Last honors blog

How has your thinking changed regarding American history or literature?


by doing honors in literature i learned what made literature literature, and how it is different from fiction.I new that there were great differences between literature and fiction but i was not sure what they exactly were. But through reading classic literature, and discussing the books with Randy and my litgroup-i learned that in literature the plot is driven by the characters, and fiction is driven by the plot. I though that this was really interesting because, i had always wondered why books that had fantasy and science fictions themes were not considered great writing. It makes perfect sense to me now.

Final reflection

What did you learn?

I learned several new things about writing-article writing in particular. What I learned about writing articles is that you have to make the beginning and end attention grabbing-and that your intros and conclusions should contain information about the topic of your article, and self reflections of how it relates to you. I also learned that all the filer words and sentences in my writing like "was able to" or "a lot" are unnecessary-and that my writing is much better without them.

How did you learn it?
I learned this from reading newspaper and magazine articles-and listening to the discussions in class, and taking note of how i can use the tips that i got to improve my writing. Getting critiques and advise from people was helped me learn as well.

Why is this important?

It is important because i can take what i have learned from this project-and use it to help me with my future writing assignments. It is good in general to know the important writing techniques.

Magazine reflection II

1)I think one of my writings biggest improvements is that i took out the filler words, and unnecessary sentences-and made my writing flow, and get to the point, without being too long. I used to think when it came to writing, having the longest paper is what makes it good writing. However when i would read through my work i realized that my writing conveyed that i was just trying to get my work done instead of doing a good job at it.

2)Overall it think my writing structure is the best part of my writing-but still i need to work on the flow, my word choice, and adding "character" to my writing.

3)One specific part of my article that i improved on was the sentence "I get them on the press boat and we make our little press boat grouping, its usually the pilot boat we go out on, and we follow all the ships coming in and sometimes the crew men on the ship will be up in the rigging, and its very stately." I changed it to "I get them on the press boat and we make our press boat grouping. It's usually the pilot boat we go out on.We follow the ships coming in. Sometimes the crewmen on the ship will be up in the rigging, and people will be out on the deck waving-It's all really colorful." I improved it by making it into separate sentences, taking out unnecessary words, and parts from different paragraphs.


4)I learned that the content of your writing is much more important than the length.
Quality over Quantity.

Magazine reflection

1) the thing that went well for me during the process of creating the magazine was having an editor assigned to my group. This was helpful because i had a specific person that was assigned to help me, and if they were helping someone else i could get help from another person in my group.

2)The most challenging thing about creating my final project was shortening it to fit the magazine. My contribution to the magazine was a very long interview-that had to be drastically shorter, and critiqued for grammar and flow. it was very time consuming to go through the whole thing and make it presentable.

3)Magazines like Time, and National Geographic helped me with the layout and design of my article. They also helped me make my headline and sub-headline more catchy and interesting.

Obama the Socialist

Obama is often accused of a socialist. I think Obama's policies are similar to socialism, but not the same. I do not think that the label "socialist" is completely accurate for Obama, but i also think that it is not a bad thing to be a socialist, because socialist views involve having health care and other necessities for paid by the government.Most Americans don't know what socialism really is and that it would beneficial for them, and that there are organizations that they support that have socialistic views.

There have been other presidents that are similar to Obama. Obama's term has been compared to FDR's term because they both came into office at times when the the economy is at an all time low.
Another similarity that Obama and FDR share is they both wanted to make huge legislative changes because of economic crisis's.



Articles

Link
Link

The Star of India

Figure head








The Star of India originally called “Euterpe” after the Greek Muse of music, song, and dance. She was used as a cargo and passenger ship that took immigrants to New Zealand and cargo to India during the 1870’s.She was renamed Star of India when she was purchased by the Alaska Packers Association of San Francisco in 1901 and used for the Alaskan salmon trade. The Alaska Packers were an alliance of several different fishing companies, who would send their ships up to Alaska every year to fish for salmon. The Alaska Packers gave all of their ships “star” names such as “Star of England” and “Star of Ireland” The Star of India continued to sail with the Alaska Packers until her retirement in 1923.



Helm






On her many voyages the Star of India went through collisions, cyclones, and conspiracy among the crewmembers. So when Jerry Macmullen and a group of maritime enthusiasts bought the Star for $9,000 in 1926 she was very badly damaged. Taking care of the Star was difficult because money was short, and the combination of the economic stress from The Great Depression and World War II complicated things even more. Because of these obstacles they could not collect enough funds to begin her restoration until 1959.By July 4th 1976 she was able to sail again, and has been going on voyages every five years ever since.



Wheel







The ship is steered by the Helmsmen, who also had to keep an eye on the compass and sails. The wheel steers the ship by shifting the direction of the rudder, which changes the direction of the ship. When you stand by the wheel you can see the HMS Surprise and the Berkeley, both of which are ships owned by the museum. The Surprise is a replica of an 18th century Royal Navy frigate, which was used in the movie “Master and Commander” and the Berkeley is an 1898 steam ferryboat. The Berkeley is where the Museum is based; it has the most exhibits and the library, which is where the other interns and I do most of our work.


Mast







The Star of India is the last authentic tall ship that can still be sailed. Tall ships are large traditionally rigged sailing ships. She was built at Ramsey Shipyard on the Isle of Man in 1863 as one of the first experimental iron ships in a time when most vessels were still made of wood. The Star has been virtually unchanged since then, and she is the world’s oldest active sailing ship.



Back of the ship







Today people come to San Diego Bay to visit the Star of India for tours and exhibits on her, and maritime history, and students and families can go on mock voyages to learn what the life of immigrants and sailors would be like during the 1800’s.
People also come to the Maritime Museum to access the Jerry Macmullen Library aboard the Berkeley, which has collections of books, pictures, tapes, and other Maritime related documents. The library is where I do most of my intern work, and spend most of my time when I am at the museum.





Sources

1923, steam ruled the seas. Sailing ships were obsolete, scores were laid up in ports, and including the. "San Diego Maritime Museum : Historic Ships : Star of India." Maritime Museum of San Diego. 16 Mar. 2009 .

Arnold, Craig. " Journal of San Diego History." San Diego Historical Society. 16 Mar. 2009 .

To Kill a Mockingbird

Jean Louise "Scout" Finch

1. What physical presence does the character have? Include height, weight, size, physical fitness, posture, etc.

She is short and skinny, and is always in "action" she does not stay still.

2. Describe the characters further visual details. Include hair, eyes, face, teeth, scars, tattoos, etc.

I imagened her to have dark blondish chin length hair that is parted down the middle. I saw her as having hazel eyes and a few freckles.

3. What distinguishing items does the character wear? Include clothes, jewelery, shoes, and any other physical item the character keeps with him/her.

She wears boys clothes(overalls and button down shirts) she never wears dresses because she is always playing outside and climbing trees with her brother Jem and friend Dill, and wearing dresses would be inconvenient.

4. What distinguishing behavior does the character have? Include habits, preferences (music, food, literature, etc.), speech (sayings, stalling words, etc), and demeanor.

She is very smart, and learned to read before she was even in school. She is also confident, and thoughtful. She is allways wondering why things are the way they are, or the reasons behind peoples actions.

5. What is the characters role in society? Include his/her job, hobbies, and uses of time.

She is the Daughter of Atticus finch, who is the towns layer, and the younger sister of Jem Finch and a friend to Dill. She is far to young to have a real job.


6. What is the character's religion or philosophy? What beliefs does he/she hold? How does this create or mitigate internal conflict within his/her psyche?

Scout believes that all people in her community and in general are inherently good. She does not believe in the stereotypical gender roles.

7. What do others in the book say about the character?

Her father and friends all care for her, but find her a but hard to deal with at times.

8. What connections does this character have to history, established religion or the world beyond the book?

The story takes place in the south during the great depression which is an important time in history, the book also deals with the prejudices that were going on back then.

9. What does the character's name suggest? Authors rarely (if ever) name characters at random. What could the name symbolize? What evidence do you have for this?

Her nick name "Scout" might come from the fact that she is always out on adventures and playing imagining games. Also her last name "Finch" has to do with the title because a finch is a kind of bird.

10. How does the character develop during the plot? How does he/she change?

She gets a better idea of what the world is like; that there is evil and prejudice, and not just good. But she also learns that there is still a lot of good in the world despite that.




Jeremy "Jem" Finch

1. What physical presence does the character have? Include height, weight, size, physical fitness, posture, etc.

I imagined him to have short light brown hair.

2. Describe the characters further visual details. Include hair, eyes, face, teeth, scars, tattoos, etc.

his arm was broken at one point so one of his arms is slightly longer than the other.

3. What distinguishing items does the character wear? Include clothes, jewelery, shoes, and any other physical item the character keeps with him/her

Like Scout, he wears overalls most of the time.

4. What distinguishing behavior does the character have? Include habits, preferences (music, food, literature, etc.), speech (sayings, stalling words, etc), and demeanor.

He is very confident, and also a loyal companion to Scout.

5. What is the characters role in society? Include his/her job, hobbies, and uses of time.

Jem is still a in school throughout the book so his job is going to school.
He also spends his time climbing trees and playing

6. What is the character's religion or philosophy? What beliefs does he/she hold? How does this create or mitigate internal conflict within his/her psyche?

Scout believes that all people in her community, and in general are inherently good. She does not believe in the stereotypical gender roles.


8. What connections does this character have to history, established religion or the world beyond the book?

I do not know what Jem himself represents, but like Scout and Atticus he is living in turbulent times; in the middle of the great depression,and when racism was common.

10. How does the character develop during the plot? How does he/she change?

He realizes that there are very bad people in the world that do unimaginable things, but good people are still very common, and balance out the bad.




Atticus Finch

1. What physical presence does the character have? Include height, weight, size, physical fitness, posture, etc.

Tall, average weight, stands up straight.

2. Describe the characters further visual details. Include hair, eyes, face, teeth, scars, tattoos, etc.

Dark hair, balding slightly, wears busyness clothes, wears glasses.

3. What distinguishing items does the character wear? Include clothes, jewelery, shoes, and any other physical item the character keeps with him/her.

He always carries a pocketwatch.

4. What distinguishing behavior does the character have? Include habits, preferences (music, food, literature, etc.), speech (sayings, stalling words, etc), and demeanor.


He is calm, and speaks firmly and patiently and persuasive. He is very intelligent and wise as well. He also has a dry sense of humor.

5. What is the characters role in society? Include his/her job, hobbies, and uses of time.
He works as a lawyer, and he spends time with Scout and Jem (his kids) and cook Calpurnia.

6. What is the character's religion or philosophy? What beliefs does he/she hold? How does this create or mitigate internal conflict within his/her psyche?

He is one of the few citizens in the town of Maycomb who believes in racial equality, and he defended a black man in court despite what people thought about it.

7. What do others in the book say about the character?

Scout and Jem do not like the fact that Atticus does not go fishing or play catch with them like regular fathers.But they both care for and respect him very much.

8. What connections does this character have to history, established religion or the world beyond the book?

He is related to prejudice that went on in the south during those times. Not long after that the civil rights movement began, and in the book Atticus is a strong believer in equal rights between races so he relates to that as well.

9. What does the character's name suggest? Authors rarely (if ever) name characters at random. What could the name symbolize? What evidence do you have for this?

My part of the magazine

1)the main thing i want to contribute to the magazine is my mentor interview, not just because it is easy, but because i the person i interview had a lot to say, and she talked about some of her really interesting experiences.The other things i might do are a description of what a day at my internship is like, or i will ad some of the photography i have done at my site.

2)I don't have any creative title ideas yet, but i think the title should be something interesting and unexpected, like a title that does not spell out exactly what the
magazine i about( there would be a sub-headline explaining it)

3)My idea for an article that i would like to read in the magazine is an article that explains, and gives tips on finding your own internship, and/or a list of possible internship sites so students would have a better idea of what kinds of places they can intern at.

Immersion reflection

During internship immersion i learned more about web design because for one of my my projects i updated the Maritime Museum's web site, by adding new pictures, and changing the format. I also learned about Jerry Macmullen who was the co-founder of the museum.For part of my project i did a short biography of Jerry Macmullen to go on the museums web page, and i learned that he was involved with many of San Diego's other museums, and he was the main person who organized the founding of the museum.
Being on immersion impacted my experience as a student because it put me in a different environment,were i learned things about work that could not learn in school.

Cannery Row characters

Doc


What physical presence does the character have? Include height, weight, size, physical fitness, posture, etc.

He is short, but very strong. He also wears a beard and has "the hands of a brain surgeon."

Describe the characters further visual details. Include hair, eyes, face, teeth, scars, tattoos, etc.

He is described to have a face that “always tells the truth” which I think means that he does not hide his emotions very well

What distinguishing items does the character wear? Include clothes, jewelry, shoes, and any other physical item the character keeps with him/her.

He wears a rain hat all the time (even during the summer) because he hates getting his head wet.

What distinguishing behavior does the character have? Include habits, preferences (music, food, literature, etc.), speech (sayings, stalling words, etc), and demeanor.

He is gentle and nice, but often melancholy and a bit of a loner.

What is the characters role in society? Include his/her job, hobbies, and uses of time.

He runs a small supply house called the Western biological laboratory, which is also his home. He is always out collecting specimens such as star fish or frogs for his shop. And even though he is not a medical doctor he helped out poor families during the flu epidemic.

What is the character's religion or philosophy? What beliefs does he/she hold? How does this create or mitigate internal conflict within his/her psyche?

He enjoys music and literature which he shares with the other residents of Cann.ery Row

What do others in the book say about the character?


They respect him and are always trying to help him and do nice things for him.

What does the character's name suggest? Authors rarely (if ever) name characters at random. What could the name symbolize? What evidence do you have for this?

Doc is short for doctor, and even though he is a scientist not a medical doctor I think he got the nickname Doc because people view him as being smart in general.

How does the character develop during the plot? How does he/she change?

The parties that were thrown for him by Mack and the boys ended up stressing him out more.





Hazel


What physical presence does the character have? Include height, weight, size, physical fitness, posture, etc.

He is dark haired, 26 years old, strong and loyal.

Describe the characters further visual details. Include hair, eyes, face, teeth, scars, tattoos, etc.

He is fast, which helps when he is collecting specimens for Doc.

What distinguishing items does the character wear? Include clothes, jewelry, shoes, and any other physical item the character keeps with him/her.

He wears casual clothes; Tee shirts, jeans, and tennis shoes.


What distinguishing behavior does the character have? Include habits, preferences (music, food, literature, etc.), speech (sayings, stalling words, etc), and demeanor.

He is very helpful and hardworking; he often helps Doc when he goes collecting. He loves to hear conversation, and ask questions he already knows the answer to for the sole purpose of keeping the conversation going.

What is the characters role in society? Include his/her job, hobbies, and uses of time.

He lives with Mack and the boys who are a group of down and out men who live in the fish meal shack owned by Lee Chong. He often helps Doc with collecting specimens for his shop.

What do others in the book say about the character?

He can be annoying to others, especially Doc who has to put up with Hazels obvious questions.

What does the character's name suggest? Authors rarely (if ever) name characters at random. What could the name symbolize? What evidence do you have for this?

I think his name shows that he is out of the ordinary because he has a name that would normally be given to a girl.

How does the character develop during the plot? How does he/she change?

I think he became less careless, after being involved with Docs disastrous party, and he also learned not to live on impulse.









Lee Chong


What physical presence does the character have? Include height, weight, size, physical fitness, posture, etc.


He is described to have a round face, and a wide mouth

Describe the characters further visual details. Include hair, eyes, face, teeth, scars, tattoos, etc.


He has gold capped teeth that flash when he smiles.

distinguishing items does the character wear? Include clothes, jewelry, shoes, and any other physical item the character keeps with him/her.

He wears a gold wedding ring on the middle finger of his left hand, and wears half-glasses.

What distinguishing behavior does the character have? Include habits, preferences (music, food, literature, etc.), speech (sayings, stalling words, etc), and demeanor.

He never uses the letter "R" when speaking; he has to tilt his head to the side to see from a distance. he is also always working out prices with his abacus, and is always restlessly tapping his fingers on the counter top.

What is the characters role in society? Include his/her job, hobbies, and uses of time.

He is the grocer of the Row, his stocks everything you can think of and all the people of the Row go to his shop to buy groceries.

What is the character's religion or philosophy? What beliefs does he/she hold? How does this create or mitigate internal conflict within his/her psyche?

He is somewhat manipulative, but generous and good at heart.

What do others in the book say about the character?

I think that they think well of him because he often lends them money.

What connections does this character have to history, established religion or the world beyond the book?


He is related to the Tong wars in California which was a gang war that took place in the 1920's and 30's.

What does the character's name suggest? Authors rarely (if ever) name characters at random. What could the name symbolize? What evidence do you have for this?

As far as I know his name just suggests that he is Chinese.

How does the character develop during the plot? How does he/she change?


I do not think he changed much throughout the book.

Internship imersion

1) I am most exited about being in a new place instead of just being at school,because thats how my schedule would be if i was working at a real job. I am also exited about possibly doing some work on setting up exhibits on the Star of India and the Surprise, which will be much more fun and interesting than the organizing work i usually do in the museum's library.

2)What i am most concerned about is that i will be at internship every day for two weeks,and for much longer each day than usual. I am a little worried that it is going to get really boring because i am going to be there for so long, and the work i do in the library can get really tedious. Not going to school at all is also going to be weird,and it is going to be hard for meto get used to.

Outstanding blogs

1. Economic advice to Barack Obama?
Kevin's blog had good economical advise for Obama.
"Franklin Delanore Roosevelt passed the New Deal (among a series of other actswhich allowed Americans to come together and do the jobs that needed to be done in order to help fix America's economy, as well as creating more jobs and getting necessary things built." This advise is helpful for our economy because it worked during the great depression which is a similar situation to the recession we are in now.


2. Literary Analysis?
A blog that has good literary analysis is Will's blog. In his post about Charles Darwin.He uses complicated language and his word choices are very well though out.
"Charles Darwin contributed significantly to mankind's collective scientific understanding, finding a pattern in the seemingly chaotic play of evolution, blazing a trail that the rest of us could follow with our bumbling brains."

Charles Darwin

The responsibility we have for the understanding of science is to be curious about why things are the way they are, and to always have an open mind.
The roles that scientific inquiry and scientific knowledge should play in our society are solving problems such as better ways of transportation, doing household tasks, curing diseases, and making new discoveries about the natural world.
Science should influence our decisions, laws, and culture by showing us how things, work and helping us make discoveries, and it should also influence our thinking and decisions.

If i were Obama's economic advisor part 2

If I were Obama's economics adviser, one thing I would say about strengthening America's economy is to create more green jobs. Green jobs are jobs that involve finding more environmentally friendly ways of doing things, such as green building, green energy, and manufacturing with non toxic earth friendly materials.Having more green jobs will strengthen the economy by providing new jobs for the unemployed, and since we are in the worst economical crisis since the great depression and thousands of people have lost their jobs this is especially important.

Although some advances in green power have been made "Alternative energy advocates say President Obama's economic stimulus package could help because it provides tax credits as well as federal grants to help companies pay for wind and solar projects." America still has a long way to go because of bushes environmental record over the past eight years he has been on office "By taking environmental policymaking away from scientists, and turning it over to industry cronies, Bush has made a mockery of the nation's environmental laws and values" which is why it is important that we start making changes now.

Some of the ways these changes can be made are to start replacing un-environmental energy jobs such as ones involved with coal and oil, with green jobs are involved with Wind and solar power and recycling resources for energy. Burning coal and oil puts C02 into the atmosphere, and if we keep using them at the same rate then we will soon run out, which is why we need to find new forms of energy.



Sources

Mieszkowski, Katharine. "Bush environment Obama | Salon ." Salon.com - Breaking news, opinion, politics, entertainment, sports and culture.. 11 Feb. 2009 .



contrast. " Depression? Or just a recession? Experts also find it hard to tell - Times Online ." Business News, Market and Financial News | Times Online Business . 11 Feb. 2009 .

Honners book blog

Toni Morrison, the author of the book beloved uses the literary devises Imagery, symbolism, and similes in her writing to develop the plot of her story. These devises help to develop the characters and plot of the story, and add detail and depth to the writing.
The literary devise imagery is used to describe the surroundings that the characters are in, and the places they go and the people that they meet. An example of how imagery is used in the story is when Sethe meets the girl Amy after running away from
her plantation."Her name was Amy and she needed beef and pot liquor like nobody in this world. Arms like cane stalks and enough hair for four or five heads. Slow moving eyes. She didn’t look at anything quick. Talked so much is was not clear how she could breathe at the same time." In this Quote Morrison paints a very clear picture of Amy, by describing all of the quirks, and mannerisms that are part of Amy's looks and personality.
Morrison uses symbolism often in her writing. One part of the story in which she uses symbolism is when Sethe realized that she stopped seeing colors, when her baby died"Every day she saw the dawn, but never acknowledged or remarked its color. There was something wrong with that. It was as though one day she saw red baby blood, another day the pink grave stone chips, and that was the last of it.”This symbolizes Sethe’s grief for her dead baby by saying that she stopped noticing, and caring about the things that are going on around her after it died.
A simile is when you compare something using like or as. In this book Morrison uses a simile in the part were Amy is describing to Sethe what velvet is like “Well Lu, velvet is like the world just born. Clean new and so smooth." Morrison uses the simile in this case to create a poetic and imaginative description of velvet, rather than just saying that velvet is just soft or beautiful. Having this description in her writing makes this excerpt stand out more.
Throughout the book Morrison uses the literary devises Imagery, symbolism, and similes to develop the characters, and to add depth in her writing as the story progresses. These devises also help to develop the theme of her story which has to do with being haunted by a demon from your past, and the emotional effects slavery had on people.

If i were Obama's economics advisor

Part one

If I were Obama’s economics adviser, one thing I would say about strengthening America’s economy is to create more green jobs. This will strengthen the economy by providing new jobs,and will also decrease the amount of unemployed people in America. This will also improve the environment, which is also a big issue now.
Although some advances in green power have been made “Alternative energy advocates say President Obama's economic stimulus package could help because it provides tax credits as well as federal grants to help companies pay for wind and solar projects.” America still has a long way to go, so we should start now.
Some of the ways this can be done are to start replacing unenvironmental energy jobs such as coal, and oil, with green jobs are involved with Wind and solar power and recycling resources and energy.




Link

Part Two

I am going to interview Maggie Piatt who is the photographer at the Maritime Museum. I am going to use a tape recorder, and the interview will take place on Tuesday the tenth at 1:00 pm

Good interviews

In depth questions: Ask more complicated questions, for example you could ask them If they wanted to work in the field that they are now when they were younger.These kinds of questions will make the person you are interviewing think more about the question and give a more in depth answer.

In this Interview John Harwood asked Obama complicated questions complicated questions such as "How did it feel to be there with the former presidents today and what can you learn from them, especially the current President Bush whom you criticized so strongly in the campaign?" instead of simple questions


Ideas of what you want to talk about: you should have at least some idea of what you want to talk about before you start your interview even if you do not have scripted questions, because it will help your questions stay organized, which will make the interview flow better.

The interview uses this skill because its theme was Obamas inauguration, which at the time was soon to come, and Harwood asked Obama questions about how it feels to be the next president.


customized interviews: your interview questions should depend on who you are interviewing, because that way you can get information from them that will help you get to know them better.

You can tell that Harwoods interview questions were made for Obama because they are focused on things that Obama would be thinking about, or have strong opinions about


Link

Mentor interview questions

1) How long have you been working at the Maritime Museum?

2) Why did you choose this career? What made you chose it?

3) How long have you been interested in maritime history? What got you interested in the first place?

4) What are the most interesting things you have learned about maritime history?

5) What are the most interesting experiences you have had at this job?

6) What is your favorite thing about working at the Maritime Museum?

7) What other jobs have you had before this? How many did you have? What were they?

8) Where did you go to college? How did your collage experience shape your future career?

9) Have you ever done an internship yourself? If so was it a good learning experience?

10) Have you worked in similar fields before this?

11) Is this what you wanted to do when you were a kid? If not what did you want to do?


12) How do you incorporate Photography into your work at the Maritime Museum?


13) What work do you do for exhibits that involve photography? Are there any current exhibits that you have worked/or are working on?


14) What types of photography do you like?


15) Who is your favorite photographer? How does their work inspire you?

16) What are your other interests besides photography?

17) Have you worked at other museums, or similar places?

18) Have you been living here all your life? Or did you move here?

19) Have you done any traveling for your jobs? What places have you been to?

20) If you did not have this job what would you be doing?

First day of internship

Today in my first day of internship my mentor took us on a tour of the museum, and we learned about some of the things we will be working on,which was mostly organizing and scanning pictures. The actual work that we did today was practicing scanning pictures.

I ate lunch quickly before i left, and i took the bus to my internship site.Today i got a ride home from my mom, but i will be taking the trolley home in the future.

Overall i had a pretty good experience, although it got to be a little boring twords the end

Historic addresses

In his inaugural address Obama spoke of opening up to other nations showing that we can have good ideals. Which in this case means being more logical when it comes to conversing with other nations, and not immediately resorting to violence. An example of this is Obama’s recent closure of the prison Guantanamo Bay, This is important because Guantanamo Bay could support torture, and Obama wants America to be represented by good ideals, and use smart power instead of violence.
Closing Guantanamo Bay is Obama’s first step to cleaning up Americas act, Guantanamo Bay is a prison that is used to hold suspected terrorists, and is suspected of using torture, and treating the inmates inhumanely. Although the Bush administration has proclaimed that Guantanamo is necessary for our safety, but it goes against the laws in our constitution that state we must give anyone a fair trial. Obama wants to change our bad reputation with the rest of the world, and illustrate to the world that we are changing our policies “We reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals.”
Rather than using violence and taking what we want by force, Obama wants to govern America with smart power “Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with sturdy alliances and enduring convictions. They understood that our power alone cannot protect us.” America wants change in the Middle East, but the strategy of violence we have been using is not getting us anywhere. Which is why being logical and open with foreign affairs will improve the way that we are seen by other countries. “The president is committed to making diplomacy and development the partners in our foreign policy along with defense. We must be smarter about how we exercise our power,’‘
If we begin to negotiate our problems before we start fighting we will be liked more by other countries, which will help convince them of our ways of thinking. Closing Guantanamo Bay is our first step of showing the rest of the world that America will start using good ideals, and smart power instead of violence.

Sources

"Obama Orders Secret Prisons and Detention Camps Closed - NYTimes.com." The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia. 25 Jan. 2009

"Obama gets to work after historic inauguration - Yahoo! News." The top news headlines on current events from Yahoo! News - Yahoo! News. 25 Jan. 2009 .

"Obama's inaugural speech - CNN.com." CNN.com - Breaking News, U.S., World, Weather, Entertainment & Video News. 25 Jan. 2009 .

"euronews | Obama aiming to use smart power." euronews | The latest International News from a European perspective. 25 Jan. 2009 .

Obama's Inauguration speech

When i was watching Obamas Inaugural address the part of his speech that stood out to me the most was
"This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed - why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent mall, and why a man whose father less than sixty years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath."
This was the most meaningful part of his speech to me because it shows how much he and the whole United Sates of America have achieved. Until recently white and black people were not considered equal to each other, and the two races were completely segregated. Half a century ago the idea of a black or biracial president was unthinkable, but despite Americas racist past, Obama became our president. I think that Obama being elected as president is a great achievement not just for African Americans but for all of America because it shows how much we have grown as a society. Obama's words relate to me and my everyday life because he talks about going through hardships and obstacles and finding ways to overcome them. Although Obama was talking about different things, i can relate to him because i am always facing challenges in my life.


Link

New and improved artist statement

Why is the stock market like a bad girlfriend? It let everyone down because of the stock market crash of 1929 which started the great depression, which caused thousands of people to lose their homes and jobs, and many of those people took to the streets and became hobos. My painting explores the relationship between the highway hobos of the great depression, and the Led Zeppelin song “Black dog” These two different parts of American culture share the common theme of the response to false expectations.

During the great depression thousands of people in America lost their homes and jobs because of the stock market crash. They were all let down by a bad economy and many people were in shock because they expected the government to back them up, and keep their lives stable but it failed to do so. With no money and no were to go many people became hobos and began to roam across America hitchhiking rides on freight trains, and looking for work along the way.

When he says, “Didn't take too long fore I found out what people mean my down and out" The singer of Black Dog is also let down, not by the government but by his girlfriend. He had expected that she would be honest and truthful, but he found out that she really just wanted his money. This quote relates to the topic of homelessness during the great depression because they both talk about hitting rock bottom, only in the case of the song the reason for being down and out is a bad girlfriend. I thought that even though the quote and the topic are from two time periods and they are initially about different things they can still go together, and make sense.

For the color scheme of my painting I used browns and grays, I did this not only to represent that this happened before color photography, but to enhance the dusty southern theme that was often part of songs and stories of the great depression. I painted the train stretching of into the distance to show that is going a long way, and to make the overall picture more interesting to look at.

Artist statement rough draft

1) The highway hobos during the great depression, and Led Zeppelin together in my art show that the future is always uncertain and that you cant fully understand something unless it has happened to you.

2) The theme that i am expressing through my picture and quote is how life was like for people who became homeless because of the great depression. These "Hobos" then began to roam across America hitchhiking rides on freight trains, and creating a cultural phenomenon. The part of this topic that i am focusing on was how thousands of people in America lost their homes and jobs, and how much of a shock it must have been to suddenly lose everything.

I used browns and grays for the the color scheme of my painting, i did this not only to represent that this happened before color photography, but to enhance the dusty southern theme that was often part of songs and stories of the great depression. I painted the train stretching of into the distance to show that is going a long way, and to make the overall picture more interesting to look at.

My quote is from the Led Zeppelin song "Black Dog" The quote is "Didn't take too long fore I found out What people mean my down and out" this quote relates to the topic of homelessness during the great depression because they both talk about hitting rock bottom, only in the case of the song the reason for being down and out is a bad girlfriend. I thought that even though the quote and the topic are from two time periods and they are initially about different things they can still go together, and make sense.


3)Conclusion

Why is this important?

• It relates to the economic crisis and homelessness today
• It is important to remember events in the past and learn from them
• It shows how different parts of our culture are related, and how they have evolved and changed over time.
  

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/rails/

http://www.deltahaze.com/johnson/Legacy.html

George Bush and the enviroment

I was surprised to hear that Bush was creating the marine national monuments, because Bush has blown of many environmental problems, and i have always thought of him as being more big business oriented. The article Bushes seven deadly environmental sins is written from as similar point of view. It explains that Bush has done little to stop global warming, and has refused to agree to green house gas regulation laws "Bush's Environmental Protection Agency refused to regulate the greenhouse gas CO₂ as a pollutant, even after the Supreme Court ruled that CO₂ is a pollutant and the EPA can regulate it." He has abandoned protection on endangered species, and his main concern seems to be drilling for oil"A whopping 35,000 drilling permits have been issued for onshore federal lands during the past seven years" I think that the marine national monuments that Bush has constructed are his way of making up for being environmentally unfriendly throughout his presidency.

My Internship

1) The things that i want to discover about the adult world of work while at my internship are, how things are operated in a working environment,what is expected of a worker, and i want to experience what a real job is like. I want to learn about these things because there is a lot about the adult world that i don't fully understand, and i hope that that being in a working environment for my internship will help me gain a greater understanding of those things and prepare me for the working world.

2) During my internship the part of my identity that i want to discover more about is, what kind of carrier i want to follow. Working in an internship will help me find out if that line of work is good for me, and if i end up working somewhere that might not have been my first choice, i might discover that i am interested in that field, and if not i will still learn a lot.

3) A goal that i want to accomplish for my internship is to get as much out of the working experience as i can, so i can have experiences that will help me when i am working in a real job. My other goal is to be the best intern i can be.