Wednesday, May 9, 2007
My Life In The Lum Hawaiiana Room
In an effort to find out all the history I possibly can on the trail I will be cleaning up, I have found myself sitting for multiple hours, and throughout all of our in class work days in the Lum Hawaiianna Room in Cooke Library. It really is an amazing source and the people that work in there (mainly the one specialist and sometimes student workers) have been extremely helpful. That is not to say however, by any means, that finding information on the Waimano/Manana areas has been easy. I had no idea how tedious the process of finding a seemingly simple legend could be. First the book for authentic place names, then the index book of place names, then the index book of the place names legends, then the books that the previous index book referred you to, and then if you're lucky, they will have the book in stock, and if you're even luckier, that book will have the information your looking for. It's an extremely good feeling after an hour of looking through shelves of books, (most of which were printed in the 70's) and mountains of indexes, to find what your looking for. An immense quality sense of accomplishment from an immense quality of time searching.
Screw = Sierra Club Response
Since I am no expert in trail maintenance, I tried to call (and relied on a response from) one of the members of the Sierra Club that was leading a hike on the same trail that I will be cleaning up, in order to get some feedback on things that the trial needs, ie. trash pickup, trail markers etc. However now I am stuck, and as Robert Prisig would point out, am living quality. The process of my own thinking, my own judgement and creative ideas on what I think the trail needs, based off of almost no prerequisite knowledge or feedback, is quality in itself. Another thing quality about my un-returned phone calls, is the time my mind has been spending thinking outside of the box, quality time for it to develop as it delves into the depths of environmental conservation.
Monday, April 23, 2007
Quitessencial Engagement Ring
What could possibly say I love you any better than the diamond ring of her dreams? And better still, wrapped in the glowing electric blue box and white ribbon we all know and love, that of Tiffany and Company, and the quintessencial engagement ring. For anyone looking to pledge their life and devotion to the woman of their dreams, the Tiffany Setting engagement ring, is the perfect ring to ensure you that "yes", for no woman on earth can resist such a stone. Its round cut and classic platinum band is classy, down to earth, but will undoubtably catch the eye of other jealous mothers at soon to be PTA meetings. And rest assured that with Tiffany & Co. quality and prestige your diamond will never waver, from its setting, nor her finger.
Exodus Literature Circle Work
For this chapter of the book, and for out literature circle group, I was designated lexicographer. So here are some words from Exodus that we had trouble with
Unequivocal-leaving no doubt "It's had to believe any water on earth could be so unequivocal." (390)
Gnashed-to strike or grind " A day ago we;d have given up our teeth for a good rain, and now we gnashed them in frustration over the deluge." (389)
Deluge-an overflowing of the land by water "A day ago we'd have given up our teeth for a good rain, and now we gnashed them in frustration over the deluge." (389)
Fledge-to rear until ready for flight or independent activity "On the day a committee of men decided to murder the fledging Congo, what do you suppose Mama Mwanza was doing?" (383)
Entreat-to make an earnest request "Each child has its own entreaties to body and soul." (381)
Precocity- exceptionally early in development or occurrence "You examine ever turn of flesh for precocity, and crow it to the world." (381)
Unequivocal-leaving no doubt "It's had to believe any water on earth could be so unequivocal." (390)
Gnashed-to strike or grind " A day ago we;d have given up our teeth for a good rain, and now we gnashed them in frustration over the deluge." (389)
Deluge-an overflowing of the land by water "A day ago we'd have given up our teeth for a good rain, and now we gnashed them in frustration over the deluge." (389)
Fledge-to rear until ready for flight or independent activity "On the day a committee of men decided to murder the fledging Congo, what do you suppose Mama Mwanza was doing?" (383)
Entreat-to make an earnest request "Each child has its own entreaties to body and soul." (381)
Precocity- exceptionally early in development or occurrence "You examine ever turn of flesh for precocity, and crow it to the world." (381)
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Emily Dickinson, The Belle of Amherst.
Since my last posts have been a lot about Adah and her love of Emily Dickonson, I thought it would be suiting as a commonplace post to do a little research on the acclaimed poet. In doing so iv'e also swiftly developed an admiration for her work.
Emily Dickinson was born on December 10, 1830 and died at age 55 on May 15,1886. While living, most of Emily's work had never been looked at, let alone published and her fame came mostly after her death. She has come to be regarded as one of the most influencial poets of the 19th century. Her sister Lavinia Dickinson was the one who encouraged the editing and publishment of her sisters writing, though most of it wasnt touched untill they were found after she had passed. Some of her most words include, "It is better to be the hammer than the anvil," and "Hope is the thing with feathers." A couple of her most famous poems are "Because I Could Not Stop For Death," and "I Cannot Live With You."
Emily Dickinson was born on December 10, 1830 and died at age 55 on May 15,1886. While living, most of Emily's work had never been looked at, let alone published and her fame came mostly after her death. She has come to be regarded as one of the most influencial poets of the 19th century. Her sister Lavinia Dickinson was the one who encouraged the editing and publishment of her sisters writing, though most of it wasnt touched untill they were found after she had passed. Some of her most words include, "It is better to be the hammer than the anvil," and "Hope is the thing with feathers." A couple of her most famous poems are "Because I Could Not Stop For Death," and "I Cannot Live With You."
Adah Price-Dickinson
Emily Dickinson: Because I could not stop for death
Becuase I could not stop for Death-
He kindly stopped for me-
The Carriage held but just Ourselves-
And Immortality.
We slowly drove-He knew no haste
And I had put away
My labor and my leisure too
For His Civility-
We passed the School, where Children strove
At Recess-in the Ring-
We passed the Fields of Gazing Grain-
We passed the Setting Sun-
Or rather-He passed Us-
The Dews drew quivering and chill-
For only Gossamer, my Gown-
My Tippet-only Tulle-
We paused before a House that seemed
A Swelling of the Ground-
The Roof was scarcely visible-
The Cornice-in the Ground-
Since then-'tis Centuries-and yet
Feels shorter than the Day
I first surmised the Horses' Heads
Were toward Eternity-
My job in our literature circle was to analyze some of the character's reactions to Ruth May's death. My favortie one though was that of Adah. She opens her response by quoting her favortie poet, Emily Dickonson, "Beacuse I could not stop for death-He kindly stopped for me." At first after reading Dickonsons poem, I thought it was the recirpocal of events that had been happening in the book. Now I see however that this opening line in particular expresses the surprise and abrubt halt of Ruth May's life. The rest of the poem goes on to say how the carriage led by death himself passed through differenct terms of life. Ruth May seemed to be the only character in the story unwilling to give up the ghost, to succumb to the dread of the Congo, that leads the rest of her family towards the end (death) as they complain about their non existent fellowship, frizzy hair, and lack of food. Ruth May embaraces the culture, the people, and she is the one that doesnt stop for death, so he kindly stops for her.
Becuase I could not stop for Death-
He kindly stopped for me-
The Carriage held but just Ourselves-
And Immortality.
We slowly drove-He knew no haste
And I had put away
My labor and my leisure too
For His Civility-
We passed the School, where Children strove
At Recess-in the Ring-
We passed the Fields of Gazing Grain-
We passed the Setting Sun-
Or rather-He passed Us-
The Dews drew quivering and chill-
For only Gossamer, my Gown-
My Tippet-only Tulle-
We paused before a House that seemed
A Swelling of the Ground-
The Roof was scarcely visible-
The Cornice-in the Ground-
Since then-'tis Centuries-and yet
Feels shorter than the Day
I first surmised the Horses' Heads
Were toward Eternity-
My job in our literature circle was to analyze some of the character's reactions to Ruth May's death. My favortie one though was that of Adah. She opens her response by quoting her favortie poet, Emily Dickonson, "Beacuse I could not stop for death-He kindly stopped for me." At first after reading Dickonsons poem, I thought it was the recirpocal of events that had been happening in the book. Now I see however that this opening line in particular expresses the surprise and abrubt halt of Ruth May's life. The rest of the poem goes on to say how the carriage led by death himself passed through differenct terms of life. Ruth May seemed to be the only character in the story unwilling to give up the ghost, to succumb to the dread of the Congo, that leads the rest of her family towards the end (death) as they complain about their non existent fellowship, frizzy hair, and lack of food. Ruth May embaraces the culture, the people, and she is the one that doesnt stop for death, so he kindly stops for her.
Selected Paragraph
This is Adah speaking on page 365 in response to Ruth May's death.
"I was not present at Ruth May's birth but i have seen it now, because I saw each step of it played out in reverse at the end of her life. The clsoing parenthesis, at the end of the paindrome that was Ruth May. Her final gulp of air as hungry as a baby;s first breath. That last howling scream, exactly life the first, and then at the end a fixed, steadfast moving backward out of this world. After this howl, wide-eyed silence without breath. Her bluish face creased with a pressure closing in, the neeeear proximity of the other-tan-;ofe that crowds down around the edges of living. Her eyes closed up tightly, and her swollen liped clamped shut. Her spine curved, and her limbs drew in more and more tightly until she seemed impossibly small. While we watched without comprehension, she moved away to where none of us wanted to follow. Ruth May shrank back through the narrow passage between this brief fabric of light and all the rest of what there is for us: the long waiting. Now she will wait the rest of the time. It will be exactly as long as the time that passed before she was born."
Besdies being incredibly poetic and really just an amazing parallel to draw between the life of Ruth May and her love of palindromes, this passage of Adah's reaction to Ruth Mays "closing parenthesis" is very interesting. Her idea of after-life contradicts those of her fathers, the one he preaches of, and the one she had been taught (im sure.) This paragraph was preceeded by and again followed by the same sentence, "Beacuse I could not stop for death-He kindly stopped for me." A famous opening line of one of Emily Dickonsons poems. This line seems like a typicall one for Adah to say and its placement is as well, parenthesizing the paragrah describing the "palindrome that was Ruth May." This passage was written with some real witt, (snaps for kingsolver) and is definately my favorite in Bel and the Serpent, its the epitome of Adah's intelligence, if it has one at all.
"I was not present at Ruth May's birth but i have seen it now, because I saw each step of it played out in reverse at the end of her life. The clsoing parenthesis, at the end of the paindrome that was Ruth May. Her final gulp of air as hungry as a baby;s first breath. That last howling scream, exactly life the first, and then at the end a fixed, steadfast moving backward out of this world. After this howl, wide-eyed silence without breath. Her bluish face creased with a pressure closing in, the neeeear proximity of the other-tan-;ofe that crowds down around the edges of living. Her eyes closed up tightly, and her swollen liped clamped shut. Her spine curved, and her limbs drew in more and more tightly until she seemed impossibly small. While we watched without comprehension, she moved away to where none of us wanted to follow. Ruth May shrank back through the narrow passage between this brief fabric of light and all the rest of what there is for us: the long waiting. Now she will wait the rest of the time. It will be exactly as long as the time that passed before she was born."
Besdies being incredibly poetic and really just an amazing parallel to draw between the life of Ruth May and her love of palindromes, this passage of Adah's reaction to Ruth Mays "closing parenthesis" is very interesting. Her idea of after-life contradicts those of her fathers, the one he preaches of, and the one she had been taught (im sure.) This paragraph was preceeded by and again followed by the same sentence, "Beacuse I could not stop for death-He kindly stopped for me." A famous opening line of one of Emily Dickonsons poems. This line seems like a typicall one for Adah to say and its placement is as well, parenthesizing the paragrah describing the "palindrome that was Ruth May." This passage was written with some real witt, (snaps for kingsolver) and is definately my favorite in Bel and the Serpent, its the epitome of Adah's intelligence, if it has one at all.
Monday, April 2, 2007
Ethical Education (SAT Practice Essay #2)
When you ask any student, "Why do you go to school?", chances are they will respond with an unenthusiastic "to learn." Thus, questions begin to arise, what is knowledge? Is wisdom synonomous with knowledge? And as we are faced with this question today, "should schools help students understand moral choices and social issues?" I say, most definately.
Take for example, one yound pupil with perfect marks on the SAT, flying colors on report cards, and teacher comments to die for. The student however knows nothing about right verses wrong, ethical verses unethical, and is utterly oblivious to the challenges faced by our society, not to mention how to deal with them. A different student, sitting on the opposite side of the specturm does, lets say, less than "satisfactoy" on exams, is lazy as heck, and never does his homework. He is however an outstanding athlete, human rights activist, and accepts as well as embraces cultural diversity. I can guarentee that the second student would be more sucessfull out in the "real world", leading a much more prosperous, happy, and virtuous life than that of the straight A student with no street smarts.
There are simple, "cruise classes," as many students at my school call them, based off of decision making, discovering ethics (not necessarily choosing which ones to live by) and overcoming social problems that arise typically outside of the classrooms. These classes are fairly easy to conduct, not to discredit the professionals that teach them, and are often even led b the students themselves through what our teachers call, cofacilitation, a hightly effective method of learning. Simply providing an opportunity to discuss such issues amongs peers is growth in itself and can greatly improve necessary social tools that everyone should be equiped with.
On the other hand, schools definately do have the responsibility to prepare students for college and a technologically advanced and ever changing world. The No Child Left Behind program, requiring all students to meet designated ruberics, and pass nationally standardized tests, is an excellent idea and im sure that since its creation, test scores have increased and college enrollment percentages have been on the rise. There is no doubt that such academic skills are also required for success in todays society.
Our nations schools need to find an appropriate balance, or perhaps more realistically, a ratio, of teaching academic, by-the-book skills, as well as social skills and undetstanding, and ethical exploration. Both types of knowledge are what most post high school educators seek, simply because they are what it really takes to do well in life.
Take for example, one yound pupil with perfect marks on the SAT, flying colors on report cards, and teacher comments to die for. The student however knows nothing about right verses wrong, ethical verses unethical, and is utterly oblivious to the challenges faced by our society, not to mention how to deal with them. A different student, sitting on the opposite side of the specturm does, lets say, less than "satisfactoy" on exams, is lazy as heck, and never does his homework. He is however an outstanding athlete, human rights activist, and accepts as well as embraces cultural diversity. I can guarentee that the second student would be more sucessfull out in the "real world", leading a much more prosperous, happy, and virtuous life than that of the straight A student with no street smarts.
There are simple, "cruise classes," as many students at my school call them, based off of decision making, discovering ethics (not necessarily choosing which ones to live by) and overcoming social problems that arise typically outside of the classrooms. These classes are fairly easy to conduct, not to discredit the professionals that teach them, and are often even led b the students themselves through what our teachers call, cofacilitation, a hightly effective method of learning. Simply providing an opportunity to discuss such issues amongs peers is growth in itself and can greatly improve necessary social tools that everyone should be equiped with.
On the other hand, schools definately do have the responsibility to prepare students for college and a technologically advanced and ever changing world. The No Child Left Behind program, requiring all students to meet designated ruberics, and pass nationally standardized tests, is an excellent idea and im sure that since its creation, test scores have increased and college enrollment percentages have been on the rise. There is no doubt that such academic skills are also required for success in todays society.
Our nations schools need to find an appropriate balance, or perhaps more realistically, a ratio, of teaching academic, by-the-book skills, as well as social skills and undetstanding, and ethical exploration. Both types of knowledge are what most post high school educators seek, simply because they are what it really takes to do well in life.
Friday, March 16, 2007
Adah of BuffanBlu
Here they still look at me, the school of mostly Rachel's. It seems as though everyone has another one just like them, a twin. My twin isnt so similar, sucking the potential out of me while still in the womb. The cause of my hanicap, my "gift from god". I manage to limp behind but only due to my incapable left half. In my new academic life i am an Impala, like the ones we longed for in Africa rejoicing after a successfull hunt. I stride along in unison with the pack, once in a while i even leap ahead, gaining the edge I never will physically. They other students stare at me with the streak of competitiveness in their eyes. A 16th century proverb states that a persons eyes are the windows to their souls, if this is true, these souls are on fire. Fire, hire, higher, a dire need for knowledge and growth fuels the inferno of heated examinations. A heavy fog hangs in the air thick with persistent contest, I am glad because for once I can compete.
Monday, March 12, 2007
Nathan Price Needs A Slap
Our literature figure eight's goal was to focus on the characters over the next cycle, and I have found Nathan Price's stubbornness to be the most pressing issue.
He has one of the worst attitudes so far, and is outright rude towards the Congolese people and their culture. Immediately upon his arrival in Kilanga he ridicules and publicly humiliates one specific (but probably many others)woman and her clothing choices, or lack there of. He constantly tries to push his beliefs into everyone Else's lives and when the locals try to help him avoid mistakes, ie. Mama Tataba's gardening methods, he flat out rejects their advice. He is proven to be wrong on many occasions and he still remains unwavered in his ways. I've read pretty far into the book and he's still the same after a whole year of failure due to his tightly closed mind, and I cant even begin to guess what it will take for him to change, if he does so at all (which i don't think he does). Nathan does have good intentions, we know this, he is just so stuck in his ways that he is blinded to the idea of collaboration with his environment and this new culture he's been plopped into, which would be much more beneficial for everyone.
I googled the name Nathan Price and this was the first image that came up. It has absolutely nothing to do with PWB, i just thought it was funny.
Wednesday, March 7, 2007
Words for The Lexicon
Here are some words from Genesis so far that our group found challenging throughout our reading.
cockade-"The Reverend towered over the rickety altar, his fiery crew cut bristling like a woodpecker's cockade." (p69): an ornament (as a rosette) usually worn on a hat as a badge
Stipend-"Our Father is a renegade who came without the entire blessing for the Mission League, and bullied or finagled his way into this lesser stipend." (p69): a fixed sum of money paid periodically for services or to defray expenses
Dirge- "We finished off Susanna by singing "Amazing Grace" at the speed of a dirge." (p72): a song or hymn of grief or lamentation; especially : one intended to accompany funeral or memorial rites
Socratic-"One of his socratic moves" (p73): of or relating to Socrates, his followers, or his philosophical method of systematic doubt and questioning of another to elicit a clear expression of a truth supposed to be implicitly known by all rational beings
Bovine- "...it was designed to show us all up as dull-witted, bovine females." (p73):having qualities (as placidity or dullness) characteristic of oxen or cows
Prattling-" He Made a habit of prattling at the top of his lungs through Sunday dinners at our house." (p74) : to utter or make meaningless sounds suggestive of the chatter of children
Interstitial- "intestines small and large, the skin, the bladder, the male and female reproductive tracts, interstitial fluids, even the cornea." (p76): situated within but not restricted to or characteristic of a particular organ or tissue — used especially of fibrous tissue
Specter- "His eyes in their bluging sockets ticked up and down, trying to understand the specter of this huge white man." (p81) : something that haunts or perturbs the mind
Definitions from www.merriamwebster.com
cockade-"The Reverend towered over the rickety altar, his fiery crew cut bristling like a woodpecker's cockade." (p69): an ornament (as a rosette) usually worn on a hat as a badge
Stipend-"Our Father is a renegade who came without the entire blessing for the Mission League, and bullied or finagled his way into this lesser stipend." (p69): a fixed sum of money paid periodically for services or to defray expenses
Dirge- "We finished off Susanna by singing "Amazing Grace" at the speed of a dirge." (p72): a song or hymn of grief or lamentation; especially : one intended to accompany funeral or memorial rites
Socratic-"One of his socratic moves" (p73): of or relating to Socrates, his followers, or his philosophical method of systematic doubt and questioning of another to elicit a clear expression of a truth supposed to be implicitly known by all rational beings
Bovine- "...it was designed to show us all up as dull-witted, bovine females." (p73):having qualities (as placidity or dullness) characteristic of oxen or cows
Prattling-" He Made a habit of prattling at the top of his lungs through Sunday dinners at our house." (p74) : to utter or make meaningless sounds suggestive of the chatter of children
Interstitial- "intestines small and large, the skin, the bladder, the male and female reproductive tracts, interstitial fluids, even the cornea." (p76): situated within but not restricted to or characteristic of a particular organ or tissue — used especially of fibrous tissue
Specter- "His eyes in their bluging sockets ticked up and down, trying to understand the specter of this huge white man." (p81) : something that haunts or perturbs the mind
Definitions from www.merriamwebster.com
Thursday, March 1, 2007
Christian World News
This is a video i found on YouTube. I thought it was extremely interesting to compare the tale of this christian family through their own words and experiences in The Poisonwood Bible with the real life happenings of these Christian organizations trying to make a difference in the Congo. It definately brings a whole new element of reality (and reassurence) to the reading experience of the book after being able to visualy see these improvements that are really happeneing.
Literature Figure Eights
I gotta say our literature figure eight group has seemed to start off slowly, probably becauses were all busy familiarising ourselves with the text, etc. My job in the group is to catch subtle hints that may lead into broader themes of the story, commanalities, things of that nature. So for the only thing that I personally ran across was the concept of being "left behind" during one of Adah's Narration on page 62 , "Last of all came Adah the monster, Quasimodo, dragging her right side behing her left in her body's permanent stepsong sing: left...behind, left....behind." I think each of the girls, with the exception of Ruth May perhaps, are experiencing some feeling of left behind. For Rachel, its missing out on the adolescence she feels necessary, for Leah it is in the constant struggle in satisfying her father, and for Adah it is often being physically left behind because of her Handicap. Also, the Congolese population seems to be left behind in comparison the rest of the world. (not so much in genesis but more so in further chapters)
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Kayne Colton Leah Cassidy
The biggest thing that i found interesting while reading these essays was that 3/4 share the same veiws with each other as well as mine, in that although the media does influence the decisions we make, it is not the deciding factor that determines our values but rather there are also other things like family, religon, etc. that help us determine what we value.
So as far as reading the essay goes, i can imagine that reading essay after essay with 75% of the same ideas must be pretty burtal. Maybe it was just conincidence that we all essentialy made the same points, but im getting the feeling that that's just kind of how it works. Therefore, reading all these essays really brought out the importance of a strong voice and origianality. Something that "pops" in your essay, dragging the grader out of the sleep-deprived slump state in which theyve been for hours on end.
Another thing that I found difficult to manage was my time. I felt exteremly rushed and uneasy about my points and I think that had i made a breif outline before essentially writing my essay, my mind would have been a lot more at ease, and I think once you get in the literary groove youre able to let it all flow out, using your outline as a guide.
What worked esspecially well were specific examples. I know in Cassidys she used personal experiences and feelings that stood out, Kayne used American Idol as well. Another thing was the sentence fluency and word choice in Coltons was impressive and I definately think that aspect of the essay could really be a deciding factor for the grade you recieve.
So as far as reading the essay goes, i can imagine that reading essay after essay with 75% of the same ideas must be pretty burtal. Maybe it was just conincidence that we all essentialy made the same points, but im getting the feeling that that's just kind of how it works. Therefore, reading all these essays really brought out the importance of a strong voice and origianality. Something that "pops" in your essay, dragging the grader out of the sleep-deprived slump state in which theyve been for hours on end.
Another thing that I found difficult to manage was my time. I felt exteremly rushed and uneasy about my points and I think that had i made a breif outline before essentially writing my essay, my mind would have been a lot more at ease, and I think once you get in the literary groove youre able to let it all flow out, using your outline as a guide.
What worked esspecially well were specific examples. I know in Cassidys she used personal experiences and feelings that stood out, Kayne used American Idol as well. Another thing was the sentence fluency and word choice in Coltons was impressive and I definately think that aspect of the essay could really be a deciding factor for the grade you recieve.
SAT Practice Essay Numero Uno
Turn on your regular cable TV set. What do you see? Chances are there will be one or more tall, thin, bright-eyed women accompanied by an even taller, more toned man. No matter what program you tune into, the cast is no doubt easy on the eyes. I realize there are exceptions however, but even a high percentage of those are stories or reality shows or contests based off of the desire for ideal beauty. The media constantly broadcasts the small percentage of the poplulation that look, act, and live a certain way. Rarely do they portray an average lifestyle. Making those of us out of the spotlight want to be more like those in it.
Take one of my personal favorite shows, Desperate Housewives, for example. The story is about five not-so-desperate bombshell housewives that all live on the same street full of lust, betrayl, mystery and romance. In two weeks of the show I remember seeing a proposal, two murders, one drug bust, and another hospitilization. Entertaining, but pretty unrealistic. The fact is, the greater majority of us dont live these outrageous, spontaneous, lavish lifestyles, and we all want what we cant have, its human nature.
There are however some of us that take the exact opposite veiw, those disgusted with the media and "ideal" beauty. Although much of our population, (in America anyway), thrive off of celebrity entertainment, trends, and tabloids, there are still those brave enogh to be origional, living up to their own standards, or the standards of thir family or religon. Those people take in what the media has to say and immediately spit it back out, realizing the rediculousness of it all.
I think the media does determine what is important to some people, and by doing so decides what is not important to others. There is no doubt that the media influences the choices we make everyday but we are still our own people and the standards to whice we live up to, wether it be the medias or not, will always be up to us.
Take one of my personal favorite shows, Desperate Housewives, for example. The story is about five not-so-desperate bombshell housewives that all live on the same street full of lust, betrayl, mystery and romance. In two weeks of the show I remember seeing a proposal, two murders, one drug bust, and another hospitilization. Entertaining, but pretty unrealistic. The fact is, the greater majority of us dont live these outrageous, spontaneous, lavish lifestyles, and we all want what we cant have, its human nature.
There are however some of us that take the exact opposite veiw, those disgusted with the media and "ideal" beauty. Although much of our population, (in America anyway), thrive off of celebrity entertainment, trends, and tabloids, there are still those brave enogh to be origional, living up to their own standards, or the standards of thir family or religon. Those people take in what the media has to say and immediately spit it back out, realizing the rediculousness of it all.
I think the media does determine what is important to some people, and by doing so decides what is not important to others. There is no doubt that the media influences the choices we make everyday but we are still our own people and the standards to whice we live up to, wether it be the medias or not, will always be up to us.
Electric Blue
Looking down on this small square room there lies a girl. Everything motionless but her big brown eyes. Ten little lanterns scattered atop a desk light up the room a with a rosy glow. A closet with mirrored doors reflect nothing, it seems. The room seems bland, all but its walls, and the girls thoughts. Usually there also lies a pile of clothes, sometimes in a plain white laundry basket, organized, but most likely thrown on the floor messily. Unfinished geometry homework left open on the desk and tomorrow's outfit thrown across her bureau. It appears to be a typical room, typical furniture, typical everything. The girl seems to reminisce over the days happenings, or tomorrows. Often times her mind floats into a fantasy, a crazy dream,or an outrageous endeavor. You wouldn't guess that though,what with everything so boring in her room. Except for her electric blue walls, which seem to reflect what her mirrored doors fail to, her dreams.
(that was supposed to be the description of a place you know from an outsiders veiw, like the beginning of poisonwood but im not sure if i hit the target on this one?)
(that was supposed to be the description of a place you know from an outsiders veiw, like the beginning of poisonwood but im not sure if i hit the target on this one?)
Monday, February 26, 2007
Mr.Burrell's Frightening Video
I wasnt sure on the procedure for commenting on our collaborators webesites, spefically Mr.Burrells class mostly because they use learner blogs, not blog spot. I did however check out their site and if i could comment on the video "Did You Know?" it would go a little something like this:
Although i found the video intriguing, entertaining, and was amazed by the bluntly presented statistics, i found the video to be overwhelming, and overdramatised. They combined frightening numbers with even more frightening sound effects to scare the veiwers into...well i dont even really know what the goal of the video was. What the producers of this presentation neglected to explain was the basis of human growth, and were humans, not computers. They compare past present and future numbers showing the growth of technology, population and overall modern-ness yet throughout the centuries humans have always and will always be the same. What we value will never change no matter how much computers do. Family, love, mystery, romance, remorse, all these things have remained the same throughout the course of histroy and no matter the changes that took place in technology and modernization these aspects of life are what drives us to be who we are. The idea that a super-computer that "exceeds the computation abilities of the human brain" may seem scary to some, but basically all that means is that they can crunch numbers together better than we can, and we already have that, its called a calculator. The fact is computers will never be able to have feelings, and will never replace the human race, so comparing the two is just a little rediculous.
Although i found the video intriguing, entertaining, and was amazed by the bluntly presented statistics, i found the video to be overwhelming, and overdramatised. They combined frightening numbers with even more frightening sound effects to scare the veiwers into...well i dont even really know what the goal of the video was. What the producers of this presentation neglected to explain was the basis of human growth, and were humans, not computers. They compare past present and future numbers showing the growth of technology, population and overall modern-ness yet throughout the centuries humans have always and will always be the same. What we value will never change no matter how much computers do. Family, love, mystery, romance, remorse, all these things have remained the same throughout the course of histroy and no matter the changes that took place in technology and modernization these aspects of life are what drives us to be who we are. The idea that a super-computer that "exceeds the computation abilities of the human brain" may seem scary to some, but basically all that means is that they can crunch numbers together better than we can, and we already have that, its called a calculator. The fact is computers will never be able to have feelings, and will never replace the human race, so comparing the two is just a little rediculous.
Essential Questions Update
So far, most of my posts have been exploring the question of what is my role or responsibility as a student/citizen/future leader of our society? We've (and i guess by we i really mean my blog and I) talked about things like giving to the needy, how everyones role is necessary in the world, and things that determine our values/what our values are. So the status of my essential questions is as follows:
-What is important to me?
-What is my responsiblity as a student/citizen/future leader to our society?
-What can i do to ensure that which is important to me is the guiding factor of my life? ....or something to that effect.
-What is important to me?
-What is my responsiblity as a student/citizen/future leader to our society?
-What can i do to ensure that which is important to me is the guiding factor of my life? ....or something to that effect.
Net Neutrality
The video Humanity Labotomy on our class website on Net Neutrality has actually tied in nicely with our SAT practice essay where we were asked if it is the media that determines what we value? and also Mr. Watsons insight on accessibility. By essentialy privitizing the internet we allow telephone compainies like at&t to monopolize everything the internet provides us with today, news, creativity, etertainment, everything. They decide what goes on the internet, what we hear, and what we know. It would allow these corporations to angle stories one way, leaving out essential elements of different issues that could change the way we veiw them. If people think the media controls what we value today, imagine the influence of it if they control the internet. Everything we know would be fed to us, sort of like a telephone company communist cult, for lack of a better word. In order for things to run smoothly there is an esscence of balance that needs to be there. A yin- and yang, negative and positive, beautiful and ugly, what we like to hear verses what we need to hear, and somehow i cant see major corporations displaying the "ugly" problems that society faces and must resolve if they have the option to leave everyone (including themselves) in blissfull ignorance veiwing everything through rose colored lenses. Letting go of net neutrality would be like kissing opinion goodbye.
Saturday, February 24, 2007
Experience Is The Best Teacher
The podcast that I chose to listen to was one by Jimmy Dale Gilmore, a more or less country singer/songwriter, entitled "All the Joy The World Contains." (this is the url -> http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4538138" ) In his podcast he explained how through much of his life he went around basically feeling sorry for himself and feeling like the state of the world was to blame for his rough life. It was'nt until he hit the lowest of all the low points in his life where he was faced with two options: change, or death, that "my own gratification as the guiding principle" of his life was what was keeping him stuck in this cycle of sex, alcohol, and depression. He says "It came as a great shock to discover that my problem wa not a product of the worlds condition but that of my own self-centeredness" and that "genuine concern for the welfare of others is the gateway to the only real satisfaction for myself." I found his success story inspiring and most of all reassuring that even in todays dog eat dog world, there are people like Jimmy Dale Gilmore who can put the well being of others before their own. He ended with a Native American proverb " all the joy the world contains has come through wishing happiness for others. All the misery the world contains has come through wanting pleasure for oneself."
Friday, February 9, 2007
Stuck For Life
So heres a draft for my this I believe podcast-
I believe in fathers. I believe in mothers. I believe in brothers, sisters, aunties, uncles, and cousins. I believe in grandparents, in-laws, nieces, and nephews. I believe in family.
Throughout your life, you are constantly connected to your family. When you are born you are the son or daughter of so-and-so. When you’re sick in the hospital they are the first to get called. When you get in trouble at school, your parents are brought in. When you file for taxes, you count your number of dependents. When you die, your obituary lists surviving family members. Your family is your emergency contact, your security blanket, your bail, and your sure shoulder to cry on, all in one. No matter what you do in life, how much money you make, the trouble you get into, or the bets you loose, you are never without family. Like it or not, you always have them, forever.
Think of a time or situation where you have been in some kind of turmoil. I remember a specific time in my own life when I was in the first grade where my family played the leading role in my emotions. It was time for recess and all the kids were lead outside onto the playground for about 20 minutes. However I decided, for reasons I cant recall, that I wanted to go watch the fifth and sixth grade choir practice. So, while the rest of the class ran around outside I snuck upstairs and hid around a corner to watch the chorus, cool huh? When it was time to go back to class I raced back to the playground so my teacher wouldn’t know where I had been. We got back to class and my teacher, Mrs. Hoe, told everyone to get out our books for silent reading, I thought I was in the clear. She then called me over to her desk and proceeded to interrogate me on my recent whereabouts. It must have been extremely hard for her to realize exactly what I had done through my tangled sentences of rebelliousness muffled by my interminable sobbing. I remembering begging her with tears rolling down my face crying, “Just please don’t tell my dad! He’ll be so mad!” The fact was that I really wasn’t upset because I had skipped recess, more so that I would be disappointing my father.
Even at the young age of 6 years old, I knew how important it was for my dad to be proud of me. Disappointing him was worthy of being sentenced to a life of endless time out, which at that age is really the worst thing in the world. We all have this universal pride in our families, and weather we realize it or not, we all do our best not to let them down. And for good reason too. In my opinion, your family deserves your best effort, because especially in this day and age your family is really all you can be sure of. Weather you like it or not, you’re stuck for life.
any suggestions?
I believe in fathers. I believe in mothers. I believe in brothers, sisters, aunties, uncles, and cousins. I believe in grandparents, in-laws, nieces, and nephews. I believe in family.
Throughout your life, you are constantly connected to your family. When you are born you are the son or daughter of so-and-so. When you’re sick in the hospital they are the first to get called. When you get in trouble at school, your parents are brought in. When you file for taxes, you count your number of dependents. When you die, your obituary lists surviving family members. Your family is your emergency contact, your security blanket, your bail, and your sure shoulder to cry on, all in one. No matter what you do in life, how much money you make, the trouble you get into, or the bets you loose, you are never without family. Like it or not, you always have them, forever.
Think of a time or situation where you have been in some kind of turmoil. I remember a specific time in my own life when I was in the first grade where my family played the leading role in my emotions. It was time for recess and all the kids were lead outside onto the playground for about 20 minutes. However I decided, for reasons I cant recall, that I wanted to go watch the fifth and sixth grade choir practice. So, while the rest of the class ran around outside I snuck upstairs and hid around a corner to watch the chorus, cool huh? When it was time to go back to class I raced back to the playground so my teacher wouldn’t know where I had been. We got back to class and my teacher, Mrs. Hoe, told everyone to get out our books for silent reading, I thought I was in the clear. She then called me over to her desk and proceeded to interrogate me on my recent whereabouts. It must have been extremely hard for her to realize exactly what I had done through my tangled sentences of rebelliousness muffled by my interminable sobbing. I remembering begging her with tears rolling down my face crying, “Just please don’t tell my dad! He’ll be so mad!” The fact was that I really wasn’t upset because I had skipped recess, more so that I would be disappointing my father.
Even at the young age of 6 years old, I knew how important it was for my dad to be proud of me. Disappointing him was worthy of being sentenced to a life of endless time out, which at that age is really the worst thing in the world. We all have this universal pride in our families, and weather we realize it or not, we all do our best not to let them down. And for good reason too. In my opinion, your family deserves your best effort, because especially in this day and age your family is really all you can be sure of. Weather you like it or not, you’re stuck for life.
any suggestions?
Tuesday, February 6, 2007
Toga Times Our Big Fat Greek Carnival
After leaving carnival on saturday night, I thought about the different shifts I had worked, and about the work that everyone else puts into the carnival as well. I began to see the carnival as a scaled down example of the way our society works. Determining your role in the execution of the carnival every year is a lot like answering the question of what is your role in society? Weather you were shuttling malasada batter around with food service, painting unicorns on little girls faces, serving up hawaiian plates, or co-chairing the entire carnival, your job is just as crucial as the next persons. During carnival, we rely on everyone to do their part and if someone doesnt, the entire carnival suffers, much like in the real world outside of carnival. In our world we all do our part in holding society together. We may not realize it but without even the seemingly smallest role that we rely on, our daily routine is stunted, no longer running as smoothly as we hope for. The only contradiction in my genius metaphor is the way in which we find our responsibilities. For carnival, we are assigned our roles and the shifts we needs to work in order for everything to fun flawlessly. In the real world however, there is no student worker committee telling us where to be, what to do, and when to do it. We are essentialy our own boss, and we decide what our role in society will be. What we do know however, is that whatever we choose to do, the carnival of life relies on us.
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
H2O Buffalo
The video documenting the giving of a water buffalo to a Chinese family desperately in need was truly eye openeing on many levels. For one thing, the narrator described the cost of the water buffalo and the money that one of the family members owed the bank by comparing it to 200 american dollars. For us, 200 dollars is a pair of fancy jeans or a new mini ipod, but to thousands of povershed farmers in China, it could be the deciding factor over the survival of their family.
To hear the different generations of the family, especially the great grandmother and grandmother, describe how this was the greatest gift they had ever recieved in their lives really makes you appreciate everything that is given to you. Its hard to even think about asking your parents for that hip new accessory while that same luxury could be the best thing that has ever happened to one of these families. I really found this video inspiring and think that the project and should be repeated and imitated as much as possible.
Monday, January 22, 2007
Demon Essay
First of all, after reading this article ive decided that the title, The Singer Solution of World Poverty, is exremely inaccurate and misleading. Although I thought that the author of the article, Peter Singer, was extremely smart and insightful, he hardly provided a solution to world poverty but rather a great insight, a connection to our own lives, and a guilt trip that could last for weeks.
Nevertheless, I really enjoyed the article (despite the title) and agree with what I believe to be Peter Singers perspective. He tires to draw parallels from characters of varius stories like Bob and Dora to our own decisions in life. He describes the idea that Bob's decision to not save the childs life is much like the harsh reality that many capable americans that can afford to, arent doing what they could easily do to save the lives of children in need. The difference between many capable Americans and the situation that the characters Bob and Dora are placed in is that in those stories, the characters are face to face, up close and personal with the childs life at risk, and they make a direct decision that determines the childs fate. Amercians however, dont see these starving, povershed children, which dont really pose a threat to our daily lives. Ignoring this problem however, is just as bad as Bobs decision to ignore the boy about to be killed by an oncoming train. I, much like the author, think that more Americans need to realize that we, and when i say we I mean earths entire population, are essentially all the same and we need to do everything in our power to help those in need.
Singer writes, "Suppose that there were more owners of priceless vintage cars-Carol, Dave, Emma, Fread and so on, down to Ziggy-all in exactly the same situation as Bob, with their own siding and their own switch, all sacrificing the child in order to preserve their own cherished car. Would that make it all right for Bob to do the same? To answer this question affirmatively is to enfore folow-the-crowd-ethics - the kind of ethics that led many Germans to look away when the Nazi atrocities were being committed. We do not excuse them beacause others were behaving no better."
I believe that going against the grain, and doing whats right when everyone else is to afraid to in those situations is the exact definition of nobility and those that commit these rightful acts are trurly noble. America needs more people like this.
Nevertheless, I really enjoyed the article (despite the title) and agree with what I believe to be Peter Singers perspective. He tires to draw parallels from characters of varius stories like Bob and Dora to our own decisions in life. He describes the idea that Bob's decision to not save the childs life is much like the harsh reality that many capable americans that can afford to, arent doing what they could easily do to save the lives of children in need. The difference between many capable Americans and the situation that the characters Bob and Dora are placed in is that in those stories, the characters are face to face, up close and personal with the childs life at risk, and they make a direct decision that determines the childs fate. Amercians however, dont see these starving, povershed children, which dont really pose a threat to our daily lives. Ignoring this problem however, is just as bad as Bobs decision to ignore the boy about to be killed by an oncoming train. I, much like the author, think that more Americans need to realize that we, and when i say we I mean earths entire population, are essentially all the same and we need to do everything in our power to help those in need.
Singer writes, "Suppose that there were more owners of priceless vintage cars-Carol, Dave, Emma, Fread and so on, down to Ziggy-all in exactly the same situation as Bob, with their own siding and their own switch, all sacrificing the child in order to preserve their own cherished car. Would that make it all right for Bob to do the same? To answer this question affirmatively is to enfore folow-the-crowd-ethics - the kind of ethics that led many Germans to look away when the Nazi atrocities were being committed. We do not excuse them beacause others were behaving no better."
I believe that going against the grain, and doing whats right when everyone else is to afraid to in those situations is the exact definition of nobility and those that commit these rightful acts are trurly noble. America needs more people like this.
Thursday, January 18, 2007
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