Honors History Blog #4

1. What did you gain from your experiences as an honors student in the first semester (please consider novels, leadership opportunities, writing, history, projects, etc.)?

 I think I gained a lot of extra knowledge as an honors student. I've never been much of a book reader so this is probably good for me. Having an extra role for projects (Art Director) was fine and I it was beneficial to the class (hopefully) 

2. Discuss what you might have done differently if you could do this past semester of honors over again.

I would probably just have written a lot more for my reviews. I don't know why, but I just make my reviews really short. Also I would have directed more during the Life: The Book project, I should have been more critical with my critiques so that the art would have looked better for the book.

 

3. Discuss your goals for honors in the second semester.

Well, as I just said, my reviews are really short. So I plan to write much longer ones next year. Maybe helping more people out when they need it as well.

 

4. If you could choose any specific parts of literature and or history for our honors work next semester, what would you pick and why?

For the last book we got to pick, I picked a story about World War II, and I really enjoyed it. I think we should have a war book to read next year, that would be awesome. I think more people would enjoy reading it because war stories can't be boring! The senate hearing was pretty interesting as well, I didn't know most of the stuff that went on in a hearing until you taught us, so that was helpful.

Honors History Blog #3

A program I would want to bring back from Roosevelt's New Deal would be the Public Works Administration (PWA). The rate unemployment decreased significantly when this was created. The PWA hired people to create public works like bridges. It also stabilized our purchasing power at the time; something that we could use right now. I don't see why this program isn't still around today; we could really use it.

I think that we should create a new program similar to PWA or even the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). The CCC is similar to the PWA, it created a lot of jobs (Over 3 million) for young men to build new parks. If we created programs like these, but maybe had them do other jobs rather than just parks or bridges, it would be great for our tough times. There is a large portion of the United States of America that have no jobs. Programs like these are something that we could do easily. It would help our country to build nice things and employ a lot of people.

I think that PWA would be the best plan to bring back (CCC is a bit restrictive as to who can work) but we should also tweak it so that the job is more versatile. We could build great things for our country like schools, libraries, etc. A lot of people in America would definitely benefit from having a program like this.

Honors History Blog #2

Dear President Obama,


I understand that there are a lot of issues you are currently dealing with. The recession is something that cannot be fixed very easily. However you aren't the first president to deal with this; Franklin D. Roosevelt had to get out of a recession as well. Mr. Obama, I hope you consider recollecting what Roosevelt did during his term to help you out, during your term.


Roosevelt's main plan to get America out of the recession was called the New Deal. It's main focuses were called the 3 R's: relief, recovery, and reform. Relief for the unemployed and the people in poverty, recovery of the economy, and reform of the financial system. Alon with the 3 R's were five other programs: Rural Electrification Administration (REA), Federal Deposit Insurance Cooperation (FDIC), the Agricultural Adjustment Administration (AAA), the Works Progress Administration (WPA), and the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). In a summary, all these programs gave a major boost to America's economy and pumped out a lot of needed money.

I believe if you did something similar to what Roosevelt did, America would be in better shape. The programs that he created are something that you can do as well and we definitely need them. Maybe you could also take an Anti-Federalist approach to this problem and have every state input some help, that might be a good idea. In general when problems are created and help is spread out, the problem gets resolved sooner, so take that into consideration.

I hope this helps, because this is probably the biggest issue in America right now and something needs to be done. Roosevelt may have had the right idea and I think you should look at him as an example.


Sincerely,

Nathaniel A. Ross


Works Cited
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Deal>
<http://www.essortment.com/all/fdrnewdealfra_rgst.htm>

Honors History Blog #1

 In my opinion, Medicaid is the most significant element of health care in America. Medicaid, created in 1969, helps low income families be eligible for a health care plan. I think it's so significant because a large part of the population is classified under the low income level. Medicaid not only covers the poor though; "These other requirements include, but are not limited to, assets, age, pregnancy, disability, blindness, income and resources, and one's status as a U.S. citizen or a lawfully admitted immigrant." Without Medicaid, these people would most likely have had a difficult time trying to pay for health care.

 Medicaid has helped so many people and I think this shows that programs such as this one, just work. It's really effective for treating a large sum of people who fall below a level of poverty and disability. But this brings up the question; What about the people who are just above the poverty level? This is a real issue in America. The rich can pay for their own health care plans and the poor can receive Medicaid, however, the people who are in the middle are in a horrible position. There should be an expanded health care system in my personal opinion because there are so many people who are in the middle.

Even though Medicaid has it's issues I still believe that it's one of the most significant parts of the current health care system in America. I think that it encourages people to expand on the idea of a more universal health care system and less of a free market. I really don't think that a free market health care system would benefit all of America as well as a universal system would. Obama's health care reform was something that I think helped a lot. From what I know, it helped a lot of people and I think that things like that are what we need in today's economy. In short, if Medicaid could be expanded, it would be perfect.

Work Cited

<https://www.cms.gov/MedicaidGenInfo/>

< http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medicaid>

Federalist vs Anti-Federlist Interview

We have talked about Prop 19 a few times in the class so I thought that interviewing someone about it would be interesting. Basically, if Prop 19 passed, marijuana would be legal in California. However, the FDA is currently fighting "A War on Drugs" in all of America. If the prop passed, the FDA would still be able to arrest people who had anything to do with marijuana because it would still be illegal under federal law. It's a pretty strange thing that it's legal and illegal at the same time so I thought it would be good to interview someone about this.

Interview of Kelsie Rich on Prop 19
{via gmail}

me: What do you know about Federalism and Anti-Federalism?

kelsierichy: so like... federalism is when you  want every law to be passed as a county and anti-federalism is when every law brought up is only in states

like in Oregon pumping your own gas is illegal but here it isnt

 

me: Have you heard of Prop 19, which failed this November?

kelsierichy: yes

 

me: What do you know about it?

kelsierichy: To Legalize Marijuana. Which I am glad failed because everyone would have taken advantage of the medical use of this drug.

 

me: Did you know that even if it passed, it would still be illegal under Federal Law?

kelsierichy: Kinda. Cause the different branches have to work in unison in order to pass a law. WHICH makes it very difficult for any new law to be passed

 

me: So Prop 19 is an Anti-Federalist movement, right?

kelsierichy: Yes

 

me: Does this remind you of any other Anti-Federalist movements?

kelsierichy: The difference between Slave states in the south compared to the Free states in the North

 

Life: The Book Reflection

I kind of overwrote this blog with my new reflection by accident. Currently trying to find my old reflection (Accidentally deleted it Wednesday. 12/08/2010)

1. Go back and read the prompts at the top of the page (the parts that describe the project). How well does your final draft fully answer the prompt? Which parts of the prompt are answered well? Which parts could be answered more completely?

I believe my article answered most of the prompts well. I put a lot of science related subjects in my article, but I think I did a good job making it non-jargon. I also added in stem cell research because it is a very controversial topic that relates to my topic. I could have added a bit more economic issues, but I did include how pharmaceutical companies put out products for Parkinson’s disease but a large sum of people who took the medicine ended up having heart problems. Because of that, they lost a lot of money because of the FDA.

2. What aspects of my final product stand out and stand on their own as examples of high quality, informative writing? What makes these great?

Some aspects of my article that stand out are, how I said, my non-jargon scientific explanations, and how I talked about the effects, side effects, and medication of the disease. When I was talking about the disease I tried to explain it like how I would want it to be explained to me: “The more dopamine that is lost, the more severe the disease’s effects are.”

3. What aspects of my final product could be revised? Why? How could they improve?

If I could have gotten to have a very thorough interview with someone that had Parkinson’s, I think my article would be much better. I could write a lot more and I think it would just be way better in general. Everything in my article could be related to the person I interviewed.

4. Which of our class' writing tips were used best in the final product? What makes these specific sections stand out?

The writing tip that helped me the most was the loop as well as Concerts, not Pancakes. Both are pretty similar and I think that they really helped me with my article. I tried to make my opening paragraph draw readers in so that they want to read it and I tried to end it with leaving them thinking about the issues.


Self assessment...
5. Overall, this final draft deserves 45 out of 50 points, when judged purely on it's own as a high quality, informative piece of writing, because..

I believe a 45 out 50 would be a fair grade for me. I feel like I wrote a pretty damn good article but I think it could be improved. If I took more time I think it could’ve been better but I really think that the final product I wrote stands up on it’s own.

Senate Health Care Hearings

What are your character's main goals for the Senate Health Care Hearings?
John Kerry's main goal is to pass a universal health care bill. Another goal is for very affordable health care for all children.

What do you want to accomplish?

I obviously want universal health care, but I doubt that the Republican side is going to allow that bill. So I'm focused more on a more generalized affordable health care system. People should be allowed to choose if they want to pay for a private/public health care company, or for a government run option.

How do you plan to accomplish it?

I plan accomplishing this by working with the witnesses as well as coming up with a middle ground with the Republicans.

Who are you working with to get this done?

I'm mainly working with Gio as Joe Biden. I requested him as a witness mainly because of the healthcare bill he helped pass with Obama. I am also working with Jon as Paul Krugman.

Opposing viewpoints & your topic for Life: The Book

Well these articles relate to my topic because my topic heavily relates to Stem Cell Research. This brings up the question of Health Care and should stem cell research be funded or not. Back to health care though, I'm not sure And this would fall under health care being a human right. As of healthcare being a human right or not, I'm not too sure if it is. I am somewhat back and forth with my opinions, because yes, I do believe that we may need some support, but I dont think that our entire medical expenses should come out of another persons pocket, because that is oviously not fair.

Life: The Book & American History

1. Describe how Americans pay for health care and the government's role in this process.

Americans pay for health care through their job or out of their own pocket. However, 46 million Americans can not pay for it at all, so they don't have health care. So, everyone has to pay for their health care in some manner, but a large part of America can't. One of the government's solution is Medicare, which is for the elderly. Also, if you're in the military you receive nearly free health care. Health care is a major issue in the US, and the government needs to step up to solve this problem

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care_in_the_United_States

--------------------------------------------------------

1. Using a specific example, describe what makes a compelling character in narrative nonfiction or literary journalism.

A compelling character need to have goals. An example of this is James Wilkes Booth in Manhunt. His goal is obvious; assassinate the president and get away with it, but it's compelling. Some other compelling traits are:

-Somewhat relate able to reader

-Has a good background

-Has a conflict

2. Using a specific example, describe what makes an interesting plot in narrative nonfiction or literary journalism.

In all the science-based articles we read in the New Yorker, they start off with a conflict. They continue with this conflict throughout the article and introduce new characters, new views & an opposition, etc. This is compelling writing to me. The many views and characters also helps me think of questions and gives me different opinions.

3. What specific steps do authors take to write non-jargon-based scientific writing?

Well first of all, they need to do a lot of research on their topic and need to fully understand it before they can simplify it. What I've noticed they do is write the original jargon first, and then explain it in layman's terms. This helps you easily understand it, while still knowing the original name/definition.

4. What specific steps do authors take to encourage their readers to connect with their stories?

They write a lot about the background. This helps you get a better understanding with their topic/character. This definitely encourages readers to be more engaged with what they're reading.

Life: The Book & Humanities

1. Post the stage of life that you will write about and a relevant element of genetic technology that interests you. Feel free to work with Brandon to understand this step.
(I still don't know if I've been accepted into doing this but..) My stage of life will be Adulthood. I will be doing Parkinson's Disease adulthood because it's very unlikely for a child to get Parkinson's. Parkinson's Disease (PD) is rarely genetically passed down however, it's more likely to randomly get PD for no apparent reason. 15% of patients with PD do have a relative with the disease.

2. Describe at least one relevant government agency that works in this area. Describe the current news related to your topic & this government agency and embed a minimum of one news story (print, tv, audio, etc.) in your description.
I couldn't find any agencies, but there is a lot of news surrounding my topic. Stem cells play a crucial role in curing PD. So naturally, there are people who are against things that are logical. This is why there is a lot of news for PD; some people don't want to fund stem cell research which would help cure PD, while other people do.

http://health.nytimes.com/health/guides/disease/parkinsons-disease/

3. Describe at least one relevant historical, cultural, economic, geographical, or literary example or concept that relates to your ideas for your article. Include at least two relevant links to evidence and further research in your writing. Strive for detail & evidence in your connections.
The major thing with PD is, like I said earlier, stem cell research and the controversy behind it all. Here's an article that's on the opposite stance on this topic as I am:
http://wap.bible.org/article/continuing-controversy-over-stem-cells
Stem cells are needed for curing diseases such as PD and we should fund their research. The ethical issue is with the embryonic cells that are needed. I obviously need to research more because this article makes me think of scientists cutting open a pregnant woman and chopping up her baby to get the cells needed.
http://nydailynews.healthology.com/parkinsons-disease/article789.htm

I
Another topic I could do is Beyond. I would do What is Death? That question is really intriguing because no one knows, and no one will ever know. For biology I will try to figure out if scientists have come up with anything that a person's mind may do right before they die. I heard that it does something similar to what it does when you fall asleep, so that may be interesting; when you die you just dream forever. This whole topic is strange and interesting at the same time.

II
I doubt there are any government agencies related to just death, and I can't really find too much about solely death. I can mainly just find articles about people who died, and people who are dying in wars etc. Here's an article I found
http://drolleriepress.com/authors/guest-blog-jennifer-cloud/
Also, the movie the Matrix keeps coming to my head when I think of this topic. Specifically, a quote from Morpheus. "What is ‘real’? How do you define ‘real’? If you mean what we can taste, smell, hear and feel then what’s ‘real’ is nothing more than electrical signals interpreted by your brain.”

III
The main thing with death is that no one knows what happens. It's just an idea. It's a very confusing topic and there are so many questions regarding death. What happens when you die? Are you dead forever? Won't you get bored of being dead forever? It's such a strange thing to comprehend when you think about it.
http://www.lightparty.com/Spirituality/AbsurdIdeaOfDeath.html

Life-The Book!

PARKINSON'S DISEASE

Well I couldn't really find a picture so I'm using Micheal J. Fox. He has Parkinson's disease and I respect him as an actor and as a person (He also is very pro stem cell) I will probably focus on stem cells and why people are against them for the Humanities part. I really think that if all the people who are against stem cells were to suddenly get Parkinson's, they would change to pro stem cells in a heartbeat. Most people with Parkinson's have idiopathic Parkinson's which means that they got it for no apparent reason, however a small portion are linked to genetics. 15% of patients have a first-degree relative who also has the disease.

WHAT IS DEATH?

I am interested in what research I could dig up for this topic. I think it's a kinda weird topic, but it may lead to some interesting theories and I think that would be pretty cool. I may possibly talk about natural selection, evolution, and extinction because those are all related in a sense and I am also interested in those topics. For humanities I could talk about how death is treated in different cultures, and I may even go on to talk about suicide, and suicide attacks.

I FORGOT WHAT MY LAST TOPIC WAS

So I'm not very interested in it apparently.

Beginning the Internship Brainstorm

I would really like to work in a small(ish) office where I can feel really inspired. The setting I'm in really effects the way I work, so I would really like to have a nice place to work. I want to intern somewhere where I can do web design, graphic design, something design, because that's what I like to do; and if I work at a sweet looking place I feel like I'd make sweet looking works
of art.




Well, like I just said, I really want to intern somewhere where I can do some graphic/web design, maybe even photography and filming. I really enjoy doing that and I think it'd be pretty cool to intern somewhere like that. I'd probably help them with their website or something along those lines.




I would be interested in how an actual company sets up their website or how they professionally edit photos etc. I think it'd be really cool to be involved in any of that.

Twitter!

The Terminator vs. Big Oil
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/06/opinion/06friedman.html?_r=1&src=tptw

The article I chose was about our governor/terminator a.k.a Arnold Schwarzenegger, who is upset with the oil companies that are not listening to him. First of all, California is voting to get rid of A.B 32 which is "California’s Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006". California will vote on Prop 23 to abolish this for some reason. Schwarzenegger says that the oil companies are trying to get rid of A.B 23 already because, according to Arnold, "They’re not interested in our environment; they are only interested in greed and filling their pockets with more money."

In Climate Denial, Again
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/18/opinion/18mon1.html?scp=2&sq=global%20warming&st=cse

I chose this article because the previous article got me more interested in global warming than the Terminator. I don't understand why people are preaching that global warming is not true and that we are wasting our time. First of all, it's obviously happening, it's getting more and more ridiculously hot; and second of all, why should we stop helping our planet out? We're not hurting anyone, it's only helping out planet. It just seems really dumb to want to stop treating our planet better.

"Dying for Dixie"

The root cause of Michael Westerman's murder was the interpretation of the Rebel flag that Michael had on his truck. The teenagers that attacked him interpreted the flag as a symbol of slavery. I think it was a bad part on both parts, but obviously more so on the murderer's side. The strange thing is that the shooter didn't even exactly know what the flag represented. He just knew that his race was supposed to hate it and that it was on the Dukes of Hazzard; not a lot of motivation for killing in my opinion. "Let's go whip that dude" is what he told his friends. This story is just absurd to me. Why would people go around killing other people because of what they think they're supposed to think. It's a crazy story and I was pretty interested in it.

The Civil War, today

Barack Obama
http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/o/barack_obama/index.html

I couldn't find a specific article linking the civil war with today, but I thought that this was one lasting effects of the Civil War. The Civil War was the beginning of the end of slavery, and without the war, slavery could have been around much longer. Barack Obama would not currently be our president, and interracial marriage could still be illegal. I think that this was an important stepping stone in becoming what America is today.

The Constitution, The News, & You

The Hard Work of Gun Control
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/11/opinion/11sun1.html?ref=constitutional_amendments

Basically, this article is showing how Chicago is fighting with Federal law to ban the possession of handguns.
"Thirteen days ago, the Supreme Court undermined Chicago’s ban on handguns by applying the Second Amendment to the states, ruling that people have a right to protect their homes with a gun. Four days after that, Chicago passed another handgun restriction that edged right up to the line drawn by the court. And on Tuesday, a group of gun dealers and enthusiasts sued the city again to overturn the new law. "
It's kind of ridiculous how they keep going back and forth banning and unbanning this law.

This relates to the Constitution because of the Second Amendment; the right to bear arms. Federal law says that this is A-OK, but under state law, Chicago wants to prohibit handguns because they are used for murdering people in a big city. I agree with Chicago's stance because I see no reason why you would need a handgun for defense if everyone else didn't have a handgun because they were banned. I seriously doubt that if handguns were banned, criminals will start carrying giant shotguns around, but who knows.

I thought this was interesting how much they want back and forth and couldn't just agree on a consensus. This also got me thinking about the legalization of marijuana in California, because it's still going to be against Federal law which is like the same thing here, they just can't agree.

What stands out so far?

Writing tips really stand out for me.
Again, writing tips are really working well for me. They're really useful, simple, and easy to understand and use. I think it will definitely improve my writing.
To build upon my success I could use these writing tips more often to further improve my writing skills.
To make the most out of the next few weeks, I need to continue doing all my homework. I'm also going to read my book a lot for the honors assignment.
My future goal is keeping my A+ in this class.

Artist Statement / Picture

Stanley Kubrick

By: Nate Ross

“A film is - or should be - more like music than like fiction. It should be a progression of moods and feelings. The theme, what's behind the emotion, the meaning, all that comes later.” This quote is open ended to me; I don’t think it’s only applied to film. I apply it to whatever I’m working on; I want emotions to come from my work, I want it to be meaningful and I want people remember it. Stanley Kubrick wrote this quote and I admire it as well as him.
Three years ago I was not a big movie fan, whereas my father definitely was. One night he decided that 2001: A Space Odyssey was a movie that I really needed to see. Despite being a bit concerned about its three hour length, I watched it. I was blown away by this movie and I believe that it really opened my eyes to the world of film. I watched this movie over again by myself and I was as amazed as I was the first time. I saw new things and I saw that he really took his time and spent a lot of money getting this movie to perfection. I noticed all of the little things that he added and it made me love the movie even more. The skills that he used for the film really inspired me. I applied them to projects that I worked on and they came out much better because of it. Not only did Stanley help me improve my work life, but he opened my eyes to something that I didn’t care about before. I love movies now, and I thank my father and Stanley’s excellent directing skills for it.Stanley Kubrick is a big inspiration to me, although I don’t know if I want to become a director just yet. He really is excellent at what he does and the ways he does them is what I have in common with him. Mainly how he pays attention to the smallest details that can make something really great, and how he takes so much time trying to make something as best as it can possibly be. I am exactly the same way for any piece of work I am doing.
I may decide one day to pursue that career, but even if I don’t, I think that I really benefit from watching Stanley’s work. I hope to do the exact same thing for future generations. Whatever I make, be it an excellent film, an intriguing book, or an artistic painting, I want it to be as influential as Stanley’s work was to me. I want someone to look at my work and think that even if they don’t want to do exactly what I do, they can do it like me. Although I am not particularly interested in doing the same thing as him, I hope that one day I can create a work of art that is as influential as something from Stanley.

Questions about our writing...

I think that my big idea was most successful in my artist statement. My big idea is basically how you don't necessarily need to pursue the same career as your icon but you can still be heavily influenced by your icon. I think this was easy for me because I feel strongly about it. During this project people were wondering why someone would pick someone such as an actor, or a model, even if they have no intentions on becoming one. I feel that I need to use the concerts not pancakes writing tip for this statement, and I think that this has really helped me focus on making my statement really strong. I've been working on the intro and outro a lot because my first draft was terrible, but I feel that I have improved.

An aspect that's been challenging for me was the continuum. I knew exactly what my continuum with my icon is in my head, but it has been challenging for some reason to write it out. This resulted in people wondering why I bothered writing how I don't want to be just like my icon because that was all I wrote, but it wasn't what I meant. It also resulted in people having a hard time finding my continuum and big idea because I wrote it in a way that isn't very easily seen. I meant to be write what I wrote up there for my big idea. I want to make something that someone will find amazing, and if it's a movie or a song or something, they don't have to become musicians or directors if they really like it. They can see what I did and how I did it and take those skills and apply them to anything they want to. The most challenging writing tip was also the most helpful. The C-not-P tip made me struggle during this project but I really benefited from it at the same time.


Here is what I am currently working on; the outro.

I may decide one day to pursue that career, but even if I don’t, I think that I really benefit from watching Stanley’s work. I hope to do the exact same thing for future generations. Whatever I make, be it an excellent film, an intriguing book, or an artistic painting, I want it to be as influential as Stanley’s work was to me. I want someone to look at my work and think that even if they don’t want to do exactly what I do, they can do it like me. Although I am not particularly interested in doing the same thing as him, I hope that one day I can create a work of art that is as influential as something from Stanley.

1. Does this easily show the continuum?
2. Does this easily show the big idea?
3. Should I get rid of the last sentence?

Icons Loop

Opening - "Stanley Kubrick is one of the greatest directors and writers of all time. He was very creative and his movies were very influential. "

Closing - "He is my favorite director to this day, and I hope to one day be as influential as him."

I chose this intro because it shows what I think about Stanley Kubrick. I should probably work on it more because, to me, I don't think it's the best attention grabber. The closing reinforces part of my continuum and closes up again what I think of Stanley.

I think it ties together my big ideas because in the intro I say how influential he is. In the end I say that I want to become an influential person and have great ideas like him. I think that that kind of encases my big idea.

I would like my readers to be thinking of my big idea and how they may relate to it as well. I want them to think about great pieces of work and how they would also like to create equally great creations of their own. I hope that my final artist statement properly conveys that message that I'm trying to send.


ICONS LOOP REDUX

This is my new intro because I hated my other one.

“A film is - or should be - more like music than like fiction. It should be a progression of moods and feelings. The theme, what's behind the emotion, the meaning, all that comes later.” This quote is open ended to me; I don’t think it’s only applied to film. I apply it to whatever I’m working on; I want emotions to come from my work, I want it to be meaningful and I want people remember it. Stanley Kubrick wrote this quote and I admire it as well as him.

This is my new outro, I'm still working on it though

Although I am not particularly interested in doing the same thing as him, I hope that one day I can create something that is as influential as something from Stanley.

American Icons & Resources

Icons
I will use Stanley Kubrick for the majority of my artist statement as well as 2001: A Space Odyssey. Stanley directed 2001 and I think that it shows what kind of director Stanley is and why I like him as a director. Mainly because of the attention to detail he has in the movie, and that connects to me. He makes his actors have many takes because he wants his movie to be perfect, and that also connects to me, I go through many drafts when I'm working on anything.


Resources
IMDb of Stanley Kubrick
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000040/
This will be very useful to me because it has so much information on Stanley and his work.

Wiki page of Stanley Kubrick
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanley_kubrick
This will be the same use as my previous link, but this has more information on Stanley.

American Icon Ideas

Stanley Kubrick
Stanley Kubrick is one of the greatest directors and writers in my eyes. I thought 2001: A Space Odyssey was a masterpiece, as well as A Clockwork Orange. While some people find them boring or just disturbing, I think that they are brilliant films. Stanley became an important icon to me when I found my love for movies. He is a genius in my opinion and he represents great films to me.





Samuel L. Jackson

Samuel L. Jackson is one of my favorite actors, and starred in one of my favorite movies. Samuel did a brilliant job as Jules in Pulp Fiction. I love movies and Samuel has always been a great actor in my opinion. Before getting great roles, Samuel mainly played drug users and minor villains in movies. Now he is world-renown and loved by America.





John Lennon
I chose John Lennon as a possible icon because he is my favorite musician. He wrote some of the most incredible songs that really opened my eyes to the world of music. Music is a big part of my life as I listen to it constantly, and John Lennon plays a big role in that. John and the Beatles were originally from Liverpool, England. They moved to America and from then, their popularity sky rocketed. John Lennon inspired America and revolutionized rock.

Back to School

I am looking forward to internships this year and interested in how much control we have over selecting where to go. I'm hoping to improve my humanities skills, as it's my favorite subject and I would like to see my writing skills improve. I need to improve my math skills greatly, so I hope I do this year. I am also looking forward to biology because I hated chemistry but this seems like it will be much better.

In Humanities I have two major goals. I want to become a better writer and be able to write things that I am proud of. The other goal is to expand my knowledge on world history because I should know a lot about the world I live in. I should be able to accomplish these goals and I am looking forward to all the projects we are going to do. The only project I know about is the icon project, and I am definitely interested.

There's a lot I try to do well in. I mainly try to improve my Photoshop skills because this school made me like that program a lot. I love how many different things I am able to do and I try to get better at it all the time. Often times when I'm bored I turn to Photoshop because I've been getting better at it and the more I do it, the better I get and the more complex things I can create. A less school related thing that I try to do well is playing video games. I play them a lot, so naturally I get better at it the more I play.