Writing Assignment #5

Marco Gaudio is a little more than just your average college student, he is also one among the growing number of students coming abroad to study in our country and take advantage of our athletic opportunities.

Born in Italy and raised in Cambridge, England, Gaudio has always had a love of soccer, from the time he was 4-years-old and received a soccer ball for his birthday. He then went on to play in high school and on a semi-pro league.

He first considered coming to the United States in early 2007 when his friend Ben Waldmann, who had already moved abroad, told him he loved attending school and playing soccer at the College of Southern Maryland (CSM) and suggested he do the same. The coach of the team contacted Gaudio to offer him a scholarship in March of 2007 and he took it.

“I was always going to go to a university back home in England,” Gaudio explained , “but schools in England don't offer athletic scholarships, in fact sports at university level in England don't even come close to the how serious they are taken to over here.” After getting a student visa he made the move to the States in July of 2007 and has been here since.

When Gaudio first moved here he was living with four other soccer players here on scholarship from other countries; one from Austrailia, Brazil, Africa, and another from England and there are also members of the team that are from Scotland and Ireland. This shows the increasing rate of exchange students coming to the States from other countries for athletic opportunities.

So far he is doing well in soccer since he moved here stating, “My second year playing I was named captain of the team and I was named all American which was a bit achievement for me.”

It has proven to be a rewarding experience for most of the players that came here from other places in search of better educational and athletic chances. He has been offered multiple scholarships to schools in various different states and will be transferring to one of them in the spring of 2010.

"Combining the academics to the athletics at CSM I have achieved a lot in my short time here," Gaudio states, "I couldn't have achieved it without the help of my family in England, my family in the states, my friends, teammates, the teachers at CSM, all the coaching staff/athletic staff on the soccer team and athletic program."

Writing Assignment #4

A 10-day-old infant was thankfully unharmed after a wall callopsed on its crib during an accidental explosion in an apartment on North Aisquith Street in Baltimore around 1 a.m. Thursday.
Housing authority manager of Housing Authority of Baltimore, Frederick Turner, responded to a one alarm fire Thursday morning. An explosion in apartment 10B was caused by a lit gas stove creating combustion of an insecticide aerosol spray that Arnetta Sands, the tenant, was using.
The wall inbetween apartments 10B and 10C then callopsed on the baby's crib in 10C and the infant was then rushed to John Hopkins to be sure it was unharmed. The child was treated and released and its mother Renee Henderson was also unharmed.
The kitchen and furnishings in 10B were left with fire damage from the explosion while Ms. Sands received 1st degree burns on her back and arms and was treated and released from Church Home and Hospital. Captain Thommen of the investigation team says it was accidental.

Writing Assignment #3

Three suspects stole an undisclosed amount of money from the Provident Savings Bank on Greenmont Ave. Wednesday evening.
Three African American men entered the bank, one carrying a .22 cal sawed-off rifle and pointed it at the bank manager while demanding the four employees and 2 customers to get on the floor. The two remaining suspects reportedly climbed over the counters stuffing money into two white pillowcases.
After piling the money into the pillowcases, the suspects fled the scene heading east down the northside alley. They then disgarded their weapon as they ran and were lost from sight.
So far, authorities have not reported any injuries or arrests.

Writing Assignment #1 (part 2)

A bombing in Cairo this past Sunday left many injured and one Frenchwoman dead. No one has admitted to being responsible, but the police have detained three people as suspects. Attacks have been made in this area for a few years now.

If these attacks have been going on for so long I don't understand how the authorities don't have leads or more suspicions as to who is responsible for them. How many people need to be injured, or worse, before a serious investigation takes place? I don't know the full background, so i can't judge too harshly, but the article does not list reference of any previous suspicions prior to this attack. I can only assume by the lack of arrests that any investigations thus far haven't been incredibly successful.

Perhaps the top tourist locations that are the targets of these attacks should have more/better security because of the incidents that have occured. It is a short article so there isn't much to go off of. In summary, higher security in the previously targetted areas, and areas of high tourism that have yet to be attacked, may be a good idea.

Writing Assignment #1

A Frenchwoman was killed, with 20 others injured, in a bombing in Cairo on Sunday. The attack was made on a heavy tourist area. The scene of the attack was Hussein Square; a busy tourist spot Problems in the described area, large and small, have been going on since 2005. The last attack that took place in that exact location occured in April of 2005.

Witnesses claim there was a loud noise and then chaos when everyone dispersed in different directions. A doctor stated that the majority of the injuries are minor, with the exception of a young boy in critical condition. It looks like two bombs were thrown into the area but only one went off. Police aren't exact on who is responsible but have detained three suspects.

So far that is all of the information given in reference to this specific event. The article ran in the New York Times on February 23.