My Proudest Pieces of Work

An example of work that I ended up being really proud of was my American Icon project. That is because I enjoyed the multiple components that worked together to complete it. By having the freedom to pick the icon of my choice and the ability to represent myself though her, it made the process much more interesting and fun. The steps that I took to accomplish this was to first research my icon and figure out how I could express her through a photo of me. Audrey Hepburn and I both loved helping and volunteering to benefit children, so that was the main focus of my essay. After completing several drafts of my writing, I needed to take my picture. I dressed myself with clothes Audrey would have worn and in my picture I’m with two girls. In the center of the picture, on construction paper it says a famous line Audrey once said “The best thing to hold onto in life is each other”. I felt that the picture expressed Audrey’s compassion and mine for children. That we had more in common then I first thought we did, and the fact that I was able to represent so much in a photograph felt really good. I was really proud of what I accomplished.

To see more about my American Icon Project, click the link to my digital portfolio here.

My first Rough Draft of my Video

A recent example of work that I am proud of was my H2O water project. The reason why I am so proud of it was because I never used iMovie HD and I felt the need to push my computer skills since I always have technical difficulties. I wanted to do something different than I’m used to and I wanted to experiment with new things and programs to come up with a product. The steps I took to complete my project were long and hard. At first I had to come with my question, and then have the research to answer it. My question was, “How does the La Jolla Friends of the Seals organization affect the seals, the society, and the community of La Jolla?”. I made story boards of how I wanted to structure my video, and watched other videos to get examples of how I wanted my video to look like. After my research I needed to get a hold of someone to interview, so by calling various numbers and contacting multiple people, I was finally able to get a connection with Jerry Horna who was the president of the organization. I had the opportunity to get a ride down to La Jolla to interview Jerry and two other volunteers, plus get footage of the seals. I also wanted to interview students at HTHMA who visited the La Jolla Children’s pool often and see what they knew about the seals and organization. Once I had all my footage I began to put my film together, and after the second critique I decided to put an introduction, rearrange and cut most of my clips. Once I had the film down I was able to write out my transcript, along with finishing the final draft of my video. I really like how it came out in the end because I came a long way to get to my final product and it really shows that through my video.

The Final Draft of my video

Our Modern Day Pirate

Fairy tales always consists their wild stories of pirates roaming the seven seas hunting for treasure and riches. In reality, these tales happened many years ago, but now we have todays modern pirate and his name is Paul Watson. He isn’t after the gold and money, he is after protecting the world’s marine life. Whales were intensively hunted down by the Japanese fleet who sails into the Antarctic waters every winter to catch minke whales and the endangered fin whales. Watson believes that he can make a difference and save the whales from being hunted. His will is good, his tactics however, are not the best and smartest decisions he makes. In this controversy involving whaling and Watson, I believe that neither are “right”.

Watson’s way of stopping the hunters are by using his method called “Operation Asshole” which is so named because it involves ramming one vessel into another’s stern. Watson states “I’ve sunk ten whaling ships and destroyed tens of millions of dollars’ worth of illegal fishing gear, and I’m not in jail”. His actions benefits the whales, but at the same time endangers human lives. “We intervene against illegal activities, and we are simply upholding international conservation law, and the United Nations World Charter for Nature allows for us to do that. It says that any nongovernmental organization, or individual, is empowered to uphold international conservation law.” Whale hunting “is not banned, but it is not exactly permitted, either.” Watson believes that it’s wrong no matter what the situation is, so he is willing to put up this fight for the lives of whales. Watson is appreciated by his “commitment, and his courage and his daring and his humanity.”

The Japanese say that they are “hunting whales off Antarctica in order to ascertain when there will be enough to harvest for profit.” Whaling for science is allowed without restrictions, but all the whales that the Japanese fleet have killed in the name of science ended up with no research at all, and “all the whales that are purported to be under study are also butchered for the purpose of selling whale meat to the Japanese public.” So technically, they have no right to be killing any whales either.

Many consider Watson a hero, but as the same time “some have even called him a terrorist.” They are threatening to put the lives of many at risk, and that is not the right way to pursue something you believe in. “They must act safely and peacefully. They are not advancing the anti-whaling cause they espouse by threatening lives in this way.” says New Zealand’s Officials. Watson’s intentions to save the animals are incredible, he is so motivated and passionate for what he doing, that it is blinding the choices he makes which impacts the lives of many. It is banned to be whaling if it is not for a scientific purpose, so what the Japanese fleets are doing is illegal as well, even if they are selling the meat to the public. I believe this situation can be handled in a more mature fashion so that the lives of the people and the whales, are not endangered.


Neptune's Navy Article

The Comparison Between Marie Arana and I

Marie Arana focus’s her thesis on how “progress has outpaced vocabulary” in her Washington Post editorial by her use of evidence and analyses. Arana discussed the issues that regarded the racial boundaries that the color of skin would limit their heritage. That just because you are a multicultural mix, it wouldn’t matter as much to other people because they only see what you look like. Arana writes: “Isn’t it time for the language to move on?”, I believe it is.

I feel that our “vocabulary” and “language” has been long over due to mature. The reason I feel that Arana is right is because I see it happening everywhere I turn. People don’t take a second glance to look at someone. They only see what their eyes can tell them and eyes can sometimes be deceiving. Arana tells the story of when she met the child from two cultures, of Germany and African America. “I am fifty percent German. But no one who sees me believes it.” said a college student from Pittsburgh, because her skin tone was brown. Obama is also another live, modern example because he is not only African American, but he is also half white. He is not our first black president, “He is our first biracial, bicultural president. He is more then the personification of African American achievement. He is a bridge between races, a living symbol of tolerance, a signal that strict racial categories must go.” In the first place, I had no idea Barack Obama was half white. I always hear him being referred to as the “black president”, how this was a great achievement for “black people”. But he is more then just black, he is of all cultures like we are. This isn’t just an achievement for blacks but for America as a whole to be considered as “racially sophisticated enough to elect a non-white president.”

In every example Arana provided in her article, she would also include an analyzation to help pull her point across even further. By bringing up famous people in today’s modern world I was able to relate to her message even more. “We see it in Tiger Woods, Halle Berry, Ben Kingsley, Nancy Kwan, Ne-Yo, Mariah Carey ... we insist on calling these hybrids by a reductive name ... even they label themselves by the apparent color of their skin. With language like that, how can we claim to live in a post-racial society?” She broke down what race corresponded with each person based on solely appearances so that we could realize how this type of judgement is everywhere.

In 2004, Obama gave a speech towards the Democratic National Convention. Obama declared “there is not a black America and a white America ... There’s the United States of America.” Our country has made so many advances through out the years, from slave times to now liberty, equality, and freedom. However, I feel that just because we have overcome most of the racial tension, it doesn’t mean that we are completely free of it. I have personally gone through times where people think they can tell what I am just from my skin. I am constantly mistaken for a Mexican American. The reason for that is usually because Americans are not commonly exposed to latinos outside the borders of Mexico. Automatically it is assumed that because I am fluent in spanish, I am Mexican.

Its what we learned in kindergarden. Not to judge a book by its cover, and not to judge a person by appearance. I believe we are mature enough to try and apply that to our life and the way we view others and the world. We are all different, and that diversity is what brings us all together.




Obama and Race Article
He's Not Black by Marie Arana

Honors - Beloved by Toni Morrison

Toni Morrison develops the theme of the destruction of slave’s own identity in his novel “Beloved” by his use of symbolism, motifs, and climax. The reason why the his book explores the depths of slave identities is because long ago slaves weren’t looked at as humans. They were not given the same rights or respect they deserved and they were treated as animals. In “Beloved” Sethe has trouble finding who she really is. Paul D, Denver, and even Baby Suggs all had the same struggle to find out who they really were and what their importance and contribution to the world was.

In “Beloved” trees are an important symbol played throughout the whole story as primarily sources of healing, comfort, and life. Sethe has a scar on her back that resembled a chokecherry tree from when she was molested by two boys who held her down and drank her breast milk, as the school teacher let them whip open her back which left her a scar. “A chokecherry tree. Trunk, branches, and even leaves. Tiny little chokecherry leaves. But that was eighteen years ago.” Paul D finds his freedom from following flowering trees towards the North, and Sethe found her freedom by running off into a forest when she was pregnant with Denver. Another symbol was Paul D’s Tin tobacco box which was described as his heart. “It was some time before he could put Alfred Georgia, Sixo, schoolteacher, Halle, his brothers, Sethe, Mister, the taste of iron, the sight of butter, the smell of hickory, notebook paper, one by one, into the tobacco tin lodged in his chest. By the time he got to 124 nothing in this would could pry it open.” After all of Paul D’s bad experiences at Sweet Home and his prison camp, he believed that the best thing he could do was to lock up his feelings and memories in the “tin box”. By putting away his emotions he feels as though he could hide from them to protect himself from further psychological damage. A third symbol was the color red (which included orange and pink) that had different meanings throughout the novel. “It was clear why Baby Suggs was so starved for color. There wasn’t any except for two orange squares in a quilt that made the absence shout.” “Now I know why Baby Suggs pondered color her last years. She never had time to see, let alone enjoy it before. Took her a long time to finish with blue, then yellow, then green. She was well into pink when she died. I don’t believe she wanted to get to red and I understand why because me and Beloved outdid ourselves with it. Matter of fact, that and her pinkish headstone was the last color I recall.” Color was important to them because it resembled a sense of hope like Amy’s search for the red velvet. However it also resembled death when it came to Beloved’s pink headstone, or how Denver drank Beloved’s red blood as long with her mother’s breast milk.

A main motif had to do with the supernatural world told in “Beloved”. Beloved herself was claimed to be Sethe’s baby’s ghost who returned to her. When Beloved disappeared in the end, it was almost as if she was never there. “They forgot her like a bad dream. After they made up their tales, shaped and decorated them, those that saw her that day on the porch quickly and deliberately forgot her. It took longer for those who had spoken to her, lived with her, fallen in love with her, to forget, until they realized they couldn’t remember or repeat a single thing she said, and began to believe that, other than what they themselves were thinking, she hadn’t said anything at all. So, in the end, they forget her too.” Beloved can also be interpreted as Sethe’s dead mother. In Chapter 22, Beloved remembers memories that correspond to those that Sethe’s mother might have had of her passage to America from Africa. Beloved had a strange matter of speaking and seems to wear a “perpetual smile”, which are both traits that we later find out Sethe’s mother had as well. There were also many other connections that had to do with ghosts such as when Sethe began to get choked even with no ones hands on her throat. Yet, when she was able to breath again, bruises were left on her neck. Sethe believed that it was because of Grandma Baby even though she had passed away. “‘Somebody choked me,’ said Sethe. ‘Who?’ Sethe rubbed her neck and struggled to a sitting position. ‘Grandma Baby, I reckon.’” Many events in the novel involve the presence of a ghost that pushes the limits of ordinary understanding.

The story of Beloved isn’t told during one time frame, it is told between the immediate and distant pasts which ties the whole story together. Since the novel follows two different stories, one told through flashbacks reoccurring throughout the book, and the other taking place in the novel’s present, there are two different climaxes because of it. During the flashbacks, the climax for the plot takes place near the end of chapter 16, when it the story finally reveals the circumstances of Sethe’s daughter’s death that occurred 18 years ago when she attempted to murder her children to save them from a life of slavery. The way the story is told gives the reader little hints of what happened, but they don’t get the clear understanding until chapter 16. “Little nigger-boy eyes open in sawdust; little nigger-girl eyes staring between the wet fingers that held her face so her head wouldn’t fall off; little nigger-baby eyes crinkling up to cry in the arms of the older nigger whose own eyes were nothing btu slivers looking down at his feet. But the worst ones were those of the nigger woman who looked like she didn”t have any. Since the whites in them had disappeared and since they were as black as her skin, she looked blind.” In the present, the second climax happens at the end of the novel during the “exorcism” of Beloved who was believed to be the murdered daughter.

In conclusion, all the events that led from the symbols, to the motifs, and the climaxes all reveal the haunting pasts and “rememories” of the Sethe and the slaves. In cases where students were taught to compare slaves human and animal traits, and being brainwashed to believe that slaves weren’t people. This destroyed their identities so they had to rediscover who they are and what they deserve, as people.

My H2O Project

I have discovered a lot about the sea life and society conflicts that the community of La Jolla have. I always knew that there were seals there, but I never thought that there was some kind of problem with them being there. I also discovered a lot of the health risks that the seals have on the water which is why its closed to the public.

What I am mostly surprised is about how the community feel the need to kick the seals off the beach especially when its only a real small portion of our vast oceans. I am surprised that the people do not find it capable to share what we have and that just because the wall was was man made, it becomes our property. Another thing that surprises me about the project itself is that its a lot easier then I thought it was going to be. I would constantly panic thinking that I would never get contact with the organization or that I would never get good footage, but I actually feel really confident about my final product and that I will get everything done efficiently.

The next steps that I have towards finishing my project are to:

1. Start video editing
2. Look at bumper sticker ideas and start designing
3. Try to find a good place where I could print the stickers
4. Start sketching ideas for a bumper sticker

What I am thankful for

I am thankful for my family and friends.

3 things I accomplished

1. my interviews
2. video shooting
3. picture taking
4. research

things I will accomplish during break

1. most of my video editing
2. look at bumper stickers
3. start designing ideas as advertisement

Products for my Final Models

The reason I like this video is because it’s a good example of editing. I like how it flows well together, and each segment is related to the one prior, and the one after. The quality I like is that the editing is clean cut, where the video isn’t cutting anyone off in mid-word making it sound awkward, and yet not one person is talking for a long amount of time. Another quality that works well is I like how the video is upbeat and interesting so that my attention was caught from the beginning and lasted through out the entire movie. That is because it kept the focus that the people wanted to vote, and it didn't take much for the video to be effective.

Even though the voting video doesn't relate to the seals and sea lions in the Children's pool, the ideas I got from the movie can help influence my choices when I'm editing. That way I can experiment more with the editing programs and get a better quality video that I would be sure to be proud of.




The reason I chose this bumper sticker is because I want to have some sort of advertisement for the La Jolla Friends of the Seals organization. I think by selling bumper stickers at the exhibition would be a great idea to donate the money towards the organization and help spread the awareness of who they are and what they stand for. I like this bumper sticker because it is clean, simple and easy to read. That is a good quality to have on the sticker I plan to make because I want it to look professional. I also like how the sticker includes a photo, even though its small and doesn't take up all the space it still represents what they are trying to advertise. With all the elements together the bumper sticker is overall aesthetically pleasing to look at. It catches my attention, and I believe its professionally done and effective to whoever would see it.


Resources
Vote Video
Bumper Sticker

The La Jolla Seals Project Plan Management

What effects does the “La Jolla Friends of the Seals organization” have on the seals, the people, and the community of La Jolla?

La Jolla Friends of the Seals Mission Statement

1. To preserve the La Jolla Harbor Seal Colony for ecological, educational, scientific, historic and scenic opportunities.

2. To create and administer volunteer docent programs which will provide environmental education for the public and promote safe viewing of harbor seals and other marine life along the Southern Coast of California.

LJFOS@yahoogroups.com
1(619) 687-3588

Interviews with owners of LJFOS and volunteers.
Interviews with people who visit La Jolla Cove.

Video taping with Ashley during the week.
Video editing at home.
Making advertisements for LJFOS (bumper stickers, posters, t-shirt designs, etc)


Questions for the owners of LJFOS and volunteers

How do you think the environmental activism effects the public?
Why do you think the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 being a federal law to protect the seals hasn't seemed to be enough to settle the issue?
Why do you believe that the seals and sea lions have the territorial rights of La Jolla Cove?
What types of activities do you do to help spread awareness to the public of the organization and the seals?
Do you think that there can be some sort of compromise between the sea life and the society?

Questions for people who visit the La Jolla Children's pool.

Do you know of the seal and sea lions that inhabit the La Jolla Cove?
Do you know of the situation and conflicts between the animals and the people?
Who do you think has the territorial rights of the La Jolla Cove? Why?
Do you think that there can be some sort of compromise between the sea life and the society?


My plan can not yet have a day to day schedule until I am able to reach contact with the La Jolla Seals organization, and have hold of a video camera and transportation that could work.


La Jolla Friends of the Seals Website

Journal Entry

I feel like I don’t care as much for the presidential debates as much as I should. I know they affect me and I know its important but I feel neutral about Obama and McCain. The reason I feel that way is because I don’t know about either of them that much. I don’t know all their plans and I don’t know all they stand for. Thats why I’m not either glad or mad about the election.

My hopes for America and my community in the next few years would be that the right choices would be made. That people get the help they need, no more wars in Iraq, better funding, more jobs for workers, less homeless, helping the economy and overall a better future for our generation and for generations to come.

My concerns include prop 8, because whether it passes or not, its not the end. There will be riots, fights, lawsuits, and chaos. People would be capable of suing the churches of their beliefs for being “sexist” of gays. People are making this way bigger of a situation then it has to be, and people are picking a side and automatically hating the ones who choose another.

Evaluate your own level of civic knowledge.
Honestly my level of civic knowledge is just a decent amount. I know of some current events, and I understand historic situations and amendments, but I am not all well informed.

What have we done well in this class to help you understand current events?
This discussions we had in class has really helped me understand current events because I am able to hear everyone's opinions and they can help clarify all my questions. It actually has a big impact on my understanding and it helps me remember the information later on.

What could we do better in attempting to understand current events?
Well I would suggest more socratic seminars so that everyone is forced to ask questions and to discuss what they know. There then becomes a clarity where everyone is on the same page.

How do you feel in the numerous conversations about current events that take place outside of class?
I feel that a lot of the conversations with other people are really stupid. People would say that they “hate” Obama, or they “hate” Palin or “hate” McCain, and when asked why, they don’t know. The reason for that is that people tend to choose the popular vote. Depending on their surroundings they would be influenced and persuaded in different ways. I don’t see how someone can “hate” one of the candidates for dumb reasons other then straight up facts. They never met the person, and they don’t really know who they are. I find this generation really immature and it reminds me of high school girls gossiping about others trying to ruin their reputations. Hate is a strong word and shouldn’t be fooled around with.

My Research H2O Questions

Who has the territorial rights regarding the seal, sea lion life and humans in La Jolla's Children's pool?

The beach, a man made structure, has been closed to swimmers for years, due to bacterial contamination that has been linked to the seals through DNA testing. There are safety issues concerning water quality due to the overwhelming presence of seals. It is clear that the population of Pacific harbor seals have increased over the years.

“In 1997, as beach water testing was begun in California, city officials were forced to close the Children's Pool section of the beach when unsafe pollution levels -- attributed to seal feces -- were detected. The City Council created a temporary reserve around Seal Rock to further protect the seals, which are also protected under the federal Marine Mammal Protection Act.”

The marine mammals that most often come ashore at the Children's Pool beach are Harbor Seals and California Sea Lions. The seals like to "haul out" on the Children's Pool beach all year long. They come to the protected beach when offshore rocks are washed by high surf and corresponding high tides. The seals prefer areas of easy entry and exit such as the Children's Pool beach. The animals need to rest or “haul out” daily when they are tired. During that time period they also use it for breeding, pupping, and molting. Typically they like to haul out for about seven hours a day on Seal Rock, which is the tiny island just off the beach to the north. At higher tides, when Seal Rock and other areas are awash, they move to the Children's Pool beach. The seal and sea lions can however can be very dangerous and unpredictable so people are advised to not get close to them.
“To complicate matters, there is the debate over who has the "right" to use the beach: seals or people." Plus, the fact that the beach has been closed due to contamination from the seals further complicates the situation.
Perhaps until more research is completed, it is impossible to determine long-term affects on the seal colony numbers and behavior of either protecting them as is, or intervening to re-open the beach with possible co-existence.”
Another concern of the La Jolla residents increased last winter with two shark attacks on seals off the beach, which means the seals are attracting sharks. Most importantly, the pool was created so children would have a place to swim a “stipulation included in the state act granting tidal lands used for the project to the city.”

La Jolla Children's Pool Report



Resources

Project Pacific
La Jolla Seals At Children's Pool
Seals and Sea Lions, Frequently Asked Questions
San Diego's Beaches, La Jolla Children's Pool
La Jolla Beach Battle Article
Youtube Video




What are the Best and Worst beaches in San Diego when it comes to cleanliness?

“According to Heal the Bay, a Southern California non-profit organization that monitors California beaches, their annual survey provides essential water quality information to the millions of people who swim, surf, or dive in California coastal waters.”

The “report card” grades over 350 locations year-round on and A-F scale based on the risk of health effects to swimmers and surfers. The grading is based off the daily and weekly fecal bacteria pollution levels in the surf zone. And the results show that most beaches had very good water quality.

“Compared to open ocean beaches, beaches located within enclosed bays tend to have reduced tidal circulation and are more susceptible to long-term pollution problems.”

The “good” beaches that were determined from the testings were San Onofre, Oceanside, Carlsbad, Torrey Pines, La Jolla Shores, Pacific Beach Crystal Pier, Ocean Beach Pier, Coronado, Silver Strand, and Imperial Beach.

Some of the dirtiest beaches included Mission Bay, San Diego Bay, P.B. Point, San Eligo Lagoon Outlet, Tijuana Rivermouth and La Jolla's Children's Beach.

Most Southern California beaches were divided into three categories: open ocean beaches; beaches adjacent to a creek, river, or stormdrain (natural or concrete); and beaches located within enclosed waterbodies. The grades were analyzed for all three time periods.
Dry weather water quality at beaches in San Diego County was very good.
“Of the 65 year round water quality monitoring locations, 86% received good-to-excellent water quality marks. San Diego County’s water quality during the summer dry weather time period was even better, with 90% of the monitored locations receiving an A or B grade”
Long stretches of San Diego County’s beaches showed very-good-to-excellent water quality during the summer dry weather time period.

“There were 9 of 65 locations in San Diego County that received fair-to-poor water quality marks during the year round dry weather time period”

Click the images for a bigger photo.


Heal the Bay Commercial


Resources

San Diego Beach Report Card
Heal the Bay Executive Summary
Heal the Bay - Beach Pollution Patterns
Heal the Bay - San Diego County
Heal the Bay Youtube Video

Honors-- The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain

Mark Twain develops the theme of friendship with the use of descriptive imagery, narration, and tone in his novel “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer”. The importance of friendship comes up throughout the entire book as Tom faces his many experiences and challenges that he constantly stumbles upon. His friends including Huckleberry Finn and Joe Harper were by his side and partook in the wild schemes and ideas that Tom always had to offer.

“It was the cool gray dawn, and there was a delicious sense of repose and peace in the deep pervading calm and silence of the woods. Not a leaf stirred; not a sound obtruded upon great Nature’s meditation. Beaded dewdrops stood upon the leaves and grasses. A white layer of ashes covered the fire, and a thin blue breath of smoke rose straight into the air. Joe and Huck still slept.” Page 106. This excerpt was taking from the chapter of when Tom and his friends ran away from home to Jackson’s Island to become pirates. They ventured off into the forest of the vacant island providing the food and shelter they needed to survive in the wilderness by using their natural resources. Mark Twain is able to capture the essence of the bonding they achieved through the experience by the detailed and descriptive imagery he uses.

“Tom stirred up the other pirates and they all clattered away with a short, and in a minute or two were stripped and chasing after and tumbling over each other in the shallow limpid water of the white sandbar.” Page 108. Mark Twain is the narrator and he views his story as an adult who sees the adult world critically and looks back on the pastimes of childhood in a somewhat idealized manner, with wit and the feeling of a loss. I find that to be very interesting because now the author can tell us what is going on through the mind of multiple characters, or not tell us at all. It gives me as the reader a deeper understanding of each character and how they all correspond together. In the expert I chose; Tom, Huck, and Joe are still on Jackson’s Island. The narrator shows us how they have that strong friendship of being together.

The tone of the novel is satirical and nostalgic. Satirical means the use of irony, sarcasm, or ridicule. It is a literary composition that includes a lot of scorn and mockery. Nostalgic means the feeling of loss, regret, or wanting something that was meant to be forgotten. Something that was in the past, that one aches to remember. In the tale of Tom Sawyer, Mark Twain says that he based off the characters from his life. “Huck Finn is drawn from [his] life; Tom Sawyer also, but not from an individual-- he is a combination of the characteristics of three boys whom I [Mark Twain] knew, and therefore belongs to the composite order of architecture.” Preface. Twain was able to incorporate the friendships from his past to create the story of Tom Sawyer. The reason the tone is satirical and nostalgic is because Twain wanted to reach out to the young readers so that they can appreciate the youth that they pertain, the friends they have, and the adventures they have yet to experience.

In conclusion, Mark Twain’s use of descriptive imagery, narration and tone, expresses Tom Sawyer’s value of friendship. The small details paints the vivid images of Tom and his friends, expressing the bond they have without dialogue. The narration tells us from a third person perspective of their connection while they continue on with adventures. The tone is tangled throughout the entire novel of the author’s fondness of his past, and his yearning for his childhood and companions. Friends are timeless and Twain’s story is the living proof.

ACORN and Voting Suppression Cheat us out of our True Government

The Real Issue Isn't Voter Fraud, It's Vote Suppression
U.S. Politics Today
By Joe Rothstein


ACORN stands for the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, which is now under investigation by state and federal authorities for its voter registration drives. ACORN have sent many fraud registration forms with either fake names such as “Mickey Mouse” or as people who had voted already to the government. The reason for that is because the ACORN association pays people to go into the streets and register voters as a job. The employees get paid by the hour, but they have to meet the requirements of registering no less then twenty people a day. When the employees simply can’t keep up with the limit they began admitting fake names to make the twenty registrated forms. ACORN does not have the right to throw away forms, even if they are very suspicious. But they do have the right to flag the forms down and let the government decide if its legit or not. The frauds led American voters to question the fairness and accuracy of their most fundamental right under the Constitution.

The “real issue isn’t voter fraud, it’s vote suppression,” states the U.S. Politics Today News Columnists article. Post-elections investigations turned up plenty of past accounts regarding how Democratic voters were either taken off the rolls or discouraged from voting due to various suppression techniques. Some states have been;

“illegally using Social Security information to verify voter registration, and dropping voters from the rolls within 90 days of the election---which also is against the law."

Voter suppression is when the government or other organizations try to discourage or stop people from voting, using techniques such targeting groups, like out-of-state-students by telling them they can’t vote if they are from out of state; even though thats completely illegal as well. Another effective vote suppression technique is called “vote caging”. That is when letters are mailed to registered voters asking them to verify their addresses. If they don’t reply they would either be taken off the rolls or have their votes challenged on election day. Those tactics are more common with low income groups such as students.

What ACORN and voter suppression have in common is that they are both tactics of cheating out the government voting system which is completely illegal. Either way they are trying to manipulate people or use their sources to try and change something that can impact the world.

“The right to vote is as sacred an American right as the right to free speech. When either of those rights is impeded by intimidation and harassment, we all suffer.”

FBI Investigating ACORN for Voter Fraud


Resources

Editorial: What is ACORN?
U.S. Politics Article
Editorial Roundup: Excerpts From Recent Editorials
Commentary: ACORN issue not vote fraud, but vote suppression
ACORN Fights Back
Youtube Video
Fact Check ACORN Article

Presidential Debates are nothing more then a Rerun

"McCain, Obama fight for title of 'most qualified'"
CCN.com


One hundred and fifty years ago, the small state of Illinois withheld the seven most incredible debates our country has seen at it’s time. Lincoln and Douglas debated over issues that included their countries society, politics, and economics. The debates in Freeport, Quincy and Alton received the most attention from the public because slavery was a monumental issue that was important to the citizens. “ I do not now, nor ever did, stand in favor of the unconditional repeal of the Fugitive Slave law.” Said Lincoln when questioned at his second debate in Freeport Illinois. Though Lincoln in his heart was not for slavery, he has to say things to make the people happy. Which is why the debates were so contradictory with what he really believed in, and what the people wanted him to believe. Between morality and or a matter or public policy.

Eight years ago President George W. Bush had his first presidential debate against Al Gore. Issues that showed up during the debates regarded abortion, medicare, energy policy, and more, which also fall into the categories of society, politics, and economics. The candidates just tried to make their ideas sound so much better then their opponents.

"I have actually not questioned Governor Bush's experience. I have questioned his proposals," Gore said. "In this election, America has to make an important choice: Will we use our prosperity to enrich not just the few but all of our families? I believe we have to make the right and responsible choices."

Of course we have all heard about the famous vice presidential debate concerning Palin and Biden. In the debate Palin tried to portray Biden and Obama “obsessed with the failures of President Bush”, even though Palin was also guilty of bringing up Bush in a negative way. Biden on the other hand would avoid direct challenges to Palin and instead “worked to undermine McCain, who has sought throughout the campaign to distance himself from an unpopular president.” Issues they discussed were offshore drilling, global warming, tax plans, gay marriage, and the war in Iraq.



Now its time for a new president, and our two candidates are Obama and McCain. On their debates McCain Criticized Obama as a candidate who “doesn’t understand” the key issues that the country faces, and Obama “linked McCain to President Bush on several issues”. A lot of the issues related towards the war in Iraq, government spending, bailout proposal, economy and foreign policy. All issues that can be related back to once again; society, politics, and economics. The candidates have changed, the generation has changed, but never has the same problems that our country still holds differed. We can see the pattern clearly that tie all those debates together, which were the main issues, and to try and push yourself forward while pushing your candidate back.

I really do believe that the historical context never transformed into something new. The problems that our country has will continue along through even more future generations to come. Obama personally doesn’t approve of gay marriage, but he has to help abide the laws for it because its what the people want. The exact thing happened one hundred and fifty years ago with Lincoln. Its like a cycle that won’t stop repeating.

Resources

Lincoln and Douglas Debate
First Gore Bush Debate
Vice Presidential Debate
The first McCain Obama Debate Transcript

The Internet Takes Over Our Mind and Democracy

"Internet Banner ads gets more interesting"
By Bob Tedeschi
New York Times


Democracy is a form of government where the leader is chosen by popularity rather than the ability to run a country. The internet these days has one of the greatest affects towards the presidential campaign because its a place for advertisement and fan clubs. On the internet, many people like to express their views on McCain and Obama by using a multitude of creative ways to shout out their opinions. Sites such as the “Barack Obama Fan Club”, “McCain Fan Club”, or another popular site known as “YouTube”. People of todays generation tend to use the internet as their number one source for information, and people tend to want to vote for the most popular thing, or in this case, most popular candidate. Advertisement does have a huge impact on the mind of the voter because many are persuaded by the flashy signs and the outbursts of others.

Website advertisements have gotten more interesting to look at, so in another words, harder to ignore.

“Late last month, Chitika, an advertising company based in Marlborough, Mass., began testing eMiniMalls, a technology that scans a Web page, chooses a product the reader might be interested in, then displays banner ads that are miniature shopping comparison pages, with prices, product reviews and links to merchants.”

That quote was taken from the article I found on nytimes.com. The internet has the power to bring the attention of the viewer, because it catches their curiosity.

The internet and its effects fit into the historical context of technology and democracy in America because long ago, people felt more entitled to their own opinion. With the Lincoln and Douglas debates, people voted for the best of their country. They did not vote for who was “more popular” or “better looking” or “has cuter outfits”. Its as if our country’s notability is disappearing more and more with each coming generation.

Newpaper Self Evaluation Project

In my eleventh grade humanities class me and my group consisted of Paul Santillan and Rodrigo Arrieta. The purpose of our project was to make a newspaper regarding the second famous Lincoln and Douglas debate held in Freeport Illinois. The newspaper had to be made as if we wrote it back when the event was occurring in 1858.
What I feel was the most important thing I specifically contributed to my group was organization. The reason for that is because on the very first day we started working on our project I made sure that everyone knew the topic they were going to write about for their first rough draft. My partners and I kept in contact so I could help them with questions they would have, and they could help me with mine. I wrote the main article on the Lincoln Douglas debate so I had the better understanding on what events were occurring at the time because of all the extra research I had to do. Even though I never used InDesign, Paul was wonderful with it. However, I stayed with him contributing all the small ideas I had to incorporate into our newspaper. I also wrote the mini articles displayed at the bottom of the paper, with the help of my partners of course. I also helped critique my partners papers as they critiqued mine.
Something I wish I could have improved on would be my skills with InDesign. I have never used the program before so I could not do much besides assist Paul with whatever he needed me to do. I felt that if I had more experience with the program I could have been able to contribute a whole lot more and help in many different ways.
I found the process of completing the newspaper to be not that difficult. My group was very hardworking and we did use our time and resources very productively. We hardly ever got off task, and we completed what we said we were going to do. I was able to depend on my teammates and I like that feeling. Maybe a resource we could have gotten more out of could have been through the books Randy provided us. Instead we just found the internet to be a faster and easier source. Nevertheless it was a true team effort to get our project done.

Photography in Action

Rule of Thirds
By Adrienne



The picture is a perfect example of the rule of thirds because the picture is capable of being broken down into 9 squares where the focus point is not in the center of the photo.

Just like this;





Depth of Field
"Pool Balls"
By Nathan Watkins



This picture is an example of depth of field because it shows the main object in a close focus so that it catches our attention the most while the background is blurred out.

Eyes, Color, Fill the Frame
"Fill the Frame"
By Rick Sammon



This is an example of filling the frame because the purpose of the picture is to really get into what you want the focus of the picture to be of.

Interesting Use of Lighting
Nick Parks



I find this picture to be a really good example of interesting lighting because the light bounces around in the image a lot. There are also good shadows in it because of certain objects that blocked the sun's light.

Shooting at Eye Level
"Pacific Slope Eye Catcher"
By Amkhosla



Shooting at eye level means taking a picture of an object where you would have to position yourself and the camera down to their angle instead of the picture looking down or up to something.

Macro photography
"Radiance"
By Jim Goldstein



Macro photography means taking close up pictures of small things. That way you get to see every aesthetic detail that the photographer wants the world to notice.

Sexism and Racism Takes on Toll on Debates

Pelosi: Clinton Did Face Sexism
By Austin Bogues
New York Times
june 24, 2008



One of the largest controversies between Lincoln and Douglas regarded the issues on slavery.

“I am impliedly, if not expressly, pledged to a belief in the right and duty of Congress to prohibit slavery in all the United Sates Territories.” Said Lincoln who was accused of being an extremist because he did not want the expansion of slavery to increase.

Douglas believed that slavery was a right that White people had. He wanted to expand it through multiple states, when Lincoln wanted to help put an end to it.

“I will vote for the admission of just such a State as by the form of their Constitution the people show they want; if they want slavery, they shall have it; if they prohibit slavery it shall be prohibited.” Said Douglas during the second famous debate in Freeport Illinois.

In 1858, Douglas was the most powerful politician in the Democratic Party for his great leadership and speaking skills. Lincoln on the other hand was a great leader and speaker but “he was the nominee of a new party, the Republicans, who lacked both visibility and cash.” But his passion for opposing the spread of slavery and his belief that “all men are created equal” helped him win.

With such a controversial generation everything is changing with our country and government. We had a women run for president which has never been so close to happening, we have an African American running for president, and we have a women running for vice president which has only happened once before. My first thoughts of the presidential and vice presidential debates were that they were going to be intense. The reason for that is because there still a lot of people in America who are still prejudiced and not looking forward to change. There were a lot of opinions, viewpoints, and judgments that clashed head on as the presidential and vice presidential debates raged on.

Those had to do a lot with racism or sexism regarding the candidates. Many still do not like the idea that we have a black male running for president, while others do not think its fit for a woman to try and run for either president or vice president.

When Mrs. Hilary Clinton tried to run for president sexism was a stumbling block.

“House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said today that she believed sexism against Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton was a factor in the 2008 Democratic primary fight, but added that the Democratic presidential candidate also benefited from being a woman.”

Just because people did not support her because she was a woman does not mean that she wasn’t qualified for the job. I personally believed that with her prior experience by having her husband being a president was going to help her excel more than any other. Now we won’t get the chance to see that unless she tries to run again next time.

“I think on the positive side Senator Clinton has advanced the cause of women in government and her candidacy has been a very positive tonic for the country and had a very wholesome effect on the political process.”

Resources

My Article
Lincoln and Douglas Debate

Multitude of Races take over America

New Demographic Racial Gap Emerges
By Sam Roberts
Published May 17, 2007
New York Times Article


With America being such a prospering country filled with promises, we naturally intend to attract immigrants from around the world. Thus, we are full with variety with all the mixed races and people that we hold. Now however, we have the reached 100 million of nonwhite Americans for the first time which demographers are now “identifying as an emerging racial generation gap.”

Our nation is split into the following categories of older, whiter electorate and younger overall population that is more Hispanic, Black, and Asian that “presses sometimes competing agendas and priorities.”

In the Census Bureau, it was estimated on July 1, 2005 up to July 1, 2006 that the nations population of teens and kids grew up to 100.7 million from 98.3 million, which is about one thirds of all Americans. Those facts also suggest that a lot of the states are becoming more diverse as the minorities disperse.

This also has an affect on the potential implications for national politics. For example in Nevada “the share of whites has declined to 59 percent from 66 percent since 2000, the voting-age population has soared 25 percent, with minorities accounting for 63 percent of that increase. Arkansas, Georgia and Tennessee have recorded the greatest percentage gains in their Hispanic population since 2000, with the biggest numerical gains, predictably, registered by California, Texas and Florida.”

Which means that more adolescents are reaching the age of 18 where they can vote for presidential elections which does have a toll on the outcomes.

Unfortunately with the higher numbers of different races, prejudges are always close to follow. There are a lot of people who would vote for a president just because he is “black like they are” or “white like they are”. By making ignorant choices solely based off physical features and personal motives, the life of the country has to depend on it.

Those situations are personal things I have witnessed in my environment. I know and understand that, that would have to change if anyone wants a better future.


Resources

Fact Finder
Define Prejudice
The Article

Spain's Racist Asian Persuasion

A harmless joke or an attempt to hurt a country?


Racism, unfortunately, is something that every generation has had to endure. One would think that a civilization as advanced and as modern as the United States would be capable of putting something so terrible to an end. Racism in our world has its similarities to slavery as pointed out by David Ceballos. However, it's something that our civilization cant escape. People don't realize that the thoughts they think and the things they say affect more then just one person. It sets up boundaries, instills hatred, makes tension, and causes anger that builds up, and what started with a simple joke, starts to "snowball", rolling downhill until it crashes. Starting fights, causing murders, and eventually leading to terrorism.

Spain's Olympic basketball teams offended their Chinese hosts at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. The men's and women's basketball teams managed to do this by pulling back the skin on the sides of their faces to make "slit-eyed gestures". Fully dressed in their uniforms, standing on a basketball court decorated with a picture of the Chinese Dragon on the floor. No one involved in the photo considered the picture racist, or offensive, but thats not the case for the many who viewed it. Heated debates world wide have risen about the situation whether this situation was racist or not.

"The typically sedate Chinese crowds vigorously booed the Spanish basketball team at times in Spain's overtime victory".

One issue that occurred during the Civil War was the racism between African Americans and Whites. Slavery ruled the land and Blacks worked for no pay under tyrannical masters. The southerners felt that owning slaves was their constitutional right. The Blacks wanted rights and freedoms. "As long as blacks were willing to accept their oppression, they remained victims of a psychological form of violence, one that stripped them of their dignity as human beings. Denied fundamental civil rights, decent housing, and an adequate education, generations of black Americans were broken in spirit by the silent violence of the racist system." - Nick Treanor. The white owners felt that they had the right to own slaves, they felt superior, and didn't want to give up the undeserved power.

"The only reason we have to get together is the color of our skins. They oppress us because we are black and we are going to use that blackness to get out of the trick bag they put us in. Don't be ashamed of your color." Excerpted from Stokely Carmichael's "Black Power Speech," June 29, 1966.

These two stories have racism in common. Racism is everywhere in our world regardless of time or location. The Spanish basketball team meant no harm through their actions, the Whites felt they had the right to rule over the African Americans. They did not see racial issues negatively affecting them, they didn't care if they were doing the right thing or not. However, in the end both situations back fired when the people that were being victimized decided to stand up for themselves.


Evidence

Mackley, Robert. "Spanish Ad Spurs Charges of Racism - 2008 Olympics – Sports and News from China – The New York Times." 12 Aug. 2008. 2 Oct. 2008.

Treanor, Nick. The Civil Rights Movement. Michigan: Greenhaven Press. 2003.

Excerpted from Stokely Carmichael's "Black Power Speech," June 29, 1966.

$700 Billion to do What?

Buyout Plan for Wall Street is a Hard Sell on Capitol Hill
By Mark Landler and Steven Myers
New York Times

The impact between Marbury vs Madison is that the supreme court could not declare laws that were unconstitutional. The reason for that was because the Constitution is the very foundation of our country. So our government believes thats any law we provide for our people can not contradict the original document·

Mr. Paulson urged lawmakers "to enact this bill quickly and cleanly, and avoid slowing it down with other provisions that are unrelated or don't have broad support." What Mr. Paulson wanted to do was to take $700 billion plan to buy up and hopefully resell troubled mortgage-backed securities which he is planning to get from our taxes. The down side is that Mr. Paulson wants the $700 billion dollars without informing the public of what he plans on doing with that massive amount of money. So either the choices he makes with it can help out the United States, or if the chance of him making a mistake could send the country in a negative direction.

The class connection relating to this article is that we talked about the constitution and how it relates to our form of government. When we have a issue happening in todays news, and it happens to contradict the constitution, it is considered a "constitutional crisis". And since Mr. Paulson's plan is a crisis because he would not allow review to the public.

To see a video concerning this article click here.

Blogicon Reflection

The purpose of this project was to create a universal way
to interact with our classmates to share our views on our
history and current events. Twice a week we would have a
topic from something that we learned in class, and tie it
into an article that we would find on the internet such
as nytimes.com, cnn.com, or washingtonpost.com. By using
blogger we were able to easily navigate to our classmates
webpages, read their articles, and leave each other
comments.

Something I am most proud of about my blog is that I
have the most difficulty with computers imaginable.
Throughout the weeks of the project, I would always
complete my assignments, but it was always a challenge
posting them on my blog. By being able to overcome my
technical blogger challenges, I was capable to think
of other possibilities to post my work on time.

What I will improve in my future blogs is that I feel
like my connection to my articles and to my historic
events can be written out even clearer. I feel like
it always turns out choppy, and too informative
without much of my own opinion and voice. What I
think can help that problem is by rewriting it once
or twice before I post it on blogger. That way I have
a chance to move sentences around, and by revising it,
it will come out so much better in the end.

I think a better way to connect our blogs would be to
include links in our sentences. Also we should make
references to other blogs on other people's pages and
provide a link so that the viewer can go check it out
themselves.

Blogging has mostly impacted my knowledge relating
to the Constitution, Declaration of Independence, and
the Federal papers. The reason for that is because
I have to fully understand what they are to be able
to find an article and relate them to each other.
This way I am forced to make sure that I know all
aspects about the topics that I am studying.  

The Constitution is "Gay"

Same-Sex Marriage, Civil Unions, and Domestic Partnerships

New York Times



Gay marriage was recently allowed into several states like Massachusetts, Maine, Washington, Oregon and California since the year 2004. Even though many states legislatives are ready to extend the rights of the same sex marriage, the high courts of New York, New Jersey and Washington ruled that there is “no right to same-sex marriage under their Constitutions.” On May 15 2008, the supreme court of California said that the state law banning same-sex marriage could be counted as illegal discrimination.

The class connection is that gay marriage is considered a “constitutional crisis” because some states like it, and yet some do not. It does not state in the constitution whether gay marriage should be allowed or not, and that is why people are deciding it for themselves.

My personal response is that I believe that the people should be able to decide that for themselves. The constitution is what we based our country upon, and it does not claim anything about marriage. It should be up to us to decide for ourselves instead of making it a "constitutional crisis".

Child Slavery in China

Fast-Growing China Says Little of Child Slavery’s Role

New York Times

By Howard W. French
Published: June 21, 2007

Color China Photo, via Associated Press

Heng Tinghan was the manager of brick works, who got arrested for beating and abusing his underage workers, and depriving them from pay in China. There has been several reports of labor abuses against children, where a 14 year old boy was killed in an explosion while filling a tank with naphthalene at a chemical factory, and when a 15 year old boy was pulled into a cotton gin and crushed.
The class connection is that “all men are created equal, and they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” Which is stated in the unanimous Declaration of Independence. China does not have the same natural human rights as Americans do, but that does not make it any more right to have child slavery. We believe that all men are created equal, but when children are beaten or poorly paid, they are not being treated as the human beings they are.
I think that this is wrong; there cannot be slavery because we are all equal. We all have natural rights when we are born, and it stays with us until we die. Just because China has different rules does not mean that they can take advantage of the natural rights all humans have.

Sharing Powers in ZImbabwe

Zimbabwe Rivals Strike a Bargain to Share Power
New York Times


Celia W. Dugger
Published: September 11, 2008




The President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe and the
opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai made a deal
to divide their authorities of government. By
having the power separation they can help the
political problems that Zimbabwe has had for
months. But the arrangement shows that clearly
neither of them have full control which can
affect the chances of stability and that they
might need to seek foreign aid to help their
country's bad economy. South Africa has also
tried hard to resist against Western efforts
in the United Nations to impose international
sanctions on Robert Mugabe's government and
insisted that the Africans can solve the crisis
on their own. But Mr. Muhabe has the confidence
that if he signs the agreement that he can bring
health care, humanitarian assistance and jobs
to his people.

The Class Connection is that this is based off the
Federalist 10 and 51. By having a republic where the
powers are spread throughout different representatives
thinking that by doing so, they would help their country.
Or by suggesting a more democratic approach that the people
can solve their problems which is also a “Hobbes” move.

My personal response is that I believe the government
should try anything that they think would work best for
their own situations and their own country. 

Getting money in the Bank

"Mortgage Giants' Rescue Imperils Some Banks"

Washington Post

By Binyamin Appelbaum
Tuesday, September 9, 2008

The government-chartered companies had relied on banks to raise money and that the government should have protected those investments. Ben Berry, chief executive of Gateway Financial, also noted that the ability of any bank to raise money by offering preferred shares was now compromised by the precedent that the government had established.
The class connection is that by reading the Federalist 10 and 51, I learned that they support the government being in control of the country. That they have the power, and that it is essential for a thriving community. In this situation Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were created by the federal government to increase the supply and reduce the cost of mortgage loans. The companies used that to borrow money at a low cost the involvement of the government gave the banks a false sense of security. And when the stocks dropped the banks instantly lost a whole lot of money that the government would not really help out.
What I think is that we do need a government to help keep the country under control. But thats why the people with that position but make every sacrifice they can for the people and their happiness.

Hurricane Goverment

Countdown to Hurricane Gustav
New York Times




By Mike Nizza
Published August 31, 2008

Hurricane Gustav thrashes the Gulf coast of New
Orleans, forcing thousands of people to flee from
the torrential rains and winds topping 39 mph. The
National Guard is helping as quickly and efficiently
as they possibly can to help the citizens on the
coast escape to higher ground. Unlike the situation
with Katrina, Texas authorities are taking no chances
this time about evacuating more then 10,000 people
from the three county area surrounding Beaumont. When
Hurricane Katrina ravaged the Gulf coast in 2005, the
government took days to respond. By the time help had
arrived it was too late. During Katrina, the residents
put up more of a fight to leave their homes, and they
had to stand up against the storm by themselves.

The class connection to this article is that of the
Enlightenment. John Locke believed that there should
be a government to protect the natural rights of the
people. That way the people were able to depend on them
for their safety. Thomas Hobbes on the other hand
believed that every man was to fend for himself. Which
means every man was on their own, survival of the
fittest. That is displayed with Hurricane Gustav because
the government is now taking action to help the people
to safety, instead of when Hurricane Katrina came the
people were on their own to survive.

Civilian Deaths Caused by NATO

NATO Accused of Civilian Deaths Inside Pakistan
New York Times

By Pir Zubair Shah and Jane Perlez
Published September 3. 2008


The soldiers from the International Security Assistance
Force, which is made up of NATO and American forces,
hovered three helicopters overhead of a Pakistan village
carrying soldiers. When they landed, the soldiers came out
and opened fire on the people. Killing mostly women and
children but they were all innocence.

The class connection of that article is that the concept
of the Declaration of Independence clearly states that
every humans natural rights include “Life, Liberty and
the Pursuit of Happiness”. By soldiers killing and taking
away the lives of innocent people they are interfering with
their natural rights. This isn't right and the NATO had no
purpose in hurting the innocence in the world.