33:00.000-07:00

The Israeli-Arab war has become a world-wide issue because of the number of effects that it has brought to the humanity. A lot of people think they know the causes of this war, but actually, they are far away from the truth. The real social problem starts when we ask to ourselves: How much do we really know about this conflict and the way it began? In the last decade, as a result of the attacks that al-Qaeda, an Arab terrorist organization, made in some countries like U.S, Spain and France, the mentality of people evolved and transformed. Perhaps some of the most factors on this event are: the creation of a stereotype for Middle East people, the information from the media and the influence of religion in the life of people.

Since the day of the twin towers attack, the world is afraid of what else can happen. A lot of people from different countries see the Arabs as terrorist. And because of that, a stereotype for the Middle Easterner has been created for those who didn’t have it or it is equal for those people who already have it. These days, easterners are detained in airports, streets, shopping centers and public places in general. They suffer constantly with the insults and the scare of people who see them. Arabs have tried to change this image but everyday it gets more difficult as a result of the wrong ideas that the government of U.S and the media sent to people about them.

The stereotype of the people from the Middle East has also affect persons of different nationalities like Colombians, Egyptians, Cubans, etc who has more difficulties to enter in countries like USA and UK because of the strongest safety laws that these governments have created.

Another consequence has been the massive information material that we receive from the media every day. We could say that the media is the only “winner” of this conflict. In the last years, there has been an increase in web sites and television shows which treat this subject in a way that they only make people more confused and afraid. At the beginning of this war, their objective was to inform about everything that happens with partiality, but then after they saw the reaction of the people and how much money they could make by just informing about this war, some of them changed their vision. Now they only create a lot of expectations is people without knowing if that information is complete or if it is true.

Additionally, for some people the concept of religion has changed. Now it is considered more as a lifestyle than just a tradition. People are taking more time to know what kind of beliefs they are following. However, its true meaning has been transformed. In these days, the word “religion” is use to mention one of the most important causes of the war. Despite this, some people have raised their voices to declare to the world how they think “Therefore, to treat Islamic terrorism as the consequence of political and socioeconomic factors alone would not do justice to the significance of the religious culture in which this phenomenon is rooted” (“The Religious Sources of Islamic Terrorism”, paragraph 3). These kinds of opinions show that not everybody thinks religion has the fault in this war. These people know that terrorists are using it to distract and supposedly have a basis for what they are doing.

In this war nobody is going to win because they are fighting without true objectives. This conflict only causes a lot of people to die right now. Militaries from different nations fight every day in the Middle East, but here, in the “peaceful part of the world”, every person, no matter their age, is fighting with racial and religious insults which many times turn into physical fights. How can we ask the Middle East people to change, if we do not change first? Those are the questions that some people ask in the Internet. Future generations are seeing all the hate and fear people have for Arabs and the worst thing is that they are copying it. Maybe in the future, if we do not change these mentalities, we are going to suffer the same rejection from others, because of religion, race and nationality, or worst, for insignificant things like the way people talk, walk or even laugh. Only people who know how to distinguish lies from truth, have the right and duty to inform those who are ignorant and hopefully make them change their wrong ideas about Middle Easterners.

WORK CITED

Schulman Marc. “The Religious Sources of Islamic Terrorism”. 27 sept 2005

“FIRST DAY” - FINAL DRAFT

2006-05-15T17:18:00.000-07:00

Being in her senior year at the school was the moment that Gabrielle had waited for her whole life. She wanted this so much because it meant that soon she would be at the university, her biggest dream. Don’t get me wrong! She liked her school, her friends and teachers and all the amazing moments that she lived with them. But something in her mind always told her that the U would be the time of her life.

For most people choosing a career isn’t easy, because it’s one of the most important decisions everyone will make in their life. Gabrielle wasn’t the exception. She had a lot of problems about what career she was going to choose. Eventually, she decided to study industrial engineering at the Externado University, one of the best universities in Colombia.

After she graduated from high school she got more and more anxious about her dream. She moved to Bogotá, where the U is located, and bought all the stuff she would need, like clothes, books and notebooks.

The first day of classes came and Gabrielle was happy about it. She woke up early that day and prepared herself for this spectacular day. When she arrived to the university, she noticed she forgot to bring the guide of where she had to go the first day. She asked some workers of the U, but neither of them knew that information. Gabrielle started to walk and tried to find something that would tell her where she needed to go, but this was a wrong step because it only made her lost more than she already was. She knew she shouldn’t ask students, because they probable will laugh of her, but she didn’t know what else to do and this was her only resource!!!!!

She stopped a group of girls who seem nice. Gabrielle asked them nicely if they know where all the new students had to go for their guidance trough the U. The girls smiled, and one of them, the one who was leading the group told her softly, “you have to go to the pool and turn to the right and walk until you see a poster with all the information you need”, Gabrielle smiled happily and thanks to the girls.

After a while, she realized she was lost again, because she couldn’t find any pool. She thought she was alone in a hallway. But then she saw a guy who was smoking and listening to music. Gabrielle decided to ask him for some information. At the beginning the boy looked at her strangely, but then he smiled and told her to walk in this hallway until she found a door with a black poster. The girl said “thanks” the boy and did what he just said. She walk and reached the door with the black poster. She opened the door and…what a surprise! It was the garbage dump! First she got really angry, and walked back to the place where she found the boy, but he had already gone. Then, she was sad because she realized that not only the boy lied, the group of girls did it too. THERE WAS NO POOL IN THIS UNIVERSITY! IT WAS A JOKE, A REALLY BAD JOKE! Finally she got anxious; she was alone in the hallway. She didn’t have any number to call from her cell phone.

Gabrielle began to panic when she noticed it was 9:30 am, and she had to be in the reunion place at 8:30 am. This was awful! This couldn’t be happening! She thought. But then she felt a hand in her shoulder, she turned around quickly and saw an old man, a worker with a broom in the other hand. He asked her if she was lost, she said “yes” timidly with her head. He told her he worked in the U and he would help her. The man took her hand and led her down to a hallway that she had never seen. They stopped in front of a door with a poster which said, “Guidance for new students”. Gabrielle smiled; she finally got to the right place. She thanks the worker and he smiled back. She entered to the room and her dream began.

Sometime after this incident, some of her new friends told her that the group of girls she met the first day, always do the same joke to the “rookies”, that’s how they call the new students, and the other boy was coincidently a friends of the girls, so he just followed the joke . They think is funny because they are not the ones who are on their own and lost in a place as big as this, Gabrielle thought.

After this experience she is more suspicious of what other students say especially if they are older than her. She hasn’t seen the old worker since that day, but she will always remember his courtesy. He helped her to fix her dream: the first day in the university.

Note:

:-) ;-) It’s not my experience. I didn’t live it but when I was in the school I met a girl who did it and I thought it was funny, so I wrote the story with some changes.

Self-evaluation Questions

2006-05-15T13:07:00.000-07:00

Self-evaluation Questions

1. Now that the semester has come to an end, look at your goals you set for yourself at the beginning of the semester. Which of the goals did you achieve? Why did you achieve them?
R:/ I think I have improve in my grammar and my speaking but i can be better so i need to practice more. I have dificults in the use of prepositions

2. Which of the goals did you not achieve? What could you have done differently to achieve them?
R:/ I didn't achieve the goal of learning new vocabulary because i don't like to learn just by memory. Suggestion: i think you should done that activity differently with a game or something, i think. :-)

4. Do you feel you applied yourself to improving your English abilities? Why or why not?
R:/ i think i did a good job this semester because whe i wrote the essay i payed attention to all the details something i didn't usually do, so i think i have improve in that area. My speaking is better, i think. Since i gratuated from the Colombo-Americano i hadn't the opportunity to speak so much, so my english wasn't the best, but in this semester i think i improve in that aspect

5. Taking into account that at least 60% of our English courses will be content, what activities would you like to see happen with the other 40% of the time?
R:/ I like when you show us the movie "Gaza strip", because it was a different activity and at the same time we were learning. Maybe you can repeat activities like TABOO

6. Overall, you deserve a _______4.8_____ as your final note in this class because…..I did all my essays, i pay attention to the class, and because i really learn, and that's the objective.

Improving proofreading skills

2006-05-02T15:41:00.000-07:00

There were also several differences between Washington and Lincoln. Washington came from a wealthy aristocratic background. He had several years of schooling. Lincoln, instead, came from a poor background and had very little schooling. Another difference between the two involved their military roles. Washington was a general, a military leader. Some years later, he became president. On the other hand, Lincoln never served in the military. He was a lawyer who early on became a politician. When he became president, he took on the role of commander in chief, as all U.S. presidents do. Despite his lack of military background or training, Lincoln made several strategic decisions that enabled the U.S. military leaders to win the Civil War. Finally, Washington served for two terms and therefore had eight years to accomplish his policies. Lincoln, on the other hand, was assasinatedWhile in office and was not able to finish some of the things that he wanted for the country.

Jack Friedhamm was born in New York in October 25, 1965. He began school at the age of six and continued until he was 18 years. Then, he went to New York University to learn Medicine. He decided this career because he liked biology when he was at school. While he was in the University he met his wife Cindy. She was a beautiful woman with long black hair. They went along for years before they decided getting married. Jack began to work like a doctor as soon as he graduated from Medical School. They had two children named Jackie and Peter, and have lived in Queens since the past two years. Jack is very interested in painting and likes to paint portraits of his sun Peter.

My Reflections

2006-04-15T19:40:00.000-07:00

q1) In which areas of language use have you improved, in your opinion?
R:/ I think I have improved in my grammar and the way I write my essays is more organize.

2) Which areas of langauge use are still a problem?
R:/ The use of prepositions

3)Which areas of language use do you want to spend the most time on during the rest of the semester?
R:/ Connectors, construction of paragraphs, prepositions

4)What type of classwork is most useful, in your opinion?
R:/ I like when we practice how to write different kind of essays, and the constrution of paragraphs

5)What can you personally do to increase your rate of progress?
R:/ Pay more attention in class and do the assigments

6)Do you have any other comments or suggestions about this class?
R:/ I like the class but I would like to see movies or listen to songs and stuff like that

GAZA STRIP

2006-04-07T15:16:00.000-07:00

I think the movie shows aspects that no only happened in the middle East, i think that the same situation happens every day in the towns and cities of Colombia and the other countries that has internals wars.

For me, the most shocking moment during the movie was when some kid said that he doesn't want to live, he wants to be dead in order to avoid the violence and the images of his friends dying. I think that's the same feeling of many childrens who suffer because of the war in our country.

On the other hand, i don't know if the movie is completely objetive because the only show the situation of Palestine. ¿What about the jewish?¿What is their situation? Maybe on the other side, the problem is the same or it can be worst...

The situation of both sides is getting worst, middle easterners are asking to the world to send some help but until the goverments of this countries don't speak about solutions, we don't know what else can happen to them and even to us.

My topic

2006-03-14T18:00:00.000-08:00

I’m going to talk about how the western culture’ mentality change after all the wars between Israeli and the Arab countries.

I chose this topic because I think that a lot of people in the world have a wrong idea about what is going on with these nations, and that’s the result of not reading news or not having the interest to learn about other people’s problems.

We see in the TV, images in which Palestine and Israelis are destroying not only the enemy but also themselves because they don’t want to leave their pride and talk and resolve their different in other forms.

So in my essay I will talk about how the western mentality change because of the war and all the conflict in the middle east.

"Biased Language"

2006-03-14T17:43:00.000-08:00

Language reflects how societies around the world feel about gender differences. A lot of people don’t realize the fact that, when they are writing or talking about any subject, they might be doing unwarranted assumptions.
Biased language refers to all the words which make a gender division, when there is not need to be done, like: businessman and businesswoman instead of business executives. Making this king of mention (about sex, ethnicity, religion, etc) is getting into a critical subject: “sexist language and stereotypes”.
Gender is culture. Sex is biology. This means that society’s notion about “masculine” and “feminine” are inventions to control the behavior we “should” have if we are woman or man. For example, a lot of people think that it’s wrong to see a man cooking, taking care of children, doing “woman’s jobs” and vice versa, seeing a women playing soccer, being in the politics or driving a taxi. Why? Because these are “generic works”.

Now, the problem is how we can do to stop this gender division?
Well there are some words that people use to replace those ones which make a gender division:

Pseudogeneric “He”: The use of this word is ambiguous, because it’s suppose to mean man and woman, but a lot of people still think that it only refers to man. This is a common mistake for young children who are learning to speak and write and don’t understand this grammatical rule. Defenders claim that this convention doesn’t exclude anyone. But it does, in reality, exclude over half of the population of the world.

Also much of the debate includes the use of “man”. Some people think that it not only refers a “male human being” but also “human being” “a person” “the whole human race”

We can substitute the word he for we/us/our, by just rewriting the sentence in the plural. Example: “From each according to his abilities, to each according to his needs” (Karl Marx).
From each of us according to our abilities to each of us according to our needs• Replace the pronoun with a noun(or a synonym for a noun used earlier).
Replace the pronoun with words like someone, anyone, one, the one, no one.

For me this is a really interesting subject, I have never realized the fact that many times we make difference between genders, when we don’t have to. Language influences attitudes, behavior and perceptions, so when we make the gender division, we are keeping this wrong tradition for the future.
Gender division is a critical subject around the world, but it depends on how the society think about the behavior men and women should have. In the western culture, there is still the idea that men are more powerful and smarts than women; just by writing he instead of other words (like the examples) we are supporting this hypothesis. This text really makes me think about how I’m supporting this idea when actually I’m against it.

The FTA with U.S.A

2006-03-04T11:45:00.000-08:00

Last Thursday I saw the president of Colombia talked about the FTA that is going to be sing soon, between our country and the United States of America, one of the most important countries in the global economy.

He didn't speak so much; he just answered some questions from de audience who was at the coliseum. On one side, the FTA (TLC in Spanish) will probably changes Colombia’s economy, i hope for the best, but in order to do that, the government have to make some lays that will help the areas that are going to suffer some damage with this agreement.

On the other hand, I have seen on the news, how the agriculturists from all the country don't want this association with USA, because they think that the FTA is going to make Colombians poorer that they already are

I'm not against the FTA because I know that if we negotiate correctly, the benefits will be extensive and productive for our nation, not only because we will be able to buy American products cheaper than now, but because we can improve the wrong image that a lot of the people has about Colombia and we all know that they are no true.

About the arab-israeli war

2006-02-16T15:11:00.000-08:00

Israel 'to up Gaza restrictions' 16 february
http://http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4721122.stm

This comes days before the opening of the Palestinian parliament, in which the Hamas has a majority.
Israel has said it will not co-operate with a Hamas-led administration.
The proposals include stopping workers leaving Gaza for Israel or the West Bank, and turning the Gaza-Israel crossings into international borders.
The recommendations are yet to be approved by acting Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.
Israel is demanding that the Hamas Islamist militant group renounce violence and recognise Israel's right to exist.
Hamas leaders say they want a cessation of violence with Israel, but have ruled out recognising the legitimacy of the Jewish state.
'Putting up barriers'
The Defence Ministry proposals would affect thousands of Palestinians in Gaza who rely on access to Israel and the West Bank, even though current travel restrictions imposed by Israel already severely limit their freedom of movement.
Israel Radio reported that, in addition to refusing to allow any Palestinians to work in Israel, the ministry advocated freezing plans to build a new sea port in Gaza.
Israel agreed to the construction of the port in a US-brokered agreement on the Gaza-Egypt crossing at Rafah in November.
Palestinians would also be denied the right to travel between Gaza and the West Bank, with only a limited number of VIPs able to apply for permits.
Transforming the Gaza-Israel crossings into formal international borders would also mean a number of additional security checks.
Israel Radio said the proposed restrictions would take effect after the Palestinian Legislative Council's (PLC) first session.
The BBC's James Reynolds in Jerusalem says Israel is preparing for life alongside a Hamas-led Palestinian Authority and is putting up its barriers.

.....

i don't know much about this subject, but reading this articule made me realized that this events are really destroying the people who live in the middle east. I think that all the prohibitions, the Israel Defense Ministry did, are going to make all the things more difficult than they already are. These lays are affecting specially the palestins who need to travel to the zone of Gaza to work or do other things. Creating barriers between Israel and Palestine is not going to do any better this situation.

MY FAVORITE CARNIVAL MEMORY

2006-02-06T10:38:00.000-08:00

my favorite carnival memory was when I was in my senior year at the school. Me and my friends had an amazing time toguether because it was our last school carnival. We had so much fun.
We danced, sang a lot of songs, jumped, screamed, etc.
A band came to the school,and played some local songs, carnival's songs, like "Te olvide". It was excellent
That day there was a contest to chose who was going to be the queen of the carnival.
My group had won this contest for 3 years consecutives so, we wanted to win again and make a record. All the girls screamed and danced with our group queen.....after 2 hours of fun, the jury had their announcement....¿Guest What? We won again....all the group was screaming, and jumping around the coliseum.
It was an amazing moment wich i will always remember.

I do not have anything to do

2006-01-30T09:57:00.000-08:00

I don't have anything good to do, so I'm here writting all my thoughts.

I used to play voleyball when i was in the school, but now that i'm in the university, i don't have much time, I miss it.

I miss all my friends from the school, because here at the university all the boys are mean, and rude, and bad persons, specially one who calls... that's no true, i was kidding, jejee, he is a good guy, i like him.....i really do but i think he just wants to be my friend.

well, i have to go, bye bye

This is me

2006-01-26T14:16:00.000-08:00

Well....my name is Sheyla. i'm 17 years old..i'm a international bussiness student at the North University in Barranquilla.
I want to speak english more fluently, and I want to learn french.
I want to travel to Germany, France, U.K and E.U