Blog #9 Civil War.... Today?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0eKDsTWPv0
(This video is a lecture by a Yale University Professor, Professor Blight)

I chose this example of the effects that the Civil War portrayed in society because this discussion gives us a look at how the civil war effected society. The Civl War was a dark time in America, and it is a war that had massive social effects. The ideologies that comes from the civil war has been created because of demographic changes. As said in the lecture, 'Woman History began here', seeing that a portion of the male population was cut in half, women were widowed, families changed, and the way society works is changed. The 'brother vs. brother', 'human vs. human' theme in the civil war greatly changed how man began to see themselves. Sure, when you have a common enemy, you tend to ignore the human portion of the enemy, but at the Civil War era, the nation was divided, and people could've known each other from a past time before the war, now being forced to kill each other. The idea of total war changed American society.

“What is tragedy in relation to war? How do we understand tragedy through this prism of the social  impact of war? I think you only ultimately really do understand it by leaving headquarters, by leaving the generals’ dispatches, by leaving even Abraham Lincoln’s magnificent prose and trying to see it through ordinary eyes, ordinary women, ordinary men.” –Professor Blight (In a lecture)

To be able to cut through pre-conceived ideas about the Civil War, and to see how the war truly effected society, a person needs only to look at how people in their own form expressed themselves. The World Wars are very similar to the American Civil War (in beginning the women's rights movement and human rights in general). With the World Wars effecting mainly a larger group of people (THE WHOLE WORLD), ideologies were developed that reflected people's reactions to wars. Post-Modernism and Modernism are examples of modern ideologies that have been created by wars, and the Civil War is a good precursor to this.  The lecture relates the Civil War description to many wars after it, and this relationship possibly started with a major Civil War in America, where people were equal and their was no real hatred against the enemy. This was unlike past wars where Nationalization separated people against each other, and even before then kings fought with each other, with no real regret.

Now in the present day, wars effect people when they see their opponents as humans too. Either that, or the trauma from deadly weaponry has a profound effect on people for the rest of their lives...

The "Real" Blog #8 The Constitution, The News & You

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/12/us/12babies.html?ref=constitutional_amendments

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/12/us/12babies.html?ref=constitutional_amendments

1. The article begins with some statistics about babies and how many babies turn out to be born from illegal immigrants. This opens then to the main point-- that there are studies on babies born as US citizens from illegal immigrants, and these studies put up argument against "Senator Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina, [who] said in July that he might offer an amendment to revoke birthright citizenship for the American-born children of illegal immigrants." Mr. Graham's ideals have been felt by some Americans, but most Americans do not want to have a new amendment that disrupts the 14th amendment. Statistics support this because "the Hispanic Center, found that 56 percent of those polled opposed changing the 14th Amendment, while 41 percent supported it." The Pew Research Center and the Hispanic Center have also stopped the argument that illegals come to America purposely to have baby by the fact that "More than 80 percent of mothers in the country illegally had been here for more than a year, the figures show, and more than half had been in the country for five years or more..." Even though "Mark Krikorian, executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies, a research group that advocates reduced immigration" opposes Pew's research, he still thinks that the 14th amendment should not be affected. He says, “'The point is to shrink the illegal population and prevent new illegals from coming in,'...'before it’s appropriate to have the constitutional debate.'”

2. If you haven't noticed already, the amendment in question is the 14th amendment, and this brings the concept of the constitution into play. The part of the 14th amendment directly addressed is:

"1. All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws."

Since the article discusses about babies born in the united states, this is the part of the 14th amendment that is being analyzed in the article.

3. this article directly relates to me because I will be using it for a mock trial coming up involving the Arizona immigrations laws and whether or not they directly violate the American spirit of immigrant History. This article will be a vital peace of information for the prosecuting side against Arizona's defense...

Blog #7 What stands out so far? (RE.)

The thing that stands out most in my learning is that my class has a good atmosphere; everyone is kind, and overall everyone welcomed me with their simplicity. There are diverse people in the class, and it creates a good social environment that leaves no room for factions or cliques. The class is small, and the teachers are understanding.

This class has a dynamic lesson structure, with one period usually different than the next, so that progress is continued and new things are learned.

To build upon success, I will work hard on my homework and try to understand my lessons entirely...

The steps that I can take to grasp the opportunities of learning in this class is that I can actively volunteer, pushing myself to be involved in the lessons, and, furthermore, I can help others learn the lesson, that way by repeating what I have learned, I can remember it better than when I first learned it.

My goals for the next few weeks in class are:
1. To finish my work on time
2. To be a good lawyer (for the mock trials)
3. To help sustain a good learning environment by respecting others and their learning values
4. Make new friends
5. Do my work with my best effort
6. Be creative and have an open mind when learning

TAP signing off....
(This blog is due Tuesday, 9/21/10, 11:59:59PM)

Blog #6 American Icons

Viral Warfare

By Tomas Pena

You have just been admitted to the hospital, sick with a massive fever and pain all over; you are infected with the Ebola Virus. There is no vaccine for Ebola, and the survival rate of Ebola is very slim; with a 90% mortality rate, almost all of the infected patients perish by massive hemoraging (a very painful internal bleeding out of every orifice of your body). Thanks to the “The Hot Zone”, by Richard Preston, I learned about the lethality of viruses. One of my thoughts after finishing the book was, “What would the world be like if we didn’t have people who risked their lives and rose above the occasion to fight these diseases?” I talked with my father about the book and how crazy viruses are, and since he is an anesthesiologist, he had learned about some deadly illnesses in his line of work. My father mentioned about the man who created the Polio vaccine—Jonas Salk. Around Jonas’ time, polio plagued America with the crippiling side effects that it inflicted, including paralysis and even death. Like Ebola now, Polio back then did not have a vaccine.

I read more on Jonas; he came from a Russian-Jewish immigrant family. His parents hoped the best for their children when they came to America. There are many professions out there, and Jonas could’ve easily chosen any career to pursue. Luckily, in the era where the polio virus was rampant, this man rose into the medical field. He worked hard in school, and began his career in medical research. Jonas later created the vaccine, the closest thing possible to a cure, for polio. The fact that this one person was able to create the vaccine for polio out of so many professionals and doctors doing the same research… is simply astonishing! Salk’s very own achievements fuel my dreams and imagination for the possibility of becoming a medical hero. People wonder when the cure for cancer will be discovered and who would be the person to discover the cure. What some people don’t know is that many developments lead to such an achievement. It just so happens that without everyone working together on medical research, many cures wouldn’t have been found. I have hopes of going into the medical field so that, like Jonas Salk, I might be able to help people around the world.

The idea that America has astonishing health care leaves many to take for granted what could happen if one of those special vaccines weren’t discovered. Has anyone ever thought about how many of us would be sick or dead from polio if Jonas Salk didn’t put in the effort to look for a vaccine? Most Americans hardly acknowledge the saving power of vaccines, and some downright deny the use of them, claiming that they cause problems and illnesses as much as the original diseases that they are supposed to prevent. People need to start accepting the fact that they play a part in their health. What will it take to realize the importance of vaccines? By the time you need a vaccination, it might be too late. 

Blog #5 Questions About Our Writing... (RESPONSE)

1. The aspect that has been most successful to me was finding my place in the continuum of icons and adding big ideas into the writing. This is because I already have a passionate opinion that I can convey to readers through this project.
2. All of the writing tips have been helpful (except for the 5th one, 'watch those adverbs', because I write in a certain way that doesn't contain as many repetitive adverbs). Of all of them, the ones most important of all are the 'make meaning early' and the 'concerts, not pancakes' rules. These two rules help establish a good, strong point in my paper.
3. The most challenging aspect of the Artist Statement is the unknown. What point should I get across? Should I use a different Intro? Would this writing convey my point to the ready? All these questions and more are daunting when I begin writing and editing my Artist Statement...
4. The writing tip that is the most difficult for me was the loop, because with the bigger picture in mind I had to change the wording in the Intro and Outro so that it made more sense to the reader.
5. Here is a segment that I am working on in my Artist Statement:

You have just been admitted to the hospital, sick with a massive fever and pain all over; you are infected with the Ebola Virus. The survival rate of Ebola is very slim; with a 90% mortality rate almost all of the patients perish by massive hemoraging (a very painful internal bleeding out of every orifice of your body). How would a student such as myself learn about this terrifying virus? I learned about the lethality of viruses by reading “The Hot Zone”, by Richard Preston. When I read the book, it gave me an intense chill, especially when one of the chapters entailed a group of Center for Disease Control (CDC) agents and their work to prevent an airborne Ebola virus from spreading into the general public. One of my thoughts after finishing the book was, “What would the world be like if we didn’t have people who risked their lives and rose above the occasion for the better good?” I talked with my father about the book and how crazy viruses are. Since he is an anesthesiologist, he had learned about some deadly diseases in his line of work.

-What do you think would be a good intro strategy for this paragraph if you yourself were writing about viruses? (it is my Intro)

-Based on you judgement, are there any problems that I have missed? Could these problems be fixed by the writing tips?

-What are the emotions and thoughts that hit you when you read this first paragraph?

(TAP signing out...)

(Due Tuesday, 9/14/10, 11:59:59PM)

Blog #4 Icons Loop

Intro:
If you were sick, wouldn’t you want a cure for that sickness? That question lies in the minds of many ill, some who have viral infections without vaccines. Viruses, for as long as I can remember, have plagued America. I used to hear about these diseases from many different outlets. One of those outlets is a book I once read on viruses; it is called “The Hot Zone” by Richard Preston. The book portrayed the deadly Ebola disease in Africa. The survival rate of Ebola is very slim; with a 90% mortality rate, almost nearly, if not all, of its patients perishing by massive hemoraging (a very painful internal bleeding). Whenever I read the book, it gave me an intense chill, especially when one of the chapters entailed a group of CDC (Center for Disease Control) agents and their work to prevent an airborne Ebola virus from spreading into the general public. One of my thoughts after finishing the book was, “What would the world be like if we didn’t have people who risked their lives and rose above the occasion for the better good?” I would later talk with my dad about the book and how crazy viruses were. Since he is an anesthesiologist, he had learned about some crazy diseases in his line of work.


Conclusion:
The idea that America has astonishing health care leaves many to take for granted what could happen if one of those special vaccines weren’t discovered. Has anyone ever thought about how many of us would be sick or dead from polio if Jonas Salk didn’t put in the effort to look for a vaccine? Most Americans hardly acknowledge the saving power of vaccines, and some downright deny the use of them, claiming that they cause problems and illness as much as the original diseases that they are supposed to prevent. People need to start accepting the fact that they play a part in their health. What will it take to realize the importance of vaccines? By the time you need a vaccination, it might be too late. 


1. I chose this intro and outro for my artist statement because it gives the reader something to think about. The beginning question asks about a situation in their health in relation to viruses, so it gives them something to think about. Also in in the intro, it gives shocking facts and is informative to the reader. The outro gives more of a speculation and discussion on some issues, like how vaccines are disregarded by some people. It then ends with open closing, hopefully leaving some readers pondering on the reading...
2. The opening and closing tie in my big ideas by bringing to the point my big ideas about viruses and America's involvement in health.
3. I hope that my reader considers his/her part in the reading relating to their ideas about viruses and vaccines. I also hope that my reader will gain more respect for today's healthcare and the people working for better health medicine. Lastly, I hope that the readers speculate how Jonas Salks involvement went towards discovering the polio vaccine and also how mine and other's ambitions of being successful can also effect the future of medicine and health in society.

Blog #3.5 - Project Picture Preview

Here is the my American Icons Portrait Rough Draft....
I had to be crafty since my computer didn't have photoshop. I will use photoshop at school to improve on my self-portrait. I will use my own cellular (as in cells) pictures, and I will also edit my portrait so that the square outlines that you see on the rough draft will not be so prominent in the final draft.
For now I used clip art and online pictures....I will use very few, if not none at all, of online pictures for the final.

 Bear with me, it is sort of.... BLEH

Blog #3 American Icons and Resources Response

Two Icons that relate to each other to my Icon are America's Medical Community (CDC) and Viruses. They both are related to each other because they both go through constant battles with each other, the Medical Community working to diminish disease, while the viruses cause major health issues. The Medical Community also has an affinity for success, seeing as that without disease, there is much more possibility for people to live and thrive in society. Viruses mainly strike fear and illness into the hearts of many. It takes many people to put an end to viruses and make the populace a better place to live in.

_______________________________________
RESOURCES:

1 The Hot Zone
2. 
Link to Summary: http://readatpaly.blogspot.com/2010/03/hot-zone-terrifying-true-story.html
3. This book is useful to me because I read it and it entails viruses and their symptoms.
________________________________________
1. Wikipedia article on Jonas Salk
2. 
Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonas_Salk
3. This article is useful because it details the attitude of America towards polio when the disease was rampant, and Jonas' background information.

TAP signing out
(This is Due on Tuesday, 9/7/10).
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