It Turns We Aren't the Only Ones...

I was browsing the web today and a certain news headline caught my eye. It wasn't a headline for the U.S. but for France. The article was "French Crowds March for Job Security, pay rises." I also watched the video newscast and realized that France witnessed a huge protest in Paris. It was so big that they are calling it a "Black Thursday." A lot of businesses refused to open and people closed off many parts of the city and people walked the streets chanting. Businesses that closed included bus stations, metro, airports, hospitals, schools, government offices, and post offices. Holy cow! It turns out the U.S. isn't the only country experiencing economic crisis. Many people were concerned about their job security, and the French government's response to their economic crisis. They see that the government is turning to banks to bail them out but not helping the average French citizen. This sounds awfully familar hmmm...I guess it just amazed me because I was so consumed by everyone talking about how bad our economic crisis here in the U.S. I didn't realize that it was a problem for places in Europe also. I was always under the impression that Europe was more organized and leveled out when it came to government and they always criticized our government.

Then I also thought for a moment...could you imagine if our country protested like they did? I'm not saying that we should, but more so that it's nice that we are handling our crisis in a more civilized way so far. But then again the news story said that the protest did send a jumpstart message to President Sarkozy and he plans to "get right on it." Was the protest neccessary for him to see the problems of his people? Not a good sign.

"Rainy Mountain" Assignment

I chose to answer questions one and five under "Rhetoric" on p. 818-819 for "The Way to Rainy Mountain."

Question 1: What is the method of development in the first paragraph? How does the introduction, with its focus on Rainy Mountain, serve as a vehicle for the central meanings in the essay?

The method of development in the first paragraph was to get you fixed on the setting Momaday was describing. Obviously if he was taking time to be so descriptive when talking about Rainy Mountain in the first paragraph you can tell it has great significance to him. The focus on Rainy Mountain in the first paragraph serves as a vehicle for the central meanings in the essay by letting you know there is significance to this place and you must keep reading to find out why. After reading you discover this is where his cultural heritage took place. His grandmother contributed to keeping the Kiowa tribe together (Momaday's ancestry). The location, his grandmother, and the Kiowa ancestry all come together and relate at Rainy Mountain.


Question 5: How do the land, the Kiowas, and Momaday's grandmother serve as reinforcing frames in the essay?

The land was home to the Kiowas, Momaday's grandmother was a Kiowa and as long as she was alive it seemed the tribe was still filled with life. It was unfortunate that she passed, but in reality she finally will become one with the land she originated from and respected so dearly. The author reinforces the idea that he regrets not carrying tradition like his grandmother did and set out on his own pilgrimage using his grandmother's life to help better understand his ancestry. I mean he knows his ancestry, but he wanted to search more in depth. He writes in a pattern that relates his grandmother, the Kiowa, and land all in the same essay.

Assigned Blog...History-Still Here? or Being Destroyed?

Writing an Argument: Argue for or against the proposition that the American system of values encourages people to despoil, destroy, or neglect historical sites and structures.


Imagine that it is 100 years from now.....you open an American history book and first half of the book are full of blank pages. What used to be the Ghettysburg battlefield resting place in Virginia is now a neighborhood full of houses. What used to be the Fort Macon battle fort is now non-existent due to expansion of the beach open to the public. Old museums across the country bulldozed and replaced with Wal-marts or restaurants. Obviously I am against the propostion that the American system of values encourages people to despoil, destroy, or neglect historical sites and structures. Someone who is for it might argue "Well most people don't even know this such and such place exists and it's old so there is no point in it still standing." I would simply reply with an answer like well you probably want to tear it down because you can't turn it into a mass money-maker tourist attraction to feed the greedy government. Most people have become blind to the true meaning of history. I know I may not be like most people, but I find most historical sites and structures to be fascinating and enlightening. They are reminders of how we became what we are today. They symbolize gread minds, sacrifices, victories, and maybe even defeat but still have value to our society.

Obama..."it's time for change"

So tomorrow is the Presidential Inauguration of Barack Obama. I don't really agree that it will be a day to remember...but more so a "presidential term" to remember. It won't be a memorable term because of Obama's racial status (which everyone seems to think that that is the only reason why he is making history) but because of the change we all hope he will bring to this country. I really hope everyone out there, whether you are republican, democrat, etc. can overlook the fact that he does not fit the stereotype of past presidents and support his idea for change. I mean the economic state we are in is terrible and I personally think that a little change might do some good. How else can we stop our country from slipping into another depression? How else can we make our country a better place to live? I know most people (especially older people) are afraid of change and don't adapt well to it but give it a chance. Give Obama a chance. It amazes me to hear some of the nasty things people say about him and they haven't given the man one day in office.

This is just my opinion so don't freak out and hate me for it. We all know how much better we feel about doing something if we have others that believe in us...all I'm asking is to return the favor and believe in change.

Obama Speech

A Little Trip Down Memory Lane...

So for some odd reason I was thinking today about what was the most shocking thing that happened in 2008. Other than the whole presidential blooblah one paticular thing popped in my head. But of course I can't just tell you because that wouldn't be fun. Instead I'm going to start from the beginning and explain the whole thing...just bare with me trust me it's interesting...

When I was in high school I always had this one paticular dude in like all of my classes. His name was Jerry Carter. He was quiet, shy and usually kept to himself. He was ironically in like all of my classes, even theater (of all classes). It wasn't until my sophomore year that I decided to get to know him and actually talk to him because he didn't seem to have many friends. He was harmless and actually pretty funny once I got to know him better. So from then on we took theater together and what not and were on a pretty good friend/aquaintance level up until we graduated. Well it just so happens that even after graduation I bump into this guy at the big festival our little town has and we touch basis with one another and he hugs me and we say our goodbyes.........now here comes the good part.....

A couple of months later, in september or october, I was for some odd reason watching the local news for once and the top story came on. The story was about 18 year-old Jerry Carter Jr. of Archdale NC being arrested for two counts of child molestation and possible rape. HOLY SHIT! I could not believe this. It was one of those things that supports the idea that people have about guys like him are the ones who normally do stuff like that...the quiet and seemingly harmless ones. Lets just say if Mr. Carter and I ever meet again, it would not be a hug he would be getting from me.

This is a true story lol

English 101

Out of all the classes I have so far this semester I think I enjoy this one the most. I'm not quite sure why. I don't know if it's because I feel confident in that class or because it's so early in the morning that I just don't know any better lol. I like this whole blogging idea. It's a new experience for me mainly because I don't normally spend a lot of time on the computer. Which brings me to my next point..I'm not sure how to put in a link in my blogs so if anyone could tell me how to do that it would be great. I know how to put stuff like this-->http://365daysoftrash.blogspot.com/ but yea thats it.

I really like reading about the milblogging article that we read for class. I honestly didn't know that blogging was such a big thing with the Iraqi War. I am totally for it though. I think people need to know the truth about what is really going on over there without the media sugarcoating it. It's also a more effecient way to know that your loved ones are ok over there. What really blew me away was how every person the author talked about as a milblogger was highly educated. I mean that one guy he mentioned was like a genius but completely dropped his studies to pick up a gun and go fight for our freedom. It's not that I think that most military people are uneducated or anything it just surprised me because of how everyone pushes the idea of getting a good education and a high paying job. It actually makes me admire him. It shows that he chose to do something that he was passionate about even if it wasn't the ideal lifestyle versus the mold he was going to fit.

Anyways, I like class so far and am interested in what we read next.

The Grizzly Man

Ok so the other blog I researched I debated whether or not it was technically a blog but whatever. I couldn't decide if it were a true blog because it was on myspace and because I knew that the person the myspace belonged to is in fact dead lol. The guy was known as the "Grizzly Man." I'm sure most of you guys have heard of him....or maybe not. He was this seemingly crazy hippie dude who was convinced that his calling was to save the bears. He wasn't always this "crazy"...well in a way. Early in his life he was an alcoholic and drug addict. He continued these habbits until he decided that it wasn't what he wanted out of life. He cleaned up and left rehab to go on a mission in Alaska to live with the bears. Once again..random. I suppose he thought the bears were accepting of him and did not judge him for his past. Understandable, although I'm not sure I would go to that extreme. Once he started living with the bears he realized that the bears were in danger more than ever from poaching. He wanted to raise awareness and create a bigger "save zone" for the bears by extending the national park that prohibited hunting. I read the blogs that were on the myspace and he was blogging his day to day experience being one with the bears. I have also seen the documentary of his experience and it turns out that he is killed by one the very bears he was "living" with. I guess it just goes to show that maybe there is a reason why humans aren't normally successful with making friends with something that can overpower them or in this case eat them. All in all I thought it was kinda cool that he found a better passion in life and died doing what he learned to love.

365 Days of Trash Reaction

Could you honestly imagine not throwing away any trash for a whole year? Ok well how about not only not throwing away trash for a year but trying to find ways to recycle it all? Well you may not be able to imagine it but a two time emmy award winning cameraman named Dave Chameides brought it life. How random is that? A camerman came up with such an idea and actually carried it out. That is almost equivalent to Ghandi originally being lets say a basket weaver who just woke up one day and decided "hey I think I am going to starve myself for the sake of world peace." This is how Dave originally came up with the idea: "The idea for this project came about six months ago as I was throwing something away in the garbage. It occurred to me that I was doing nothing more than that. I was making it go away, not dealing with it, not accounting for it, simply removing it from my sight. When you think of it in simple terms like that, it’s really quite insane. I came to the realization that if we were all accountable for our waste, if we couldn’t simply make it disappear, we’d have to deal with some pretty ugly truths about the way we live. And in so doing, it would cause us to start making better decisions about what we buy, where we buy, and what’s left over when we are done with that purchase." That's pretty deep. It makes me feel awful because I don't really think too much when I throw stuff away. I mean don't get me wrong I do recycle, but I never realized that perhaps there was so much more that someone could do to stop trashing the planet. Who knows maybe this cameraman has really got something and it will catch on to the masses.....or not. Either way I just recently learned in psychology that even if you do something that can't help everyone, whatever you do do it's a start and it can better yourself. Obviously Dave's trash alone being recycled and kept to a minimum couldn't save the planet right away, but at least he's doing his part.