WA 7, Draft 2: Driving Along

He singled me out the first day of class,
Claire she’s in my car was what he said
I just tried to laugh
But turned a dark crimson red

They gave us a speech and then that was it,
We were given a car,
Told “Do your best”
Sent out on the range under the stars

The first day was dreadful,
I had one too many stories,
I thought I would give up,
And go over to Laurie’s

I had the worst car,
It was hard to unbuckle,
I thought I was stuck,
I just had to chuckle.

The next day was better,
They watched from the tower,
He liked to tell me everything I was doing wrong,
I tried to have power

We went out on the roads,
I was first to go,
I made a few mistakes,
Oh no, no, no

Driving down country roads,
Windy twisty streets,
Cars speeding by,
I tried to be upbeat

Lane changes and merging,
My next big feat,
I guess I got through,
And then that was complete

We drove in the traffic,
We drove down old country roads,
I drove my instructor crazy,
He wanted to explode

It wasn’t over yet,
A few more days to go,
Along the way we talked,
And he found out I was “whoa”

He apologized for thinking that I was just some book kid,
He thought I wouldn’t be cool,
That I wouldn’t know rap,
But I showed that fool

We drove down 29,
A very busy road,
Eight lane changes to make,
What a big load.

I didn’t quite make it to where I was supposed to go,
Too far left and too far right,
Too many cars,
Oh what a night.

I thought we weren’t supposed to talk,
It made the car very quiet,
Then we started chatting,
It was a riot.

I knew when I did something I wasn’t supposed to do,
He would shake his head the tiniest bit,
Or chuckle under his breath,
But I didn’t throw a fit.

Test day was here,
I was nervous at first,
But why worry too much,
Then I might burst

My instructor told me
Claire you have your good days and bad,
Don’t do anything stupid,
Just think about your dad.

I was unusually calm,
Took each lane change in stride,
Lane changes were nothing,
I was wide-eyed.

The test day teacher called me on up,
I wasn’t sure what it was going to be,
Then I saw the white paper,
And knew I was free.

She handed me the paper,
Told me I drove kind of slow,
I didn’t care,
I was aglow.

My instructor saw me,
He gave me a big handshake,
A smile creped onto my face,
And he knew I had made not one mistake.

I smiled inside,
I was glad it was over,
I knew I couldn’t drive yet,
But I felt like a four-leaf clover.

WA 7, Draft 1: Driving

They know each other,
I don’t want to know what is in store for me,
I hope they were friends,
Otherwise I’d rather by Lee

He signaled me out the first day of class,
Claire she’s in my car was what he said
I just tried to laugh
And turned a dark crimson red

They gave us a speech and then that was it,
We were given a car,
Told “Do your best”
Sent out on the range under the stars

The first day was dreadful,
I had one too many stories,
I thought I would give up,
But then I remembered Laurie

She had a tough time,
Stuck through it to the end,
She finished her time,
But now she is dead.

I had the worst car,
It was hard to unbuckle,
I thought I was stuck,
I just had to chuckle.

The next day was better,
They watched from the tower,
He liked to tell me everything I was doing wrong,
I tried to have power

We went out on the roads,
I was first to go,
I made a few mistakes,
Oh no, no, no

Driving down country roads,
Windy twisty streets,
Cars speeding by,
I tried to be upbeat

Lane changes and merging,
My next big feat,
I guess I got through,
And then that was complete

We drove in the traffic,
We drove down old country roads,
I drove my instructor crazy,
He wanted to explode

It wasn’t over yet,
A few more days to go,
Along the way we talked,
And he found out I was “whoa”

He apologized for thinking that I was just some book kid,
He thought I wouldn’t be cool,
That I wouldn’t know all the rap songs I did,
But I showed that fool

We drove down 29,
A very busy road,
Eight lane changes to make,
What a big load.

I didn’t quite make it to where I was supposed to go,
I did my lane changes,
Too far left and too far right,
I was glad when I could exchange.

Silence in the car,
Until I started talking,
Once you open that big mouth there’s no closing,
I’m sure he wanted me to get out and start walking.

I knew when I did something I wasn’t supposed to do,
He would chuckled under his breath,
Or shake his head the tiniest bit,
Those times I wished I was Beth.

Beth always knew what she was doing,
No decisions she had to make,
It was this way or that,
Which one would she take?

Test day was here,
I was nervous at first,
But why worry too much,
Then I might burst

My instructor put me in a headlock
Claire don’t do anything stupid
You have your good days and bad,
I wished I was Cupid.

I was unusually calm,
Took each lane change in stride,
Lane changes were nothing,
I was wide-eyed.

The test day teacher called me on up,
I wasn’t sure what it was going to be,
I opened the door,
And knew I would get the key.

She handed me the paper,
Told me I drove kind of slow,
I didn’t care,
I was aglow.

My instructor saw me,
He gave me a big handshake,
A smile creped onto his face,
He knew I had made not one mistake.

I smiled inside,
I was glad it was over,
I knew I couldn’t drive yet,
But I felt like a four-leaf clover.

WA 6, Draft 3: Time to Change

Global issues come up day to day. Whether it is talking about them in class or looking them up online, we know that there are problems in the world. Have you ever considered that they are all connected? Poverty is the connection between all of the problems in our world. No age, no race, no sex, no nation escapes its grasps. Global Poverty threatens the health, welfare and education of men, women, and children, and poses a threat to the environment, the economy, and politics.

Poverty is a threat to the health of men, women, and children. Measles, malaria, and diarrhea are the three biggest killers of children. These three diseases are treatable and preventable. According to “Avert”, a leading UK AIDS Education and Medical Research charity, HIV/AIDS affects around 39.5 million people and there were 2.6 million adult AIDS-related deaths in 2006. A United Nations report estimates that there are currently 14 million AIDS orphans and by 2010 it is estimated there will be 25 million. UNAIDS estimates that it will take $18.1 billion to respond effectively to AIDS in 2007. HIV/AIDS can be slowed down with education programs and money for medications.

Poverty is a threat to the environment and economy. The inability of poor countries to address environmental issues poses a threat to life. The economies of the rich and poor markets are linked. Rich countries control much of the world’s capital, trade, and technology but they depend on low-paid workers in developing countries to produce many goods. In 1998 according to “Global Issues,” the United States spent 8 billion dollars on cosmetics; Europe spent $11 billion on ice cream, $50 billion on cigarettes, and $105 billion on alcoholic drinks; together the United States and Europe spent $12 billion on perfumes and $17 billion on pet food. The same report estimates the cost to achieve global access to basic needs in developing countries: $6 billion for basic education, $9 billion for water and sanitation, $12 billion for reproductive health for all women, and $13 billion for basic health and nutrition. Take into consideration how much we spend on pleasures to the cost of eliminating poverty. What are our priorities? The divide between rich and poor countries is more than an illusion.

Poverty is a threat to world politics. According to “Global Issues” half the world lives on less than two dollars a day. Poverty is a full time job. Given that, people in poverty do not have time to involve themselves in politics. This may make it easier for a power hungry leader to take control of a country and make harsh reforms that may not benefit the most needy.

How might we decrease poverty? We can help poverty stricken countries meet basic health and education needs. We can provide better health and delivery systems with vaccines and information available for all. This requires time and money. Make a commitment now, before it’s too late. It’s up to you.

WA 6, Draft 2: Time to Change

Global issues come up day to day. Whether it is talking about them in class or looking them up online, we know that there are problems in the world. Have you ever considered that they are all connected? Poverty is the connection between all of the problems in our world. No age, no race, no sex, no nation escapes its grasps. Global Poverty threatens the health, welfare and education of men, women, and children, and poses a threat to the environment, the economy, and politics.

Poverty is a threat to the health of men, women, and children. Measles, malaria, and diarrhea are the three biggest killers of children. These three diseases are treatable and preventable. According to “Avert”, a leading UK AIDS Education and Medical Research charity, HIV/AIDS affects around 39.5 million people and there were 2.6 million adult AIDS-related deaths in 2006. A United Nations report estimates that there are currently 14 million AIDS orphans and by 2010 it is estimated there will be 25 million. UNAIDS estimates that it will take $18.1 billion to respond effectively to AIDS in 2007. HIV/AIDS can be slowed down with education programs and money for medications.

Poverty is a threat to the environment and economy. The inability of poor countries to address environmental issues poses a threat to life. The economies of the rich and poor markets are linked. Rich countries control much of the world’s capital, trade, and technology but they depend on low-paid workers in developing countries to produce many goods. In 1998 according to “Global Issues” the United States spent 8 billion dollars on cosmetics; Europe spent $11 billion on ice cream, $50 billion on cigarettes, and $105 billion on alcoholic drinks; together the United States and Europe spent $12 billion on perfumes and $17 billion on pet food. The same report estimates the cost to achieve global access to basic needs in developing countries: $6 billion for basic education, $9 billion for water and sanitation, $12 billion for reproductive health for all women, and $13 billion for basic health and nutrition. Take into consideration how much we spend on pleasures to the cost of eliminating poverty. What are our priorities? The divide between rich and poor countries is more than an illusion.

Poverty is a threat to world politics. According to “Global Issues” half the world lives on less than two dollars a day. Poverty is a full time job. Given that, people in poverty do not have time to involve themselves in politics. This may make it easier for a power hungry leader to take control of a country and make harsh reforms that may not benefit the country.

How might we lessen poverty? We can help poverty stricken countries meet basic health and education needs. We can provide better health and delivery systems with vaccines and information available for all. This requires time and money. Make a commitment now, before it’s too late. It’s up to you.

WA 6, Draft 1: Time to Change

I welcome the opportunity to address this international council. I have spent a good amount of time, as I’m sure we all have, thinking about the many issues that confront humanity. The HIV/AIDS epidemic, global warming, and the growing problems created by terrorism, are a few. As I thought about each of these problems I began to realize that they might well be linked to a critical issue that has faced humanity for centuries - poverty. No age, no race, no sex, no nation escapes its grasps. Global Poverty threatens the health, welfare and education of men, women, and children, and poses a threat to the environment, the economy, and politics.

Poverty as a threat to the health of men, women, and children: Measles, malaria, and diarrhea are the three biggest killers of children. These three diseases are treatable and preventable. HIV/AIDS affects around 39.5 million people (According to “Avert” there were 2.6 million adult AIDS-related deaths in 2006.) A United Nations report estimates that there are currently 14 million AIDS orphans and by 2010 it is estimated there will be 25 million. HIV/AIDS can be slowed down with education programs and money for medications.

Poverty as a threat to the environment and economy: The inability of poor countries to address environmental issues poses a threat to life. The economies of the rich and poor markets are linked. Rich countries control much of the world’s capital, trade, and technology but they depend on low-paid workers in developing countries to produce many goods. In 1998 according to “Global Issues” the United States spent 8 billion dollars on cosmetics; Europe spent $11 billion on ice cream, $50 billion on cigarettes, and $105 billion on alcoholic drinks; together the United States and Europe spent $12 billion on perfumes and $17 billion on pet food. The same report estimates the cost to achieve global access to basic needs in developing countries: $6 billion for basic education, $9 billion for water and sanitation, $12 billion for reproductive health for all women, and $13 billion for basic health and nutrition. What are our priorities? The divide between rich and poor countries is more than an illusion.

Poverty as a threat to world politics: According to “Global Issues” half the world lives on less than two dollars a day. Poverty is a full time job. Given that, people in poverty do not have time to involve themselves in politics. This may make it easier for a power hungry leader to take control of a country and make harsh reforms that may not benefit the country.

How might we lessen poverty? We can help poverty stricken countries meet basic health and education needs. We can provide better health and delivery systems with vaccines and information available for all. This requires time and money. Let’s make a commitment now, before it’s too late.