Outside reading

Sudhir meets JTs mother. His mother is very sweet and even though Sudhir knows that she has trouble even buying food she always has a nice meal for him and refuses any pay. Sudhir also convinces JT that he is ready to walk to his house by himself and no longer needs an escort. Sudhir also learns that the gang and the Robert Taylor homes are a community and they look out for each other. There are children that don't have parents and they will take them into their homes and take care of them to avoid them going to an orphanage. Sudhir also walks with JT through his apartments that he is in charge of. JT does this once a week or so to make sure that everyone is in line and that there are not people acting out of hand. If they had people out of hand then the police would come and that would not be good. 

Outside reading

JT moves back to Robert Taylor housing. It is his goal to make enough money to buy his mother and girlfriends houses. Sudhur's walk to go hang out with JT was replaced with a bus ride. JT offered him to get him a driver, but Sudhir refuses. Instead JT has one of his teen gang members meet Sudhir at the bus stop because he said it was unsafe for him to walk there by himself. Sudhir learns that JT had gone to college, but didn't like it. He also learns that a gang is not a bunch of guns and shooting, but is set up much like a business. The only people that really fight are the teens. There is poeple like JT behind everything and there is bosses and bosses of bosses. Sudhir also learns that often times they "fight" with out even fighting often they may play a basketball game or something like that. After a victory they have a party and often times other gang leaders stop by to say good job. 

Outside reading

After Sudhir's long night in the projects he cant stop wondering about JT so he goes back. He feels a special bond with JT and they start hanging out more and more. JT said in order to get to know the people and know what its like to be young black and poor he must hang out with them. After JT begins to trust him more and more he takes him on a trip to the Robert Taylor projects, where JT used to live. Sudhir learns that this is where JT used to live and where his mother and girlfriends live aswell. JT is moving back to Robert Taylor due to where he lives now being taken down as well as the fact that JT was only sent there to try to get the gang over there back on track. JT has a meeting to try to get back where he left off. 

Outside reading

In my book that i am reading Gang leader for a day, the main character Sudhir Venkatesh, is a college sociology student. He is asked by one of his professors to help out in a study about poor black young adults living in the projects. He gets many surveys and sets off to the projects after entering a building that is gross he finds a group of young black men he tells them why he is there and they don't believe him they think he is from another gang there to spy on them. After spending the night there in a stair well being watched with no sleep he makes a new friend. His new friends name is JT and he happens to be on the higher end of the black nights a gang around there. After he gets home he cant even think about sleeping after all that has just happened. Sudhir is in for allot. 

Gang leader for a day

The book i am reading is Gang Leader for a Day by Sudhir Venkatesh. I found this book from a family friend who said i really should read it. I am reading it because i am going to Chicago with my church this summer in the projects. This is where my book takes place. I also chose to read it because its a true story about a real student and how he had an unexpected schooling experience. These are a few reasons why i chose to read the book Gang leader for a day. 

hope

Reading Brett Hansensbeggs latest caring bridge i saw so much hope. Greta is hopeful brett will go far in life. She hopes that one day he will be able to play football again, date girls, and hang out with his friends on his own! After Bretts accident doctors doubted he would ever be able to think for him self. He has already proved them wrong. His mind is fully functioning he can type and text and he is starting to be able to talk even though alot of it is hard to understand. If you walk into this families home you see much hope and all smiles. They never give off negative comments and they are always looking on the bright side! This family is truly filled with hope! 

gender roles

Woman are becoming more important in earning income for their families. In dual-income families the amount of money the women bring in rose to 44% in 2008 apposed to what it used to be at 26%. With this though mothers and fathers are now saying that their family to work conflicts have increased as well. On the other hand this is giving fathers more time to spend with their children and wives so the mothers arnt the main care givers. Also 10% of woman are making more then their husbands. Now both 60% of men and woman are agreeing that they think both should contribute to their income. Surveys are saying that now woman that are of the age of 29 or younger will support their family and contribute equaling to their family. This is all a much bigger change compared to what it used to be. 

Over coming a struggle

On September second 2008 brett hansen begg was in a very bad car crash and he was was given horrible brain injures and was at HSMS and gellet children's hospital and now has returned home, but still cant walk with out help, he can say a few words, and struggles with things we take for granted. In the car crash his best friend luke was killed and this was the second death they have had in their small town of watertown in a month. The car crash happened at around 12:08 at night and was a one car crash. The first 72 hours was the worst for the family because Brett was up and down and no one knew if he would make it and if he did make it doctors said it would be likely he would remember nothing from before and may even be a vegetable for the rest of his life. Well brett proved doctors wrong and is now at home. He can text, walk with help of his mother, chat on facebook, talk even though it is hard for people to understand, and he is going to school for half day. It is truly hard for people to overcome struggles.

natural disasters

There are all sorts of natural disasters one of which being when a Tsunami hit beaches around the Indian ocean. People compared it to WWII and to 9/11. The man in this article was saying how nothing and no one can explain what happened not even the servers him being a survivor of two. When people watch a TV broadcast of it they are given a fraction of the pain that really happened. And not only did it affect the ones who were in it, but it touched everyone and it took weeks or months to figures out the death counts. People say that it will take a life time to recover from what all happened though and nothing will ever be back to "normal". He said that the horror made his body go numb and when he heard the first news all he could think is please lord not again. He was pondered by the question of why? why is God so mad? They would say that humans know and understand very little of why things happen. Disasters truly affect everyone. 

Outside Reading

Text: Caringbridge 

Author: Greta Hansen-begg 

Brett got a new wheelchair that is alot easier to function for greta. Brett has a camera in his room so Greta can see his everymove well he is sleeping. Brett walked a few times sense he has been home from the help of greta to look out the window and see people walking by. Brett went out to lunch with some family friends and also tried very hard to talk and he said his sisters name for the first time in 4 months. Brett is also trying to help with his cares aswell and he can now change the radio station on his own and has improved so much since 4 months ago when it was a big deal for brett to move his thumb or blink an eye. 

Outside Reading

Text: caringbridge 

Author:Greta Hansen-Begg

Brett has had a hard last few months. On Freida he finished up his last day at the hospital. He did all his therapies like it was a normal day. But at the end of the day, instead of going back to his hospital room he get in the car and his greta drove him back to his home in watertown to stay, for good! In his last few days at the hospital someone brought all the children in bretts wing a new ipod! Brett has been home a few times since the crash just so Greta and alen had a taste for what they were in for but he is home safe and sound now. 

Outside Reading

Text: Caring bridge

Author: Greta hansen-begg 

Brett had improved so much. He is typing full conversations on his link(a key board that he types on) and he is starting to move his right arm more and more! Brett is so much more independent and had his feeding tube removed recently. All though they have not used the tube in a very long time they needed to wait to take it out to make sure that he didnt get an infection. Brett has a very good long term memory and remembers most everything from before the crash(when we went to visit him a few days ago he knew who we were right away), But he is still having a hard time remembering what he had done that day so his short term memory is not very good. 

Out Side Reading

Text: Caringbridge

Author: Greta hansenbegg 

Brett Got to leave the hospital for his first time since the accident for thanksgiving!! He was also on fox news the other night and he loves to watch it over and over again and is so proud of him self! 



Brett has also been feeling sad and not being able to see the good in the days. When asked how his day was he will start to say oh not very good and then someone will stop him and list off all the great things that happened that day for example they found out he doesnt need a lift anymore to get in and out of the bathtub, his grandparents came to see him, he god a shake from DQ, got to watch a video that his friends recorded on his facebook wall, and got to text his friends through his mom. After he was reminded of all this Brett realized that he did have a good day after all. which leads me to Brett has become very good at using his electronic typer and now he will tell his mom what he wants her to say and she will text it to his friends for him soon he will be able to text it all on his own! Brett isnt always seeing the good but he is improving SO SO SO much!

Out Side Reading

I read many letters from TEC that my family and friends had sent me. Although one stood out the most and it was from my older brother andy. My brother Andy and I are very close and I enjoyed his letter. TEC is one big surprice and Andys letter was about how I said that I would never go to TEC because i would get so frustrated when he wouldnt tell me what you did. It also talked about things he had been doing because I dont get to see him very often. The just of most my letters were people saying fun things they remember about me or sharing things about them selves. I also read many bible verses about unconditional love and agape. 

Outside Reading

Text: Caringbridge/bretthansenbegg
Author:Greta Hansen-Begg

Brett has had a hard past few days. He has gone through so much these past few months and now he can understand everything you say and respond to questions with yes or no or a few words he can say. As i have said before Luke and Samantha were in the car with Brett, Sam is fine, but Luke didn't make it. Up until yesterday they had not told Brett that Luke was no longer with us and they were planing on waiting so he was able to ask questions and they were afraid Brett would stop fighting for his life. Well when Luke's brothers were visiting Brett yesterday they asked him if he had noticed Luke had not come to see him yet and Brett nodded yes. So after Greta and Alan had a long talk Greta sat down next to Brett and she was crying she told Brett that Luke had died in the car crash Brett tried to hand his mom the towel he was holding at the time to wipe her tears and then he hid his face in his pillow for a while. Brett has also been feeling very bad right shoulder/knee pains the past few days and today they took him in for an X-Ray and it turns out his shoulder had been popped out of place, but now they know and they can fix that. On a lighter note Brett is no longer on tube feeding he eats all food through his mouth! Last night was his last tube feeding he was pushing it away when his mom was giving it to him and Greta asked him if he didn't want to eat tube feeding anymore and he said yes. The doctors decided to have him stop it and his tube will be taken out some time in December. Thats the low down on Brett!

Outside Reading

Brett never stops! He has been using his voice so much, even though he cant really say things the other day his mom went to the other side of the room and he couldn't see her anymore and he said that word mom! Another time he used his voice was when Greta was asking him questions and he said the word nothing. Brett will say words often,but its very hard to understand. In these two situations they could understand what he was saying without trying to figure it out! Brett also is answering to yes and no questions now by shaking his head for no and nodding for yes it has made communicating with him so much easier. Now Brett can smile with all his teeth and its symmetrical not just a sperk and he loves to have pictures taken of him. Brett's strength has grown so much he is now wanting to stay in the stander longer(that he has out grown because he is now grown 2 inches since the car crash and now an XL has been ordered for him) and he will wave to you on his own! Brett will be going back to watertown and his normal school on January 5th thats 2 months away and they don't know what stage he will be at then, but he gets to go home!

Outside Reading

Text: Caringbridge/Bretthansenbegg
Author: Greta Hansen-Begg

Brett had a very big step today! He is eating meals. Although Brett is still getting tube feeding it has been significantly reduced. Today for lunch Brett had Mashed potatos, beef, peas, applesauce, juice, and milk. He ate about half of the potatos, beef, and peas and all of the applesauce. After he was finishedrnished with the applesauce he kept opening his mouth for more, but when Greta would give him the left over food he would not eat it. He would actually mumble out a no. Greta thinks this is because Brett had a hard time eating the other food and the applesauce he didn't really have to chew. Brett is also reading the book to kill a mocking bird in his school. He other day Brett brought his hands to his face and gently touched his face and wondered around it as if he was feeling it for the first time and this is the first time he has done something like this. A low is Brett didn't really seem to want to participate in his PT and his mom could tell something was wrong once she found out what it was she said Brett I'll hold up my end of the deal if you hold up yours and do PT today, sure enough it worked. Thats the news on Brett for today!

Outside Reading

Text: Caring bridge/brethansenbegg

Author: Greta Hansen-Begg

Brett has been doing very good. Bretts best friend Luke who dieds brother came to see Brett. Brett just loves him and he re recorded Brett's yes no buzzer sound so it was in his voice not the nurses. Brett is now responding to his yes/no questions much faster and is right most the time. When we were there to visit Brett would also turn on his music with a buzzer as well. Greta used to have to force Brett to keep his mouth open with a bite plate, but now Brett can hold open his mouth on his own when his mom brushes his teeth! Greta has been giving Brett little bits of food for a while now alot of times different kinds of pies or applesauce and Brett can now eat it with out coughing! Brett is improving everyday!

Outside reading

Text: caringbridge/bretthansenbegg
Author: Greta Hansen-Begg

On Saturday Brett had a few visitors and when told to make his " evil face " about 15 seconds later he did just that same as when he was asked to smile for pictures. When you are with Brett he will make eye contact with you. Brett understands everything you say to him and trys to talk back but just cant yet, but it will come in time. When you ask Brett to do something such as move his thumbs he can do it it just takes time for him to comprehend it about 10 to 15 seconds. Brett is also starting to eat real food, not much though. Greta, Brett's mom, will give him one bite of a different kind of pie everyday. Grata nor Alen were at the hospital all weekend because there was a hunted house on behalf of Brett and Luke on Saturday night and then a benefit where the summerfest band, the camp that Brett attended this summer played. Both fundraisers were a great success. Well Greta was gone Brett got a great report and one of Brett's friends who came to visit Sunday left a note about what they did with Brett. In the note it said when Sam, the girl who was driving in the time of the crash, would talk to Brett he would look away because he is mad at her. Bretts doing so great!

Outside Reading

Text: The Original: How Gabe Lucas became one of wake boarding's most unique riders.

Author: Luke Woodling

For my outside reading i read a story about Gabe Lucas. Gabe is a very good wake boarded. His father and Grandfather were baseball players and Gabe was going to be one too. He went to the university of Houston to play ball and did nothing else but. He was not wake boarding or getting good grades in school. After three years at this school and three years off a wake board he realized that baseball was not his sport he then picked up and moved to Texas state mainly because it was on the Guadalupe river. His life was changed forever, the only sports he did were sports that involved a board. He was wake boarding every chance he got! He also started skate boarding in his free time as well. Gabe was known as TARnation. He also has many photos taken of him because of the things he does well wake boarding. He uses what he has for example he will jump up on a rock or something like that. Over all Gabe Lucas is a very good wake boarder