The Great Gatsby: Beginning

The narrator is Nick Carraway. Insecure of himself juste un peu, see this because he has to ensure us that he can be trustworthy, showing that he can see reasons why we shouldn't have trust of him. He is seeming very negative, he decribers the others as unpleasant things, such as aggressive.

Fitzgerald choses him because he will show things from perspective of someone who is a bit on either side but really on neither at all. Also will bring emotion to story, seeming because he gets involved emotionally in events and people more than the most.

Media Saves The Beach: Critique A Professional Example

This is the Three Prisoners. It is successful because it is making of a feeling of something, and is made well, with metal. Professional and all, because the prisoners have very emotive faces. And look like insects. The cages are hanging from a scale. The message is of prisoners, and the importance/weight of idea.
I would think that the intended audience is people who are struggling with something, or feel trapped by something. It makes me feel odd, and in a way motivated but I'm not sure what I feel motivated about. Odd...
Specific elements come together to show a larger picture of being caught in something and it is pulling and there are others, and it is important. It is also just nice to look at.
The technique of using creatures that make you feel something for them, with their faces that look so human and their hunched over frames, they make you relate to them. That is what the artist did. And their hands, yes, their hands, are so frail. Frail hands makes me want to help.
I chose it because of how it makes me feel. And because it is very conveying and beautiful. And it is made nicely. Also, it uses old things to make a new thing, I like that.

Media Saves the Beach: Newspaper and Media Saves the Beach

I will address various things.

In the Newspaper I have learned about how important critique is and because I made mistakes that could have been easy caught by a critique by another person by my group. Such as my title which was not correct and I needed a verb. Reflect...

Also to work with group, but not for Media Beach, so, need to work with self? Research with group perhaps, depending on question, so work with group!

Information taken with would be about government and can apply to how government influences beach. Because did learn about government. And will use it. Applied.

What's the deal with Reconstruction?

Reconstruction was a time following the Civil War, it was the policies that were discussed and then later implemented after the Emancipation Proclamation. The policies include how states that seceded would regain a seat in Congress, and the civil rights of freedmen. What worked well was that secessionist states were let back in, and what worked poorly was that it was all quite violent, and the civil rights didn't work completely. After the reconstruction the South was dominated by Democrats.

The Reconstruction is relevant today because there are still struggles for civil rights, and the rivalries from the civil war are still alive. One example is that the fourteenth amendment came out of the Reconstruction, and it is being questioned today. The fourteenth amendment gives people born here citizenship, and people are saying that the children of illegal immigrants today should not be citizens. Here is an article on it : http://migration.ucdavis.edu/mn/more.php?id=1283_0_2_0

Media Saves the Beach: Relevant Article

Alert Issued In Ocean Beach After Sewage Spill

SAN DIEGO -- A sewage spill in Mission Valley led Wednesday to a coastal pollution alert in Ocean Beach, about five miles to the west.

Wastewater began overflowing from a blocked sanitation line near the intersection of Camino de la Reina and Mission Center Road shortly before 11:30 a.m., according to the county Department of Environmental Health.

http://www.10news.com/news/21092995/detail.html

The issue is that there was a sewage spill in Mission Valley that impacted Ocean Beach. About 1,370 gallons of sewage spilled! It caused there to be warning signs at Dog Beach until the water is tested. You can get more information by going to various websites with San Diego news such as SignOnSanDiego, or by talking to a lifeguard at Dog Beach. This story relates to our class and project because we are studying the ocean and how people affect it, and how water testing is important. This article relates to that because the water needs to be tested before people can go in it.

Media Saves the Beach: Ideas

For the Media Saves the Beach project, I am most interested in what the effect of pollution is on the wildlife, and what steps we can take to reduce that (other than the obvious). I am curious what exactly happens to the animals. Do they get diseases? Or get physically hurt by the trash? Or do the plants they eat die? What happens exactly that harms them...? How does that affect us? What current controversies are there about it?

A project that I might create, well, it would most likely involve photography or art in some way. And not have too much to do with computers, because I can never seem to make nice things on a computer. Perhaps a photo essay, like a picture of rubbish in the ocean? No, that isn't a good idea, it needs something special about it still.... Or some sort of painting? That would be fun...

I don't have any solid ideas for projects, but I'm sure once we start learning more about the projects I will have some...

Optional Assignment 14/9/09

1. The phrase "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" is not creditable to only Thomas Jefferson, but to John Locke as well. John Locke wrote the original phrase, "life, liberty, and property", and Jefferson replaced the third term. The meaning before it arrived in the colonies was that the government had certain responsibilities to the people.

2. The Federalist Papers were a collection of articles published to convince people to ratify the constitution. They were written by Hamilton, Madison, and Jay. The Federalist Papers said a variety things, including that the present Confederation could not preserve the Union, the Union will bring political prosperity, and that the constitution conforms to republican ideas.

3. John Locke, obviously because of his idea of inalienable rights. Also Montesquieu's idea of the separation of powers. And for a third, Rosseau's idea that the authority lies with the people.

American Icons: Photograph

American Icons: Artist Statement and Critiques

The critiques I received today were quite helpful, and I agree with most of what was said.  The common thread was that I needed to reduce and consolidate my writing.  I was also advised to write about who influenced Burroughs to complete the continuum. 

I plan to edit out segments of writing while keeping the same general meaning and structure, also to write about the continuum more.  I wish I had more suggestions from other people, I had at least three people read it and all I got were those two ideas.  I'm all out of my own ideas!  

But this is the new version, slightly shorter and with more continuum talk.

For some it’s all about control, for some it’s to forget, for others it’s just for fun, but whatever you’re addicted to, or for whatever reason, it’s a sickly sweet way down at first, until you tip over the edge.  For most observers there’s the simple question of  “Why can’t you just stop?”, but as every addict knows, it’s just not that transparent.  There’s more going on than meets the eye, I can’t say for sure what that is for every person, but there’s that extra hook that pulls you in, that extra hook that makes you stay, and yet another hook that makes you want to, at least for some time.  Dangerous?  Certainly.  But it hides behind an appealing mask, promising to solve all your problems.  By putting the otherwise secret lives of addicts center stage people can learn to accept what they don’t know and avoid transforming addicts into an anathema, how I came to this acceptance quite a few years ago was through a book, or a few actually, one of which was Naked Lunch, penned by William S. Burroughs.

Brilliant – his words, dangerous – his topics, innovative – his style, remembered – forever.  William S. Burroughs was a prominent member of the Beat Generation, a spoken word artist, an author, a painter, and an incredibly influential creative existence.   Burroughs was an opiate addict for around fifty years, an experience that his writing stems from quite often.  Burroughs represents the values that to me are some of the most important, and he has inspired me to do what I love, and love myself while doing it.

After reading Burroughs’ semi-autobiographical writing about addiction I really felt closer to him because he chronicles his experiences in such a way that most everyone would be able to relate to at some point in their life, and that is a greatly admirable accomplishment in my eyes.  With his writing he is showing people not only that they are not alone in their vulnerability, but also that he is similar to them despite any qualities of his they may deem inferior.

William S. Burroughs broke boundaries with his art, his writing on subjects such as drugs and homosexuality was controversial for his time, and opened doors for those who followed.  This inspires me to write about what I’m interested in and express my ideas even if it doesn’t follow the widely-accepted mindset, I aspire to open doors for those who follow me.  He shared his story of addiction, and that too inspires me to share my story and do my part to reduce the unnecessary stigma around mental illness.

Burroughs himself was inspired by such creators as Céline  and Rimbaud, and has influenced the work of great artists including Genesis P-Orridge, who I personally believe is exceedingly talented.  To myself and the countless others to whom he was an inspiration, Burroughs represents not only the obvious; brilliant creativity, but innovation and courage.  It is obvious that he was creative, but as an artist it was his innovation along with his creativity that caused his work to touch so many people.  His courage touched people in other ways, it touched people reaching out to his writing for support in getting through tough times, it touched fellow addicts searching for someone with similar experiences, and it touched me when I needed to know that I wasn’t a  substandard person for reasons beyond my control.  William S. Burroughs helped me recognize that a person can have negative parts about them and still be completely wonderful, I want to carry that message on to others and help them realize that even the best of people are susceptible to imperfect things. 

I feel like it still needs a lot of work though, I just don't know what exactly... 

Photography Technique

Unique Perspective

This picture has a unique perspective because it is a picture of the bars of the White House instead of the classic view.  Unique perspective is useful because it makes the viewer think about what they are looking at and form questions about it.

Rule of Thirds

The rule of thirds is when the subject is on one of the intersections of the grid.  It is important because it makes the picture aesthetically pleasing, and not as awkward also.  A straight on view of a face is quite awkward, but sometimes that's the point I suppose.

Vignetting

Vignetting is when the edges of a picture are darker than the center, this draws attention to the center by illuminating it.  This is useful for when you want to draw attention straight to something but not in a harsh way.

American Icons: Resources

Rudolf Nureyev

1. Film of Nureyev dancing Le Corsaire (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2wvwPo899bE&feature=related)- A film of Nureyev dancing shows how brilliant he was, and reminds me partially why I am inspired by him.  It shows how influential he was to American culture by looking at the related videos, and how many times it has been played.

2. Dancer by Colum McCann - This book is a novel about Nureyev's life from the time he was a child.  After the first time I read this book was when I really became inspired by Nureyev partially because it describes his life as a child in poverty and how he rose to being such a influential and talented person.

3. Rudolf Nureyev Foundation Official Website (www.nureyev.org) - This website has a lot of resources on it, such as a biography, interviews, and a list of dance partners.  Such a website is valuable because it will help me give the correct background information and learn more about him.  

William Burroughs

1. Naked Lunch by William Burroughs - This book is of very high value to me in completing this project, mostly because it gives insight to Burroughs' own thoughts to a certain extent.  Naked Lunch is said to be drawn from Burrough's own experiences with drugs, so it will show some about how he felt.  

2. Philosophical Conversations (http://sauer-thompson.com/conversations/archives/002673.html)- William Burroughs: Interview - Such an interview will be valuable because it reveals Burroughs' own thoughts in his own words.  This interview is mostly about literature, so it will show me more about his writing and how he relates to what is in his books/poetry/etc.

3. Various sound clips from ubu.com - Ubu.com has a collection of poetry that I have used before and it worked quite well.  Having sound clips of William S. Burroughs is useful because I can reflect more on his words, especially those I have not heard, and learn more about how I can relate to Burroughs himself.  

American Icons: Three Choices

Rudolf Nureyev is a great inspiration to me and others because of his perseverance, dedication, and determination, if not for his incredible talent. He changed how male dancers were viewed in society, and even how ballet and modern itself were seen. He blurred the lines between modern and ballet by training and performing in both, which, though popular now, was near unheard of in his day and widely criticized. Nureyev became important to me while I was training in ballet and modern dance and I read a biography of him (Dancer by Colum McCann). It really showed me a lot about his life and inspired me to work harder at my dancing (though I regretfully do not dance much anymore...) and have more dedication to the things I really enjoyed and loved. He has inspired dancers and choreographers ever since he started performing, and he continues to inspire people today, even those who are not dancers, simply because of his wonderful character and values.

The Stonewall Riots are actually something I am not sure if I am inspired by. I am inspired by certain aspects of it, such as the courage to fight for what you believe in and for what is right. But there is also the violent aspect, which I am not fond of at all. I don't know if it was necessary, there are many different opinions on that. But I shall focus on the positives. This event was very important to American culture, because it sort of marked the start of the gay rights movement, and though it is less known, the transgender rights movement. I am inspired by these aspects of this event because I strongly believe that standing up for what is just is very important, and is a way to better humanity for ourselves and the generation to come. This event has been important to me ever since it was first explained to me, though as I said, I am not sure it is a perfect example of what should of happened, but really what is?


William S. Burroughs is a thoroughly brilliant addition to American culture. He was an author, painter and spoken word artist, a member of the beat generation. He was born in 1914, but he covered such controversial topics in his spoken word as drugs and homosexuality. He was addicted to opiates for fifty years and much of his work is a reflection on that. He is inspiring to me because he worked through an addiction and picked himself up off the ground and made beautiful art and inspired many other great people. I admire him for creating art about subjects that were often ignored in his time, he broke boundaries and opened the door for many future artists. Burroughs influenced such people as Genesis P-Orridge (of Throbbing Gristle, Psychic TV, and more), who I also greatly admire. He influenced him with his poetry, and his social critiques. To me, Burroughs represents perserverance, risk taking, creativity, will power, and incredible innovation.

Hopeful Accomplishment

After a much too short though extended summer, school has reared it's not so ugly head, and the new junior class is herded into the cold commons. But really, I'm not as negative as I sound, though the commons is dreadfully cold. I was actually rather looking forward to returning, and with the anticipation, comes expectations...
This year should, with any luck, go much smoother than the last few. I have quite a few goals, hopefully I will reach some, actually, I'm almost certain I will reach at least a few. On a very basic level, I hope to be able to stay in school all year and be able to work as well as I possibly can. Additionally, I would like to find that creative mind I used to have which, due to recent events/medications, seems to have gone into hiding. I would like to speak up more in class, but only if there are relevant thoughts in my head. Also, I would like to spend as much time as possible focusing on becoming a more well-rounded person, and learning about all elements of culture, my own and others.
All in all, I know I want to do my best, but there are equally, if not more, important things than grades. I would like to get all I can out of my classes, and learn as much as possible about subjects I am interested in without closing my mind to topics I never gave a second thought before. To be satisfied with my year I have to make it better than the last, and in order to push myself as far as I can, I need to remember not to go too far. As long as I keep in mind who I want to be, I'm sure I can be all I want to be, and the year will fall into place naturally. I'm looking forward to an amazing year, the cup is half full again, and this time I know that's because it's up to me to fill it up.