The Good Earth

The earth is something that is believed to be created by God. The earth is what some people believe to be a great wonder, with many things to discover. The truth is that the Earth is the great system in which Man needs to survive. Man cannot survive without the protection of Mother Nature’s atmosphere, which some people believe is being destroyed. The earth provides us with living fuel such as food, water, materials, resources, yet Man continues to use up the supplies of the earth’s reserve.

My view may be slightly biased, but I’m supposed to be persuading you right? Planet Earth is what allows the material success of man. Many studies show, however, that the earth will not be able to uphold him forever, if Man keeps on abusing the domain in which he dwells in. The abuse of earth could also be an example of Man’s greed. There is a certain limit at which Man needs to keep taking from the earth. Once crossed, many things of the earth’s qualities will deteriorate.

Taking is a huge problem that men face with the earth. Man will keep taking and taking until the Earth will have nothing left to give. The earth as a whole will lose its reserve if Man keeps taking it with apathy. Man’s apathy would not worry him if he would keep on benefiting from it, but they don’t realize that riches and comfort will definitely provide instant gratification, but for the future it could be devastating, especially for the next generation. Man’s apathy is a great flaw in his relationship with the earth.

I expressed a point on how Man does not take the future generation in mind. This could be evidence of Man’s own selfishness. They want to be satisfied only for now, not caring about the future of their own spouse or generation. Not all of men act in selfishness and greed. There are some that make efforts to improve their relationship with the earth, but they do not have such a great influence over the world as its Leaders.

Now if Man did give back to the earth and try to preserve its reserves then they would suffer. It seems that for one side to be thriving, the other side can only be surviving. I’m not exaggerating the current state of the earth, by saying that it is barely surviving (in fact man seems to be the one barely surviving) but soon the tables will turn if Man does not respect the earth. It may seem a problem to make sacrifices, but if they are not made then how can their relationship with the earth be improved and maintained?

God created everything in the earth so that it would be glorifying him. He also created man so that he would glorify God. Before the fall, man literally seemed to have lived in coexistence and harmony with the earth. Then the fall came, and everything basically changed. Man represents one side of a war with earth and all its properties (the plants, trees, animals, and oceans) standing on the other side. Man’s own selfishness and progress clouded their view in their relationship with the Earth.

Soon, if Man does not make a better effort to change and coexist once again with the Earth. Sacrifices would have to be made, but the sacrifices would be more beneficial than the instant gratification Man seeks. The Earth provides Men with their lives, but Man keeps taking life from the Earth. It’s a complicated concept, with a war between Man’s thriving and the Earth’s thriving, yet if Man realizes the benefits of coexistence, then things would change for the better.

Food For Thought

Eating and drinking is something that satisfies the wants and needs of the flesh. Most privileged people are able to choose how much they drink and eat. Mostly people prefer to eat something that leaves an exquisite taste in their mouth, or something that tastes good to them. There are also foods that are bad for your health, and good for your health. The food that people eat is something that some take for granted and something that some may cherish greatly. We have different views on food today. Food is believed to be something that is enjoyed, or is pleasurable in taste or something that fuels us for our everyday life; but I see food as something that stores the best cherished memories of my life.

                Every time I take a sip of a Coke, or a bite out of that chocolate, it gives me a brief picture of something good, or bad, that happened in the past. An example would be Coca-Cola! I love the stuff. I hate the fizz it leaves in your throat and the constant belching of drinking it afterwards, but it’s such a lovely can of stuff! Reason being that one time I drank a Coke, was because at one time all I really wanted was water. My uncle gave me coke instead at a barbeque in my favorite place for a holiday. This place being my home town called Cape Town. I was sipping the coke while my uncle was pointing out the stars in the skies, and letting me fry my own meat. He just told me to admire the stars, and if I should become one, never forget the people back on earth who look up to you. That night was beautiful. I was only six years old, yet I remember it so well. It’s remembered and cherished all because I got thirsty from swimming in salt water. Coke wasn’t the best choice, because it made me puke when I was watching a movie, but the fact is every time I drink coke, the memory of the night I spent with my uncle remains.

                Every time I go to Nandos the memory of me spending time with my friends in my old school, in the famed shopping mall called “Bluewater”, comes to mind. It reminds me of how troublesome I was back then. I would always be acting up with my friends at the restaurant, and flicking olives at my friends. Not the brightest thing to do in a restaurant, but it reminds me of the cherished time, and fun I had with my friends in that mall. Salted and sweetened popcorn mixed together is a personal favorite.   My “Special Friend” and I were in the movies. I took sweet popcorn, and she took salty. We both ordered large, so after halfway, we got sick of the taste, and as she mentioned it to me and I mentioning it to her, we both came up with the idea of mixing it together! As weird as it tasted, it was good, and we both felt proud of ourselves for our “intelligence”. The great memory I have of that was the time I mostly talked and joked around with her, and not paying attention to the movie. A little while later we kissed. I guess it was inevitable I suppose.

                Food just doesn’t have to taste good. Something awesome happened when I first tried Ramen and Sushi. I thought I’d like Japanese food, but unfortunately reading Manga was not enough. I managed to endure the strange puke-like taste of the Ramen, and the sushi was the beginning and end of it all. I was out eating lunch after church with Marieth and my mother. She ordered sushi, and said I should try dipping it in soy-sauce mixed with wasabi. My first time trying it was a taste that was sort-of lovely, but at the same time it was putrid. You have to understand that I was trying to hold in my disgust of this evil food, but unfortunately when I tried it again my stomach just finally took a stand and rebelled. With the contents of the ramen noodle soup, fish skin, rice and wasabi erupting in my mouth, I barely managed to keep it in my throat. I casually walked away with a puffed up mouth and a hand keeping it shut, and ran to the other side of the building. There were gutters thankfully, and I just puked out all the slimy, gut-like remains of what was supposed to be my lunch. Noodles and fish just piled in the gutter. I walked back, trying to forget it, and sat down at the table.

“Are you okay? Don’t you like the food?” asked Marieth.

“Oh no it was perfectly fine, it was just a bit of that wasabi that hit the back of my throat, which was a bit too strong to handle, just a little bit.” I replied with no sarcasm intended.

Every time I think back to the time I ate Japanese food, I laugh, because it was the first time in a long time since I puked, and because of the fake quite smile I had to put on once I got back to the table. I always tell my friends “I love Ramen!” just because of the memory that I have of eating it.

                Food is more than just satisfying the wanting and need of the flesh. It is a gift God gives us for our enjoyment, pleasure, and cherishing of the time we spend together eating. It’s also supposed to be done in memory of God, and it’s also a way of us to remember to thank him for the different flavors he gives us to enjoy. More than that, it’s something we should cherish and take gratitude in, and remember all the good and bad things that happen when we do, because you never know when you’ll have your last meal…

Manga vs. American Comics…

There are many important and distinct differences between Manga and American Comics. The ways they are drawn are almost two completely different styles. Manga is a more whimsical, exaggerated and traditional style, whereas American comics are more realistic. Manga comics have a very different and harder upbringing, in the sense that when the first Mangas were drawn, they were soon outlawed and made illegal due to government censorship. Many differences between Manga and American Comics, to name a few, would be the way they are made and sold, how much they cost, the audiences they’re designed for, and size.

                The way Manga is made and presented for sale is fairly different than American comics. Manga is mostly printed in Black-and-White colour, and American Comics are usually printed in full colour. The size of a Manga comic is rather different too. Manga is often made in a smaller size than an American comic. Even though a Manga is one-third the size of a traditional American comic, a Manga can be real thick and run up to one hundred pages in length, compared to a mere 32 pages for American Comics. Manga has many similarities to a graphic novel, like the collections of American comics, but unlike American comics, Manga comics are usually part of a larger story. A complete storyline or even just a series can run a thousand pages (such as the famed comic “Bleach”).

                American Comics are often created with multiple people doing different tasks (writer, penciler, inker, letterer, and colourist); however Manga usually just has one creator who does all these tasks except for colouring. This is why most people admire the work of a Mangaka since there is a lot of painstaking time, effort, and loss of sleep put into developing a Manga (it’s really stressful to be a Mangaka).

                The storyline of a Manga will progress a lot quicker than American comics. Because of the high page count, a reader advances through a Manga at a faster pace. Mangas would always have less panels and rambling in dialogue on a page than an American Comic. Mangas would usually cost more than American Comics, and a bit more than a paperback novel. The cost is kept down by the fact it is in black-and-white, but is worth the quality since it would have more story development considering the amount of pages it has. American comics are mainly designed for children, but Manga is designed for all audiences. Anyone can be caught reading Manga.

                There are three main genres of Manga, one of them which I will not mention due to censorship reasons, and because you really don’t need to know (and why would anyone want to be reading junk like that anyway?). Shonen Manga is a genre of Manga that is usually action-packed and suspenseful, with adventure tied into it as well. (Shonen Manga means boy comics). Shojo Manga often contains romance, emotional and relationship topics and interests (Shojo Manga meaning of course “Girl Comics”).

                Manga and American Comics are very different of course. Today Manga is the more popular medium, concerning how fast it is growing. American Comics have more of a classic style, and reach a part of many people’s childhood in which they would buy an issue, and spend whole day reading it. Although I said “anyone can be caught reading Manga” I didn’t exactly mean its ok for anyone to read. You will have to be careful in what you choose to read, if you make the choice, for I have found many Mangas in the past where it would get to a certain point in the story where everything just turns bad, and unpleasant. So please take my advice in which you have to be careful in what you read, and have fun.

Narrative Essay

I once used to have a best friend. His name was Matthew Blatt. Most Teachers in my school would not really think of this student to be responsible or have any discipline since he was a troublemaker. Most teachers wouldn’t trust him, or me. That is because I always used to make trouble with him. Yes that’s right; I once used to be a trouble maker. That’s when I used to hang out with my best friend, Matthew Blatt.
I’m not really used to calling him my best friend, but it’s only now that I realize he was my only best friend I had over here. When my first year at Dalat began, he wasn’t really my friend. I just saw him as a nuisance, and he saw me as an annoyance. We saw each other as enemies, and almost hated each other, but it was art class. It was art class in which we talked to each other, and then we realized we had a lot in common. From then on, we were good friends. A road of unknown joys and troubles we both decided to take.
It was strange really. It made sense as to why we would both be friends, because he liked the same music, same manga, same books, and same ideas about things. We would mess around in various classes, making jokes and talking about the latest manga releases. Every class we would talk a lot. And there were other people too. These were other friends we would laugh around with. Those were the good old days. The days I used to have fun with Matt. We did crazy things together. I guess it’s pathetic that I still hold onto these old memories, but these were the good times that I cherish.
Those good days did not last long, because our trouble and messing around was being noticed. And soon enough, we were separated. Now I don’t want to make this sound like we are both gay partners, and something like that, but we were pretty close. And being separated in classes was like something missing during the day. I got closer to other friends too, but like my good friend was gone from me. It was beneficial though. I found that I caught up on a lot more work than I did with Matt. But being gone from friends was bad. Since some teachers did separate a whole group of guys in the class. It took a while to get used to though, being away from friends.
The last day I remember with Matt was when we all went to Gurney. It was fun, because it was just me, Joel, Jeffrey, Moses, and Hara. Matt paid for Jeffrey and Moses’ dinner (beggars). We went around Gurney, playing music in the Apple store, looking at stuff, and playing pranks on Joel. Pranks like the ditching games, and just a few jokes.
Nowadays, with Matt gone, it’s just me, Jason, and Joel. We don’t do much at school, but at least we hang out. It’s like all the times of trouble and having fun are gone. But they’re not really. I still try to keep things together. He was my only best friend I’ve had for a long time, now I just have friends. Although, I’m not lonely, I still have everyone else in the class.

Problem Solution Essay

Humanitarian Crisis in Mogadishu

Somalia Country File:

Population: 9,558,666

Life Expectation: 49

GDP per capita: $600

Location: Eastern Africa, bordering the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean, east of Ethiopia

Environmental Problems: Famine, Deforestation, Unclean Water Supplies

Somalia faces many problems with famine and supplying clean water. There are many disease, like malaria and HIV/Aids. The people have a low life expectancy due to the widespread diseases and the famine. People do not have much food to survive and some do not have any at all. It is a poor country and the Government has very little money to help the people. There are also very few skilled workers. There are also very few jobs and the unemployment is high.

 

Somalia is a country that is Africa’s worst Humanitarian Crisis. There has been lots of crime and lawlessness since the military Government Collapsed in 1991. The UN says that almost 1 million people have become refugees. Government Forces had defeated the Islamic militia, who controlled much of the country, in 2006. A new government is being suggested by the UN since the new leader of the country has not been able to keep it under control. There are many Islamist insurgents operating in the country, making it a very dangerous place to live.. There are many refugees who have fled from the capital Mogadishu because of the fighting going on between Government Forces and Islamic insurgents of the regime. Refugees live in tents made from twigs and scraps of cloth.

 

Recently, Islamist insurgents and Clans have been attacking the Somali transitional Government and the Ethiopian Army. Insurgents have been taking over towns and forcing people living in cities like Mogadishu to take refuge outside. A clan called “al-Shabab” (meaning “The Youth”) have been recently attacking many government forces within Mogadishu and stealing weapons. The clan does not speak to many journalists, but one member agreed to an interview with a BBC Reporter.

The Clan Member in the report says:

 

“There are al-Shabab fighters in all parts of the country. I don’t want to talk in numbers. But when the Ethiopian troops first arrived we were already strong. Now we have even more power because of the support of people everywhere.”

Taken from a BBC Report: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7365047.stm

The Al-Shabab is a group of young Islamists who have been fighting around Mogadishu. They have just been recently put on the US’s list of foreign terrorist organizations. Many allegations have been made against many clans in Mogadishu. The allegations are that they have been organizing with al-Qaeda. The Islamist Insurgents are considered as terrorists, but only ones that operate in Mogadishu. Now they are becoming a threat to many other surrounding nations and overseas countries. The Alliance of the Liberation of Somalia are the main opposition for the Islamist Insurgents.

           

On Wednesday, 24 September, at least 18,000 people fled the city of Mogadishu. The BBC reports that at least 45 people have been reported dead, while many others have been missing. Islamist Insurgents have been taking over much of the city. AU Peacekeepers and many Insurgents have been fighting against each other since Monday. “We could no longer watch the shocking incidents and what happened to our neighbours, who were either killed or injured, my children could not bear the shelling, that is why I have decided to escape,” a mother of five. An elderly man said: “I have escaped from my house because throughout last night artillery shells had been pounding on us.” The people who have taken refuge y are poor and cannot afford to send their children to school. They cannot afford any decent health services. Some children are forced to beg for money. It has been recorded that over 20,000 people flee the city of Mogadishu every month.

 

Apart from all the violence that has been going on in the city and all the people living in Refugee camps, there has also been violence against aid workers in Somalia. Gunmen have shot three elders today that have been giving out aid to a refugee camp on the outskirts of Mogadishu. I think the violence in Somalia is not helping to develop the country, especially in Mogadishu, where there is a lot of conflict. The reason is because the country is not lowering the unemployment rate, and not much is being done about the education, healthcare and food supplies. More people are evacuating the city and are suffering outside the city, where there are no schools, not much healthcare, and a lot of poverty. Somalia is known to be one of the most ignored problems in the world. Mogadishu has already become a scary place where there are no longer people on the streets. People are killed every day, whether it is from handing out aid, or being caught in shell fire in a market (20 people reported dead in this incident, 86 “missing”, or their bodies have just not been found).

           

There have been many things that have been done to resolve the Conflict in Mogadishu. 1,600 Ugandan AU Peacekeepers have been in the city, while another 800 camp on the Outskirts. Solutions to the problem have already been suggested. It has been suggested by the UN that the government should negotiate with the Insurgents and resolve the problem. This has been suggested, but many people of Somalia do not think that the Insurgents would come to an agreement with the power share of the country. My opinion is that if other countries around the world take this problem seriously, then they could step in and do something. Some newspapers like to call it the “New Afghanistan”. Countries could provide more aid and do something about the conflict. If the conflict is not resolved, then Somalia could become a threat to other nations around the Globe.

My Favourite Memory

My favourite and probably the last memory of South Africa was the time I spent with my cousin and my best friend on Gordon’s Bay Beach. When I first got there it was just me and my friend Thabit. I do not remember preparing to go to Gordon’s Bay, but I knew that there would be a lot of conflict between me and Thabit. Gordon’s Bay was and still is the best place on earth for me. We had video-games, DVDs, board games, a big TV, and food. We only watched TV, DVDs and ate lots of food. We had the rest of the day on the beach, a big swimming park, huge rocks to climb on and two guys throwing us sky high and landing us into a pool. This kept us busy throughout the holiday. It would be just me my mother, Thabit, his brother, sister, parents, one of my aunties and her two daughters. When I used to go to school with Thabit I always used to pretend that he was my cousin. I owed it to him to make him feel part of my family since his father was there for me when my father wasn’t.
When we did eventually get there, Thabit and I were arguing over which bags to carry. Thabit was two years younger than me. He was very crafty and smart. He would come up with ways to make me carry the heaviest bag, get more coca cola in his glass, get more sweets than me, and get more money pocket money than me. He would do silly things like that. It was silly and pointless, but we had to get along. We went to the beach, and we would be good friends with each other. The thought of arguing and fighting on the beach was something that could ruin mine and Thabit’s holiday, and I would not be seeing him again for another two years. We jumped around in the water going up and down in the big waves. We came up with a good idea to do in the water. We decided to wrestle. It was different than the type of wrestling matches we had on his dad’s king size bed. We were less likely to make each other cry and seriously injure ourselves. We wrestled and dunked our heads under water. We threw each other at the waves. It was fun.
My cousins arrived the day after and spent the rest of the week and two days with us. There was Courtney, Justin and Shane. Justin and Shane hanged out with me and Thabit. Although Thabit was not part of the family we all treated him like he was. Thabit always used to get excited if Justin and Shane were coming to see us. We would do things together and Thabit would be argumentative. I’m sure I was the same, but it only happened when my cousins were around. I stopped being argumentative and then Thabit soon stopped as well. We could finally enjoy our holiday.
My cousin did not get along with Shane. Shane was the dominant and the oldest in the group. Justin was the second oldest. When we went the market they would argue over which jewellery my mother should buy. Shane and Justin would get into fights and Thabit and I had to interrupt by making them angry with us.
The times we enjoyed with each other were when we tried to melt marshmallows on the stove and Shane threw them all onto my back. They all decided to eat it off my back. We climbed rocks; we had races from the sea to the shoreline. Thabit had not heard of the shark sightings near the island we swam to, but he swam to it anyway. When he got back we all started shouting at him and then we laughed because we could not believe he still did it. We caught guppies and tried to stuff them in each other’s pants. We would go to the Swimming Park and race down the huge slide. We climbed a big cliff and tried to spot whales in the sea. Overall we had an awesome time.
My cousins left a day before me and Thabit. I felt sad, but I soon cheered up when I heard that I would be seeing them again.

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