Beginning of Semester Reflection

Something I was proud of this semester was my American Icon artist statement. The icon i chose was Eleanor Roosevelt and I was proud of this because I had put a lot of work into making my essay sounds professional and having it connect to the readers. Another reason I feel this was some of my best work was because I think I had accomplished the goal of making myself really connect to my icon and being able to show that through my writing. I feel i accomplished these by managing my time, staying on task, and having my paper critiqued many times. The steps It took to get to my final product was basically a lot of drafts and having it critiqued. I had started off with information on my Icon and then went into how we relate to each other. After a small draft of my writing i went more into depth and had it edited more than once. I then had my pictures taken and photoshoped it so it went more with my writing.
My American Icon Artist Statement

Mt other project that i was proud of was my H2O photo essay. I had done my project on how the water in Ocean Beach affects the Surfers. I was proud of this because i had completed the assignment a week or two before it was due and my pictures came out just the way i wanted them too if not better. The writing portion was also very informative and i thought it was the perfect amount of writing. I accomplished this project because i had stayed on task and i had made sure i got all m y work done before it was due.
Another way i accomplished this was by making myself a schedule and having many different critiques done to my paper.

Caption for the above picture:
Not only is this contaminated water making humans sick, but marine life as well. Plastic bags, bottle caps, cigarette butts, food packaging and other waste ends up choking, poisoning, or blocking the digestive tracts of sea birds and other marine animals who mistake it for food.

He's Not Black

(<--Barack and his Mother)

In this article Arana mentions "Isn't it time for the language to move on?" 

I wouldn't say i fully understand what she means when she uses language in that term, but from what i understand, i think she refers language as to race and the color or your skin. Also something that brought me to my attention was when she says "move on." When i hear this question i picture people trying to look at humans more than the color of their skin. Arana brings up how a student of hers had told her how she is half german but when people look at the color of her skin, they only see an African American girl. So you can say i agree with Arana when she says people need to move on if she's looking at it the way i see it. Just because you may not see someone's religion on the outside doesnt mean you can judge them by the different color of their skin. I do also have a slight disagreement when she says our new president-elect is not black. I, aswell as others know that he is not fully black, but by saying "He's not black" is like telling him he has no black in his blood even though the color of his skin is shown as an African American. I just found her words to be a little too precise and unstable. 

I think that the people of the United States view Obama mostly as our new black president because i believe they want change in our country and think it will do our country some good. I cannot say i dissagree with them because i am all for Obama, but viewing him as a better president just because of his color is not the way to chose our president. I personally liked Obama because of his policies and his great words that he promised this country. I see him as a great leader and someone who can make great changes. 

Thanksgiving

This year i would have say I'm thankful for my grades because i didn't think i could do so well compared to last year, and i have managed to keep them up throughout this year.

Three things I plan on working on over thanksgiving break is taking more pictures in OB, finding out more information about illnesses (take notes), and start at least four or five paragraphs of writing for my pictures.

H2O Project

So far in my project i have discovered some of the different illnesses that our ocean water can cause. I have not really gone into depth in my project yet but i have a good understanding of exactly what i want it to look like.
I'm not really surprised about much, but i do find it to be a lot of work in this amount of time. I do however think i can most defiantly get it done on time if not before.
Although something i was i was a little surprised on was how many rough drafts we have to have before our final product.
My next steps for my project would have to be going down to OB and taking lots of pictures. I would most likely like to go down at sunset because i think that would make the pictures better looking.

H2O Project Examples

For my H2O project i plan on creating a Photo essay of numerous s

urfers, people, and beaches such as OB. 

These are an example of some photo essays that i would like mine t

o look like. 

The topics are just different.

Historic Day

Birmingham and Selma, Alabama witnessed critical moments of the civil rights movement. In the early 1960s Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. led massive protests in these cities that eventually led to the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which outlawed the widespread discriminatory practices that had for decades prevented African Americans from voting.

 The Specter of History

Congolese government forces man the front lines in eastern Congo, Sunday November 9. The fighting between rebels and the government has left tens of thousands of refugees desperate for international aid. The fighting in eastern Congo is fueled by ethnic hatred left over from the 1994 slaughter of at least 500,000 Tutsis in neighboring Rwanda.

These relate to my project because the picture is so detailed the reader can already tell what the article is going to be about. 

Also i chose these because the writing is short and simple, but still gets the story across.

An Eternal Revolution

"BARACK OBAMA’S victory marks the end of another magnificent chapter in America’s experience of democracy."

For many years in the past blacks as well as women could not vote. That is why Borack Obama's success in this years 2008 election will remain a huge part of America's life. I found that this years election was a huge improvement compared to the earlier days which is mainly what this article talks about.

I think that Americans should really be so proud of themselves becuase this year has brought so many different races together to become one and in the end we ended up with great success and an amazing new president.

Having a black President will make such a huge difference not only in America, but in the world. I find America to be very insperational to other countrys as different as we may be.

Election Reflection and H2O Project

Election Reflection
Throughout this election i have stood by Obama and supported his every; word which is why I was very happy when he had won. Watching his speech and the hearing the crowd brought goosebumps and chills. Something that i found to be very special was not only the fact we have a new black president, but the fact that i am old enough to cherish that night and be apart of this new America.
Some of my hopes for this Country would have to be based on ending the war and bringing home our troops. I think/know that would make so many Americans happy to just have their loved ones come back safe. Another hope of mine would be bringing more money into education and schools. As well as giving teachers a better pay.
As much as i like Obama a concern of mine is that he has a fear of going to war if needed. I don't however wish to ever go to war ever again, but if we were to be attacked I wouldn't want Obama to be afraid of protecting us as much as possible.


Civic Knowledge
I think that I have an okay understanding about the world and where things stand as far as politics, but i can defiantly improve on civic knowledge in general. Something we have done well in this class involving current events would have to be the Blogs that we do every Tuesday and Thursday. The blogs force us to look up different sites and summarize different articles to improve our understanding of the world. Compared to conversations i have had in school and outside of school, outside of school i feel really intelligent with the people i talk to. Not that i don't feel intelligent in school, i just seem to know more than those outside of school, and it feels amazing.

H2O Project
How does the sea water affect the surfers in Ocean Beach?

-Different illnesses that can occur

Interview with doctor (have not yet chosen doctor)

-Interview different surfers around OB and ask their opinion on the water pollution, and if they have had any type of illness.

Photo Essay

November:

Saturday 8th --> Tuesday 11th

*Find a doctor to interview

*Set up appointment for interview

*Plan out questions for doctor and OB surfers

*Take some OB pictures if extra time

Wednesday 12th --> Friday 14th

*Try and interview doctor in that week

*Work on writting for the pictures that have been already taken

Saturday 15th

*Go to OB and interview surfers

*Take (more) Picutures

Monday 17th --> Friday 21st

*Put all Pictures, my writting, quotes etc. together.

H2O Questions

How does the water pollution affect marine life?

The balance of pollution between sea water and land is almost the same. With all the chemicals flowing into the waters, it becomes much like the polluted land itself. Having polluted water effects sea creatures in the same way humans are affected by polluted food and air. Factories around the world are pouring there waste into our oceans and directly harming the animals.


How are the surfers effected by the water?

In San Diego many people go out to surf expecting to have a great time in the "refreshing" "clean" water. But in 2005 a father and his son went surfing off the coast of San Diego and it soon after came out to their knowledge they had been swimming in sewage. After walking back to their car they had seen warning signs along the beach about the contaminated water. Many people later come out of the water becoming sick, and with the chances of small diseases.

2008 Presidential/Vice President Debates

2008 Presidential/Vice President Debates

Throughout watching the 2008 Presidential/Vice President Debates I found it to be very helpful to America as to whom they want to vote for. Even though at the age of 16 not being able to vote, I was with Barack Obama throughout this whole election and there was nothing John McCain had said that made me even think twice. As far as the Vice President debate went, I thought that Sarah Palin had made a fool of herself and was constantly avoiding the questions. I knew I wasn’t the only one noticing the same things because since that debate there have been many negative discussions coming from the media as well as replica videos as a joke towards Palin and the little things she does.

            I think that a lot of people had taken John McCain and Sarah Palin’s speeches more towards a joke considering There is a lot more comedy towards Palin and her debates. This defiantly affects John McCain and his chance of winning because if people cannot take Palin seriously, they wont believe John is right for President. 

In class discussions on the 2008 elections

Election 2008: Black voters cautiously optimistic

Throughout the school year so far we have had many projects, readings, and discussions; and one discussion we have is after each Presidential and Vice President debate. I am always most entertained and really enjoy discussions on this years elections. Overall i have had many blogs about Obama, McCain, and Palin and thats because it's something i really enjoy. I haven't always had such an interest in politics but this years election has really opened my eyes to the bigger picture and the economy. 

In this article it talks about how a man named Gene Caldwell an Obama supporter, is worried that Obama's color will have a huge effect on this years election. He talks about how if only African Americans were to vote for Obama there is a sure chance of McCain becoming President. Since Americas population is more White than African American, he is afraid McCain will take the lead in this years election. In a small part of this article it mentions how the only way for Obama to win is to get millions of votes from whites in general. I think that this is very possible because as an Obama supporter myself, i feel that the Americans are truly listening to his policies and not just looking at the color of his skin. I could however be wrong but hopefully in the end thats not the case or i would feel almost like a disgrace to America is we judged by color. 

Newspaper Reflection

Newspaper Reflection

 

Overall I think that our newspaper came out to be pretty good. I think that we could have added a lot more pictures and change the main picture considering other groups had the same one, but I thought it was organized and not too in depth. Something I was proud of that I contributed to the newspaper was my article itself because I thought it was short and easy to comprehend but short enough where it’s still informational. I liked how in my article there is two different questions and how one is even pulled out of the paragraph and made into a more bold font so it stands out.  Even though our newspaper came out to be really good, I thought that our group could have talked and shared each other’s thoughts more. Every once and while we would check up on one another but there could have been a lot more communication between us. Another thing that I felt lacked a lot of was even though we had confirmed some things with one another, some of the group was not that happy with some changes that were made, or changes that we wanted to be made. It was almost like our input was not taken into consideration. I think that each person in the group did a good job at doing their part of the project, we could have just maybe gone over each others articles and critique them so there could have been room for improvement. I think that this project was a really good way to get a good understanding of the Lincoln Douglas Debates because it really goes into depth when having to create an actual article and newspaper. Not only does this project help us understand the debates, but also when it came to the different newspaper being hung up around the classroom, it really helps give the room a more professional feel and look. Something I wish I could have improved on in my part of the project was extending my article because compared to the others it was much shorter. As I mentioned before it was the right amount so the reader can still get a good understanding, but It didn’t look like much work was put into it. The main reason my article was short was because the “group leader” had given me the assignment to write a shorter article that you see in original newspapers that just draws the readers attention so they want to read more. So my main goal was to catch the reader’s eye, which I think I had accomplished very well with the help of the group leader. In the end I was very satisfied with our newspaper and I think this was one of the most creative projects throughout this year so far.

Lincoln vs Douglas & Obama vs. McCain

 The Lincoln Douglas debate was a time in 1858 when Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas had their different point of views on slavery and took it into a political debate.

Lincoln thought slavery was wrong and wanted to prove to Douglas as well as the people that blacks were so much more than slaves. Douglas on the other hand didn’t even consider blacks to be human. He thought they should be treated as though they were a dog or some kind of animal. So They had both taken it into a debate to try and convince one another their point of views. Lincoln however did not win the election, but the debate had soon after turned him into the direction of President of the United States.

 

            Overall I think that the 2008 debates is one of the best throughout my years of being interested in politics. This is the first year with different races and well as different sexes so I think that’s really what makes this election so amusing and interesting. As soon as I had heard barack obama talk for the first time I knew he would be an amazing president. I always thought having a woman as president would be a great impact on America, but when hearing Hillary Clinton for the first time, I was not pleased. As we all know Hillary lost it was now up to Obama and John McCaine. I still had held my opinions towards Obama and have a strong disliking for McCain and his policies. 

If so, how will these high numbers of race effect the economy and government in the future?

In the previous presidential elections America has never faced an African American or women canidate. 

To this day in 2008 we currently have Borack Obama our African American Presidant, and John McCain Our white president.

Not only does America have different races running, but we have a women for vice president, Sarah Palin.

America goes through the different debates, and each year the average American goes through deciding

who they want as our future president. 

But what they don't know which i find to be interesting is the population of of whites vs. african americans.

This is a huge relation to the elections considering its the first year having an african american president.

It is estimated to be 221,331,507 whites in the U.S. while the estimation of african americans is to be 37,051,483

this could mean anything. There is a good chance John McCain would win if people were to cote by race,

which people today still do. And then theres those who vote on their policies. So either way it's a win win situation.

The question is though what percent of America votes depended on skin color?

Racism in Education - Question Five

 Describe the relevance of an issue embedded in the Civil War to modern America

How can you relate the Civil War to modern day America?                                       

            Throughout all this time from the Civil War to modern day, racism is still a huge issue in America. Race was a much bigger issue back then compared to today where there isn’t as much hate for African Americans, Latinos, ect. During the Civil war time in 1896, the Plessy vs. Ferguson case had taken place. The United States Supreme Court had made the argument to separate blacks from whites. This included different facilities, different schools, and anything that was public was to be separated by the “colored” and the whites. Homor Plessy, the American Plaintiff in the United States Supreme Court for the Plessy vs. Ferguson, who happens to be 1/8 black, was arrested for convicted of a violation of Louisiana’s racial segregation laws.

            His story began on the East Louisiana Railroad, when he had sat on the “whites only” passenger car. He was soon asked to move to the “colored” side of the car because of his 1/8^th of being black. He had told them he was 7/8^th’s white and that he refused to move seats. He was then immediately arrested. “Separate but equal” was apart of the standard doctrine in U.S law until the later case of the Brown vs. Board of Education.

            In 1954 Brown vs. Board of Education had come into the picture. The Brown family was an ordinary black family who thought that their children should have the same right to go to school and to get their education just like any other child. Their daughter was to walk 4miles to school every weekday because transportation was not an option for blacks. These children had to deal with not only no transportation, but a run-down school with leaks, the smell of sewage, and other problems that were to not be fixed unless they were to repair them themselves. The Brown Family had finally gotten tired of these unfair advantages and came forth to the court about these issues. The Court's decision being 9 to 0, had soon after stated that "separate educational facilities are inherently unequal."

Jonathan Kozal a non-fiction writer, educator and activist is a great example for America’s modern day racism in education. His main belief was that children of all races should be able to get the same education as the whites were getting at the time. The condition of schools in white areas as apposed to those in primarily black areas was striking to Kozal. William Lloyd Garrison School for blacks was nearly waiting to be torn down. There had been four classes, the basement smelt with an awful stench, and windows fell out regularly. Charlestown High for the whites was a completely different story. Jonathan Kozal himself had talked to a teacher and what she had to say stuck him. “Day after day she would return to it, explaining to me the difference in her mind between discriminating against Negroes, and favoring the Jews”.

My Own Federal Privacy Law

My own federal law was: "No one can invade someone’s privacy/property without a warrant or the discussing with the owner his or herself.

Your must take it to court to receive your warrant, your warrant lasts up too 5months, and you must have evidence to bring the case to court."

I think that my federal law is very similar to other privacy laws, mine is just more precise and to the point. This is very strict when it comes to the law about the warrant, but is also complex and simple at the same time. I don't really know what the court or government would think of this law, but i' m sure they would not like the fact that a warrant would last up to five months. In my guess they would  rather have a warrant last for about two days, but it really depends on the situation your dealing with. In my opinion i don't this law would be passed because it would either be too simple, or to strict for someone. In class we had spent a good amount of time discussing my federal law, and i think a lot of people seemed to be either aggravated with it or to amused and happy with it. This law can most defiantly be revised and improved, but overall i think it states a good point and it might be a good thing to have around some day in the future

Blog Reflection

1. What are you most proud of on your blog? Why?
Something I am most proud of on my blog would have to be all my pictures i have that goes along with the article. I don't have pictures for every blog entry, but for the majority of those that do, i think are really expressive and eye catching. They go very well with the article and just by looking at the picture you can already tell what my blog entry is about.

2. What would you like to improve on your blog? Why? How?
Overall i think my blog is pretty organized and simple, but as far as improving something i could most defiantly expand on my opinions and the length of my writing. I do think I had gotten my point across to the readers and my opinions, but I could have just made them more informative and more in detail. Another thing i can improve on not only in my blogs this year but in the future, is to make my opinion more class related and connect it more towards the article.

4. How has blogging impacted your understanding of the US? the Media? Current Events? "Old" news (like the Constitution, Federalist Papers, etc.)?
Blogging has helped my understanding by informing me more on politics as well as the government. It had had also made me a better writer and improved my knowledge with the other student's blogs. Some articles were not about the government which i found also to be amusing and entertaining. The most i learned though would have to be bout Sarah Palin as well as the elections.

Sliming Palin

This article had jumped out to me because i have heard many different opinions and facts about Sarah Palin and thought I could get a closer look at her through this article. In this article it mainly brings up the different rumors that were started about Palin and how they are  true or just a mistake. What shocked me most about Sarah Palin was that the other day our teacher had brought up how Palin was asked whether she would consider going to war with Russia, and she replied with an intimidating answer with "it's a possibility." This was a huge turn off/scare to me because my classmates including me all thought the same thing, which was "There going to crush us!!." And if 25 high school students are able to realize the situation, i'm sure the rest of America is smart enough to realize the same thought. So this article just made me think twice whether or not i should believe these rumors and these so called 'great things' she has done and supposedly will do for America.

I am most defiantly a little sketched out about this so called great Sarah Palin!

The Declaration Of Independence

US asks Congress $250 mn for Pak F-16s, Times of India



Overall it amazed me how much the congress has control as well as the president, but if i had to pick one I would say the most significant passage from the Declaration Of Independence to me was the fact that the congress can declare war at anytime and the right to make laws. I chose this article because it talks about how the Bush Administration had urged the US Congress wants to send over $250 million dollars worth of F-16's Fighter jets over to Pakistan.

American Icon Project

America's Most Beloved Icons & Slogans Vie for Top Honors

I think this project was the most interesting and important because it resembles a great amount of different American Icons and to Heroes to the different students. Most of these icons had made difference in the world and i think thats the most important thing growing up throughout our high school years.

Throughout this project not only did I learn more about my icon, but as well as other students icons.

I chose this article because it just talks about american heroes in general, and a walk they had done in the memory of all the american icons and our heroes. I thought it was just really cool because it shows how much we as Americans really know how to show how much we care.

Ferderalst vs. Anti-Federalist

Paul: Not ready to endorse McCain, likes Obama's foreign policy


Ron Paul a previous anti federalist candidate supports our current president candidate Barack Obama because of his positions on foreign policies.. Ron Paul as well as Obama both believe that the government have to much power over the people. The general Anti Federalist believes that there is too much government in our daily lives and that the people can make their own choices on their own.
Federalist however believe that without the government the world will basically turn to chaos and the people cannot make decisions and good choices without our government.

In my opinion i think that there should always be a government i just feel that it comes to a certain extent where the government should not take too much control. I do believe that people can make their own wise decisions, but with the government close yet not too close, things can stay in place without any conflicts.

John McCain and his secretive plot to ‘kill the UN’

John McCain and his secretive plot to ‘kill the UN’

This article is about John McCain and the speech he had made and how we apparently doesn't know much about foreign affairs. What struck me most was that in the article i don't recall seeing the name of the writer or even the location John McCain had made this speech.

This relates to enlightenment because these elections have everything to do with the American culture and the government. As we had talked about Thomas Hobbes and John Locke in class it brought to my attention how similar it is to today. John Locke had believed that the world would basically go to chaos if there was no government, which in this case i find to be true. Thomas hobbes on the other and believe that people use personal power to protect their rights.

In the second paragraph very first sentence the writer claimed that John McCain had said

"There is no such thing as the United Nations".

So when the writer puts out John McCain and his secretive plot to ‘kill the UN' as the title he clearly means that

John McCain and has strong differences and opinions with the UN.

Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness

Palin's maverick trail goes from city hall to gov's mansion

In this article Sarah Palin (John McCain's vice president) talks about how happy and please the people of America will be if John McCain as well as herself is elected. Fred Thompson had quoted "I think people are going to be pleasantly surprised". She really effects our economy because she tells us how there will be such great changes when John McCain is elected. Even though she has a good background of being governor of alaska and important people have quoted and said good things about her such as Fred Thompson who said "This is an articulate woman who knows what she's talking about." She relates to Life, Liberty and the pursuit of happiness because if elected John's VP, America is depending on her to change things and make a better Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.