Thesis

**The choice to smoke in public places should be left up to each individual. **

• People have a right to go/or not go to places where there is smoking
• Infringes on rights to say you can or cannot smoke here
• Property owners (bar or restaurant) have right to declare property smoke free or not
  

essay idea

I think that I am going to do my essay on hookah bars. There was a recent news article in the Dearborn Press & Guide that talked about it being very unhealthy for you. Since I am a regular hookah smoker this news article caught my interest.

• There are a couple ways to look at this topic. There is the culture aspect of it, people of middle eastern decent think of it as a common thing to do and don't look at it as being harmful.
• There is the business owner's point of view, which could also tie into the culture aspect (if the business owner was of that culture). The business owner doesn't care if it is unhealthy, just as long and he/she is making money.

• The adolescents' point of view who smokes hookah most likely doesn't care that it is unhealthy, or is just niave and doesn't know how unhealthy it is.

• Then on the other side there is the community that feels it is their duty to let people know that it is unhealthy because people are under the misconception that hookah is healthier than cigarettes.

here is a link to an article published by the Dearborn Press & Guide Last week about hookah bars becoming more popular in Dearborn.
This is an excerpt from the article from the American Lung Association of Michigan:

"The American Lung Association of Michigan is passionately against tobacco use in any form. We are currently working with our partners to advocate for legislation banning smoking in workplaces, bars and restaurants in Michigan," he said. "We will continue to fight for the elimination of tobacco use in any form, as well as educate our youth to the perils of tobacco and provide top quality smoking cessation programs for those who unfortunately smoke now."

I guess the arguement is, "should hookah be banned, along with all other forms of smoking in public?"

Hookah in East Dearborn

Within in the past couple years the newest trend in the Dearborn area has been building hookah bars/ cafés. In Dearborn you will find numerous hookah cafés, especially in east Dearborn. Most of them offer the same things, such as food and hookah. I enjoy the fact that Dearborn is becoming more cultural. If you drive down Warren Ave. for a couple miles starting at telegraph and go east it is almost like driving into a different country. All the signs are written in multiple languages and the stores carry certain foods to cater the peoples’ needs of the area. Hookah bars are only one of numerous culture staples that Dearborn has.





Welcome to Dearborn






EastorWestDearborn





A majority of hookah bars are on Warren Ave





busy busy





Sinbad's is a hookah bar located on the corner of Warren and Chase





Arabica es Mi Favorita





Famous is another hookah bar located in the area





Miami Subs is located down the street from Fordson High School





Billard's Cafe





Adonis





Tobacky






Flava Flav!


Smoking @ Arabica





inhale...





...exhale

Hoooookaaaahhh

Within in the past couple years the newest trend in the Dearborn area has been building hookah bars/ cafés. In Dearborn you will find numerous hookah cafés, especially in east Dearborn. Most of them offer the same things, such as food and hookah, but they all have a different motif and décor. I enjoy the fact that Dearborn is becoming more cultural. If you drive down warren for a couple miles starting at telegraph and go east it is almost like driving into a different country. All the signs are written in multiple languages and the stores carry certain foods that apply to the peoples’ needs of the area. Hookah bars are only one of the culture staples that are occurring in Dearborn.

Tags

This photo just proves how ghetto the area is b/c the garbage can is chained to the pole.Cool.







This image just caught eye. Its in New York.

Graffiti

I think graffiti is stupid. Obviously whoever does it has no respect for other peoples' property. Why should we listen to what disrespectful people have to say. There is absolutely no reason for someone to go spray paint a building. If they have this much time on their hands then they should go get a job or do something to better the community like volunteer work or picking up garbage. If they really cared then that is what they would do. They are just trying to get attention and a rise out of people.

Ghettos

I never really thought about how much work it is to help protect what is yours until I read "fortified Ghettos." People put so much time, energy , and money to put up security fences, cameras, steel door, and even guard dogs. There is no reason why people have to do this. People need to learn respect for other peoples' things.

Topics

Potential Topics

• Retail Sales dropping
• Feb. had record lows. Coldest in 3 decades. High gas prices and cold temps put spring clothes on the back burner
  

• Real Estate sales in SE Michigan (foreclosure auctions)
• Forclosure are bad for some people but good for other.
  
• Ideal for first time home buyers

• Single-family home and condiminums are seeing a rise in sales

• Grant Murder Case
• Lots of drama
• many odd twists in the story
• hard to find attorney to take case
  

• Dearborn Public Schools zoning changes
• Fordson high school is crowded
• By 2012 there could be 500 less students at Fordson
• More students would attend Edsel Ford High School
  

• Comerica's Move
• Shows that Detroit needs to shape up
• losing 200 jobs to texas
• people deciding whether to take their accounts out
  

Comerican and Grant Murder Case

The two stories that are receiving the most coverage are the grant murder and comerica bank moving their headquarters. The Grant murder case stands out more to me because it's about death. It's pretty serious. The Comerica story is also important. I have an account there and I'm not sure what I am going to do yet. So, I will need to follow this story closely.

FREEP.com emphasizes on all the new twists and turns that are developing in the Grant murder case. While the Comerica story emphasizes on how our city has a bad reputation. It goes in depth even to say how Comerica employees in the past have lured potential employees by taking them to the opera and the art museum.

The Comerica issue is mostly just the facts. There isn't too much drama to go along with the story. Basically the only drama is what are current Comerica account holders going to do and that our city really is going down the tubes. The story is straight forward and also upsetting since we will be losing 200 jobs to another state.

The Grant Murder case is facts mixed with a lot of drama. Everyday there seems to be a new twist or new evidence found that makes the story even more bizarre. At first the story was more drama and feelings where invoked. "Mother gone missing" all you could do is think about her children. "Torso found in family's garage" all you could do was be disgusted. Now it getting more into the facts. He's in jail and going on trial. There can't be too much drama to go along with that, except trying to find an attorney to take the case.

There were 2 other stories about the real estate market. The one story talked about a company holding foreclosed housing auction with 260 up for auction and the other story talk about how the single-family homes sales increase. I guess they are both positive.

I may be considering writing about the Grant murder case.

State Theatre

I went to the Goo Goo Dolls concert at the state theatre last night. It was my first time there and I was impressed. Inside was very nice and I received a complementary bag of popcorn. The show was descent but I ended up leaving early so I wouldn't get stuck in traffic. Prior to entering the theater I had to wait outside in 20 degree weather for 45 minutes with no coat! only a track jacket! Yes, it was very bad. I was impressed with the security, i guess you could call them, that kept the line in tact (it was about 3 blocks long) and prevented people from taking cuts.

FACEBOOK

I am addicted to facebook. At first I would check it once a day, no big deal. Now, I could potentially check it multiple times in one hour! That's a little sick, I KNOW! I just can't stop. I have to log! I should really get facebook mobile that way i don't have to be on all time. But you know as well as i do that i don't think that would stop me...o well...i will just live with my addiction

Party Planning

Saturday is my 19th birthday and I wanted to have a party. So, I decided to plan one for myself. One Friday night i will be going out to dinner and then to a club. On facebook made an event and invited 80 people. This was totally pointless because no one RSVP's accurately. It is crucial that I know exactly how many people. I've sent out and e-mail to everyone and only half of the people responded. Sometimes people are so rude and inconsiderate of other people's time! I have to make a dinner reservation by tonight and i still don't have a TOTAL! geeze o petes!

Mayor O'Reilly

Last week the city of Dearborn had their mayoral election. O'Reilly won with about 16,00 votes. The other 6-8 candidates had a range of 50-150 votes each. I thought it was very ironic that some many people took the time to vote when obviously everyone knew that O'Reilly would win. I actually didn't vote. I totally forgot. I said, " Oh he will win anyways." I thought a lot of other people would feel the same way and not take the time to vote either.
Even thought O'Reilly received 16,00 votes, the city of dearborn has about 50,00 registered voters. So only about 34% of the registered voters casted their ballots.

FREEP

Most of the stories where negative. The one that caught my attention immediately was "

Ex-student arrested for gun at Redford High" anytime you hear about guns and students you have to read more. Luckily this situation didn't escalate.

Of course one of the top stories was about the murder of Tara Grant and her final moments. It is getting a bit excessive but you know that the media will run it into the ground.

More people got killed in the middle east because of a car bomb...imagine that... everyday there will be something about the war in the middle east.

pre review

I've finally chosen my restaurant. I will be reviewing Compari's. I've decided to answer some questions about it before I go. This might help me take better notes during my dinning experience.

1. Name: Compari's
   
2. Location: 350 Main Street Plymouth, MI 48170
   
3. Hours of Operation:

   RESTAURANT HOURS
   MONDAY:	11:00 AM - 10:00 PM
   TUESDAY:	11:00 AM - 10:00 PM
   WEDNESDAY:	11:00 AM - 10:00 PM
   THURSDAY:	11:00 AM - 10:00 PM
   FRIDAY:	11:00 AM - 11:00 PM
   SATURDAY:	12:00 PM - 11:00 PM
   SUNDAY:	3:00 PM - 10:00 PM

Rest. Review

After reading the metro times restaurant review I compiled a list of question that I want to answer in my review.

• When did it open
• Location
• What occupied the space before
• Suggest what to order
• Explain what comes with your suggested entree
• Tell how long it takes to get your food
  
• What are the days of operation
• Smoking/Nonsmoking

At this point I am still not sure of what restaurant I am going to do my review on....

Brainstorming

1. create a list of qualities about cheryl that I want to shine through in paper
2. use more vivid details
3. get another source about cheryl
4. proof read
5. making intro stronger
   

Me vs. School

I've finally realized it takes someone who is very motivated to make it through college, well to make it through with flying colors and also have a good time. You need to establish certain times to study and you need to always always follow through. You need to learn how to say no when someone asks you to come out when you know you have a ton of homework. procrastination is your arch enemy and will ruin your grades! I am far from being on top of my game. It is so hard to sit in my room and study...I've got the tv and the facebook and AIM and Itunes all going...you have to be so motivated to get started. But i think that once you make a habit and start reaping the benefits of studying ie good grades and less stress...then everything in your life will fall into place...
Some ways to keep on track:

• make to-do lists (a little girly, i know)
• keep a planner/calender to keep track of important dates
• have a routine
• set aside blocks of time for studying
• PLAN AHEAD!
• DONT PROCRASTINATE
  

Profile

My essay is progressing really well. I think I appreciate my teacher even more than I did before. I need to add some more vivid details to paint a better picture of her, but other then that it is pretty good. I was looking in at what is coming up on the syllabus and im pretty excited to do the restaurant review! It is something that I've never done before!

Song List

1. Tetris: because my neighborhood is very diverse
2. The Killers,When you were young : because there is a huge park across the street from my house and it reminds me of when i was younger
3. What a Wonderful World: because I love my neighborhood
4. Top Back: because there is a lot of loud music coming from the teenagers' cars when they drive up and down the streets
5. All will be well: because everyone has a positive attitude
   

Profile

I'm planning on doing my next essay on the assistant principal at my high school. I have known her since 10th grade and she has made an impact on my life. I actually had her for a teacher durning my sophmore year. She taught asl (american sign language). I think that teachers are so important to the community. They are the people who mold the kids at a very crucial time in their life.
I' m thinking i can write about her schooling, other jobs, specific things about sign language, how she impacted me, and life as a principal.

Raaaaaaap

I think the music in my community is a blend of all sorts. I think it is mainly split up between two genres..rap/hiphop...and punk/emo/rock. I personally prefer rap. I like it because you can dance amd sing along to it and it just pumps you up. Rock is just depressing and dark. That's no fun. I feel like you can't tell a lot about a person by the type of music they listen to. Sometimes it even effects the way they dress. I think people are searching for a certain identity and they are going to do whatever they need to in order to find it. Each type of music has a stereotpye of how the people should dress. For the most part this stereotype is proven true. I think the best place to find these examples are in high schools. If you walk down the hallway and just just watch the kids to see how they act and what they are wearing I am almost positive you can figure out what kind of music they listen too.

Not The False Starts, Not The Stalling

I picture more of a late fall in this poem. The sky is very grey, the time is probably around 4pm. The sun is nowhere to be found. There are a few leaves scurrying about that have escaped bring racked up. You can tell that the snow will be here soon. Then it beings. Just a couple flakes here and there. The snow is very suddle and doesnt change time at all. Then when the snow does pick up, all becomes still. There is no noise, just Falling. The falling makes everything calm. Almost like a blanket of peace is tossed on the town. The sky then becomes dark.

Brrrrrrrrrrrrr

Cold weather really puts a damper on fashion. it doesn't motivate you to get up in the morning to get ready. Why would anyone want to leave their warm bed? I'm getting sick of wearing hoodies and my big puffy coat. Coats are so annoying and you have to carry them around. Like if you're going to the mall, what do you do with your coat? You hold it and sweat everywhere because you are shopping hardcore. Winter outfits start to get old. I miss my flip flops and strappy sandals. I love painted toes and dont you worry, mine are painted now! Bright PINK! Being pale is no fun either. TAN IS FUN!!!!

JUST DO YOUR JOB!

Sooo I work at here at school as a teacher's assistant. I'm not suppose to say for who or where for sake of confidentiality lol. Okay so I get paid biweekly on fridays. Over break I didnt work much so the cash flow was running dry and the pay weeks were different because of the holidays. The first friday(1-5-07) of the new semester was pay day...and i got paid...imagine that, but keep in mind this was no lump sum since i didnt work over break. The next pay day was friday the 19th...i DID NOT receive a paycheck. I had turned my time sheet it along with the girl's that i work with and she DID get paid. So over the weekend I went to ann arbor's site ( that's who pays me) to look @ my paycheck...come to find out i didnt get paid.... >:0

I called HR @ ann arbor yesterday and they said there was no record of the hours i worked durning that pay period! What the heck! Just so everyone can sleep easy tonight I talked to the payroll in my department today and I'm going to add the missing hours onto my next check. So it all works out.


Okay I'm not going to lie.... it sucked no being able to go shopping or tanning the past couple weeks but i survived. My dad also gave me some money for lunch so everything was okay. My BEEF is what is i lived on my own and I had actual bills to pay?!?! People really need to pay attention to the tasks of their job, especially when you are paying people the money they worked for. I know everyone is human and that the lady in payroll could have been having a bad day, but i COULD HAVE been evicted from my apartment or something drastic like that.(if i had one lol)

Come on people ...JUST DO YOUR JOB!

Peer Editing

I thought the peer editing was very helpful! Reading other peoples papers made me realize somethings I needed to work on as well. Also my peers' comments really helped me when i was re-writing my essay. I usually don't enjoy peer editing but it this time around it wasn't so bad. I really liked seeing other peoples writing styles and learning about their community.


PS: I need to break my coffee addiction ASAP :/

Essay Update

So I like the way my essay is coming along. The essay made me appreciate my community way more. I never thought there was so much history in my own backyard, which is stupid of me because i live in dearborn and it's full of history. :)

I never thought that i was going to enjoy this blogging business but I love it!! :)


ps. to answer *love me or hate me* : i do my all my colors/fonts in the "create" tab under "posting" let me know if that helps you out at all :)

I *heart* Coffee

Yes, I am addicted to caffeine and I do frequent starbucks. I love going out for coffee even if I don't ended up buying any. The enviorment of a coffeehouse is relaxing. You can have fun or intense conversations or debates because you don't care who's around you because you know that everyone else is having their own convo or in a deep concentration reading their novel or email. I think coffeehouses have become so popular because people want to be with other people. Also for all those underagers, myself being one of them, it's like the only place to hang out besides ram's horn. :)

I thought it was very interesting in Jiving with Java when Marriott talked about how some coffeehouses have laundry machines and coin-computers. I think that there are two kinds of coffeeshops...(1) actual chains i.e. starbucks and (2) mom & pop's/family owned and operated.I think those are excellent marketing strategies for genuine coffeehouses. But, let's be serious starbucks and caribou don't really care about the atmosphere or the coffeehouse, all they want is your $4 for your tall vanilla latte.


p.s. I drink at least one cup of coffee everyday :-X

Essayy

So I was doing some research via google aka my best friend...lol...but I found a lot of interesting things about the park I am doing my essay on. I was actually really surprised. When the essay was first assigned I wasn't thrilled about it. But now that there is actually history on something I pass by everyday without even taking a second glance...it makes me wonder about other things that I pass but regularly or even take for granted... this essay is making me realize that so many things in history contribute to my life. The next time you are driving, let's say to school or a daily trip, take a second look around...think about all the buildings and parks around you. They could be contributing to your city or the way that you live and you don't even know!

**Sunrise**

I feel that these pictures give mixed feelings. At first glance you see a beautiful sunrise.It gives feelings of a new beginning and a start of a new day. But as your eyes go down your feelings start to change. You begin to see dark images. This is the typical image of the city.Mostly industrial and run-down .The picture now becomes negative. To me I feel like the picture is saying that yes it is a new morning but I can't get out of this negative "funk". I think that D-town is in a funk. A period of rebuilding maybe?? The picture to me also shows potential and even hope that one day the Detroit can once again be great!

Faded Detroit

After looking over the assinged blogs I realized a couple things. First of all I do think that the old buildings that are making the city look run down should be torn down. They are just contributing to the negative image. I don't understand why people are making such a big deal about the history of the building. "History" isn't making the city any better so why is having an old building still intact in the city only because it has "History". I think it's a good idea to add tourist spots like hotels, restuarants, and casinos. These are the things that will bring people back to the city again and again. And in turn drive out the negative image of Detroit.

Homeplace

One of the things that stuck out to me while i was reading this essay what the fact that Hooks says that she is going to her grandmother's house. Even though both of her grandparents lives there. I also do the same thing. I refer to grandparent's house as my grandma's. I think I do this because my grandma is the one who takes care of anything and everything that happenes in the house..

When Hooks begins to talk about the homeplace and what it is used for I also agree. I think that your home should be were you regain strength that the world has drained out of you. Also you should feel safe and be able to find comfort. The "homeplace" should be a place of refuge.

Class Discussion about Niki's Window

One of my opinions about what was said in class about Niki's Window:

Analogy about family coming over to visit-
In regards to the super bowl, I think that the city had to clean up to make a good impression on the visitors. Otherwise no one would have given Detroit a chance. So the visitors come and see all the positive aspects of the city (and they were not able to see most of the negative things) so possibly their mindset has changed. Therefore if and when they decide to come back to Detroit they know it is just another city like Chicago or New York and has problems, but will overlook these things because their first experience (super bowl weekend) made a positive impact and showed them what the city could do.
If you have "new" friends coming to your house you would most likely know in advance (like super bowl weekend) so you would clean up. Why? To make a good impression, just like Detroit did. After you being to become comfortable with your "new" friends you won't care as much if your bathroom is spotless or everything is put away because you know you made a good impression on your friends and they know that you clean your house. (I.e. previous positive impression)
So Yes, I think that it was necessary for Detroit to clean up before the Super Bowl so that people would give the city a chance. I do however feel that shipping the homeless people out of the city was a little over the top and somewhat inhumane.

Essay Topic Idea

I'm thinking about writing my essay on a huge park that is in Dearborn. It is actually down the street from my house. The name of the park is Levagood. I think there are a lot of aspects about it that would give me plenty of topics to write about. There is a pool, a track, a basketball court, playground equipment, baseball fields, and volleyball courts. During the summer months there are always people picnicking and using the playground equipment. On super hot days the pool is always full. During the spring the surrounding schools use the playing fields for different types of practices and games. There are also recreational summer teams anyone can join.

Niki's Window

The main point that Herron is arguing in this essay is that a lot of people look down on Detroit but in reality it has a lot of interesting history. Also, many types of people frequent the city. There are people who are dirt poor, who work there, or those who shop/eat there and have moderate to high disposable incomes.

When Herron is explaining how the interior of the "Dodge Brother's" shop looks he explains that mostly everything is the same as it once was. I.e. the brick walls and old shop floors show through and old signs were made into props. Now when people come into the restaurant they are given a feeling of nostalgia and are made to feel as if they are living in a part of history that has made a big impact on our lives. I feel that not renovating this space was a great marketing technique by Kefallinos because people love to pretend that they are somewhere else.

Detroit is known as a humiliated city because it has been through and seen some many things. Not to say that other cities haven't but Detroit sticks out more because there aren't too many positive things that could drown out all of the negative things.