Blog #14: May 12, 2009: Unlikely Immigrant

As I was reading A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams, I came across a statement from one of the main characters, Stanley Kowalski, who is from Poland. Another main character, Blanche DuBois, who is a women who came from a refined, luxurious family, calls him derogatory names such as "Polack." When being called a "Polack," Stanley finally snapped and the following quote shows clearly his pride of being what he truly is.

"I am not a Polack. People from Poland are Poles, not Polacks. But what I am is
a one hundred percent American, born and raised in the greatest country on earth
and proud as hell of it, so don't ever call me a Polack." Stanley

Not very often do you see old immigrant quotes such as these from a character like Stanley. Stanley does many disturbing things, clearly going to great lengths to get what he wants, sometimes going overboard. Stanley even seems to be primitive at nature. Yet Stanley shows that he is proud to be an American, and of course he is now part of this new American society since immigrants are stepping up in society. He implies that this refined-thinking women no longer is superior to him. She can no longer see him as subordinate to her. Stanley may not be the refined, luxurious, polite kind of person, but he certainly represents an American. Stanley realized, unlike Blanche, that society was not based on elegant tastes, but rather that American society was now equality based. American society was, and still is, a large mixing pot of cultures. I am sure Stanley, like all other immigrants, came to the American society not to be treated and seen as subordinates, but rather to find opportunity.

I beleive that Stanley is a character representing a new American society. This new American society has been greatly shaped from the new immigrant identities. He seems to be more sturdy when dealing with specific situations. Those like Blanche who base their whole life off of luxuries and cuisines will eventually break down when those things are stripped away from them. Like all immigrants, Stanley had to start off with a mediocre job, but he also felt that that every person who makes a contribution to society should be treated equally. He thought that he should be socially equal to those who thought were more superior to him. Although aggressive and seemingly primitive, Stanley clearly exhibits the American dream.

Here is a link to a google book previewer that shows a particular section of how Stanley Kowalshi represents the desire of the American dream.

Blog #13: May 5, 2009: Wooden Paddle = Order!

I never thought violence was the answer, but once I got a better view of the possible situations someone might be under or the circumstances, I became more understandable of violence being used under certain situations. In this article of Newsweek, "The Principle and the Paddle," violence was used and made a huge turnaround with the success of the school. The principle David Nixon uses corporal punishment in order to restore order to a struggling elementary school. As punishment for a major offense such as fighting, stealing, etc., students are first questioned about their offense, first trying to find a deeper issue or problem that is the cause of all of this. If the child is truly sorry, Nixon will send him or her back to class, but if he feels that the child has not learned his lesson, a slight but stinging whipping is initiated. Even though Nixon dislikes doing this, a lot of the parents approve of this, which shocks me!

The reasons for doing these "whippings" also shocked me, but also made me somewhat understand. One reason was that the school was there for educational means, so a "whipping" would only take a good 10 minutes to knock some sense into the student and continue your day instead of the many days of expulsion. I thought this was pretty clever, and a lot of schools would want to do this, but would never resort to violence to do so. But they have to consider that a lot of the kids come from difficult homes and backgrounds, and are just raised the way they are. But the parents DO have the option to paddle the child themselves or actually refuse the "whipping" of their child. This makes me a little bit more comfortable about Nixon's system. And ever since those "whippings" have occured, I would think that the amount of whippings would decrease as years go by from the constant rumors of THE PADDLE.

Those who disagree with corporal violence, I agree with.

"An atmosphere of fear is not going to increase learning. Maybe temporarily. But
over time, it does not work." -Nadine Block.

I just hope that Nixon and other schools that use corporal punishment realize that children these days do unpredictable stuff, not to be mean or on purpose, but rather just because they are youthful, excited, or don't know any better. Many times in my elementary school I made bad mistakes and did bad things, and I was called to the principle's office sometimes. Just a good talk and discussion would make me learn my lesson. Im sure that if my principle used violence as a means of helping me learn my lessons, I wouldn't have gone there as much, but at the same time, in my opinion, I wouldnt be as calm or against corporal punishment as I am today. I just believe that violence is not what is always needed to teach a child a lesson or make them recieve better studying habits.

Blog #12: April 28, 2009: Writing with a Time Limit

I always thought that blogs should be done patiently with as much time needed. I still somewhat think that, but I decided to try and put a time limit on myself when writing one of these. As I type this, I realize how writing with a time limit is great practice for SAT writing and formulating and organizing your ideas quicker and more efficiently. When writing without a time limit, I have noticed that I am not prepared as well as I would be if I had a time limit. Here is a quote by a teacher called Mr. Maven to his studen struggling on timed writings. "Because my boy, that five minutes you take preparing an outline will save you 10 times the minutes in writing. The outline allows you to create your essay in your mind before it's created on your paper. That's another trait of the great ones. They always see the creation before it's been created." With a time limit, now that I have confidence in my ideas since they are organized and straightforward, I can concentrate on actually formulating my paragraphs. I noticed I could create stronger sentences, just concentrating on the structure of a paragraph and the sentences. With a time limit, I could pace myself. Writing knowing that I have a specific time to be finished, I feel a bit more pressured in writing. With all this pressure upon me, I feel that I am more concentrated on this certain topic, clear distractions, and open my mind.

When I work within the comforts of my own home with all the distractions such as videogames and tv without a time limit, I would deduce that it would take me much longer to finish this blog. With a time limit, I feel compelled to stay away from these distractions and focus on this blog. Pressured by time, I will not fiddle with silly sites such as Twitter, Facebook, and Myspace. With this time limit, we can ensure that our work would be much higher in quality than the same blog and topic without a time limit. And by high quality, I dont mean a long essay. Im sure readers do not want to read a really long essay with gramatical errors and that strays away from the main topic. Im confident that readers want to read an essay that is formulated well and is clear, even if it is short.

Even practicing timed writing is helpful as a technique when writing in an unstructured, unplanned way for a short amount of time. This practice is basically training to become more productive. Here are 11 Keys to Double your Productivity. Im sure reading that article and connecting it to our writing, we can be more efficient in our writing. Timed writing will deny any perfectionist thinking, and at the same time overcome procrastination.

Post #11: April 21, 2009: The Baddest Man on the Planet

Not that intimidating right? Mike Tyson, a very interesting person indeed. When I look at this man and recall all the popular news about him, i seem to forget that there is a completely different side of him. Before reading an article of Newsweek "A Fighter Disarmed," I always viewed Tyson just as a tough heavyweight champion boxer, only known for his aggressive behavior inside and outside the ring. Because of his aggressive attitude, when I heard about him going to jail after being convicted of raping Desiree Washington, I was not even surprised. But after I read the newsweek article, I have a better understanding and respect for this man.

I never considered the fact that Tyson faces many criticisms and negative comments from many people. I never considered what Tyson actually thinks when he has to confront these criticisms, and how he could keep his composure. I know I couldnt keep a solid composure if I was faced with grueling comments about me, despite my success in a specific area. According to the article, when he was making a speech, he heard voices saying that the people he was making the speech too were clapping, but they still didnt like him. He must experience or have that thought many times a week, and it must be hard. Its hard for him, but we dont realize it. I think we must come to realize that people who are troubled and act completely different from the norm I have feelings also, no matter how tough or mean they may be sometimes.

"Whenever stuff goes well for me, I just wait on the bad stuff to come." -Mike
Tyson

When a man realizes that people around him are his enemies, you know that his life was very tough and he had faced a lot of struggles. Besides the fact that he has to confront all the criticisms towards him, Tyson also has gone through drugs, being convicted of rape, and his past wasnt so dandy either. He lived his young life not knowing whether the man living in his house was really his father. He was fat and was beaten up constantly. He was forced to rob people to survive. I could imagine that he took up boxing to get rid of all his insecurities and fix the problems that have tormented his childhood. But those difficulties in his past have made him the man he is today, and still no one respects him. Tyson admits that he never expected to be idolized or respected, but is that how he really feels?

"Ive never been anybody to idolize, and i know that." -Mike Tyson

This man has clearly changed ever since his retirement and his rehabs. Less threatening to people, I think we can get a better understanding of Tyson besides his past of boxing success and scandals. Looking back at his life, Tyson realizes that all the appalling actions he did were not right, and to me, this is a great step in his life to admit this.

"I didnt like that Mike Tyson, so i gave all that stuff away. He wasnt a good
guy. He was just somebody I created to give people something to talk about."
-Mike Tyson

Post #10: March 31, 2009: They Need Us, We Ignore

Several times I see "Help these children" or "They need your help" ads all over the place. I see them, but I ignore them. I know I shouldnt, but I ignore them anyway. I know I care, but I dont do anything about it anyway. I was going through Newsweek, and as i flipped from page to page, front cover to back cover, I completely missed (or ignored) a "Help a Child" ad. This made me realize how much I do this all the time. I ask myself, "am i too lazy to even consider helping?"

I mean, we have so many things in our life, and there are so many temptations in society that we think we need. We whine about things we shouldnt whine about. And on the other side of the world, there is a child who yearns for a home, food, shelter, an education, etc. Now I dont want to go all social justice teacher on you or anything. Im not trying to make you feel bad. I just wonder why we tend to never even consider helping out these children. The picture doesnt compel us to help the child. We should do it because we are morally right. Are we just too lazy? I mean, we have experience so much happiness and joy in our life. Why not help out in order to give even a small amount of happiness and joy to someone else's life. Do we sometimes think we cannot make a difference?

One day a man was walking along the beach when he noticed a boy picking
something up and gently throwing it into the ocean. Approaching the boy, he
asked, “What are you doing?” The youth replied, “Throwing starfish back into the
ocean. The surf is up and the tide is going out. If I don’t throw them back,
they’ll die.” “Son,” the man said, “don’t you realize there are miles and miles
of beach and hundreds of starfish? You can’t make a difference!” After listening
politely, the boy bent down, picked up another starfish, and threw it back into
the surf. Then, smiling at the man, he said…”I made a difference for that one.”
-Loren Eisley

Each child is one of millions of abandoned, poor, orphaned children. Each has a unique story, but all suffer a great deal of pain and suffering. Even in today's society, we are told about the injustice that happens through the media, but we react the same way we would each day.

Surprisingly, I also found out that in these ads they only depict and explain the story of one child. I did not even realize that this one story, this one ad, can make me think about society and the many millions of poor people in society (So this is their strategy!). I beleive that through this one story, it will persuade people to think about the many millions of children similar to that child who are suffering. Here is a article going more in depth about this.

Blog #9: March 24, 2009: Pleasant in the Inside

I was never convinced that prisons were a pleasant place to spend time in. I was never convinced that pleasant conversations could be started in there. I always thought the prisoners themselves were the baddies. Never did I think that the guards there would be cruel to those prisoners. I made many false assumptions regarding prisons, but never would I have imagined that so many shocking things that were discussed in this article of Newsweek, "The Guard Who Found Islam" could happen in real life.

You'd think that being a guard at a prison like Guantanamo would be a uneventful task. But what happened to Army specialist Terry Holdbrooks was indeed memorable. Turns out, talking to the detainees is certainly not a bad, intimidating thing. Holdbrooks developed a strong relationship with one of the detainees, Ahmed Errachidi. Talking to this detainee, Holdbrooks started to have different views about the prison and the people in it. Our false assumption that people in the prison are bad people and will never have a connection with you is entirely wrong. We may develop a strong friendship, learn that you and the prisoner have a lot in common, learn something new, and have entirely new ways of viewing life. Heck, we may even agree with the opinions of these detainees, who we thought were horrid, heartless people. Holdbrooks, on the other hand, converted to Islam, changing his life forever.

We even think that the detainees are treated neither good nor bad. The guards just keep watch, give them their food, thats it... The detainees are treated both good and bad, depending on the guards. There have been some degrading and sadistic acts against the prisoners committed by guards or soldiers who wanted revenge. That is the obvious thought. There have also been surprisingly good interactions between the guards and detainees, such as conversations regarding politics, religion, and other "fun" topics. The guards even showed empathy towards the detainees, thinking why those detainees were there in the first place, being treated so badly. Unfortunately, many of us think that these bad people deserve to be punished. But hey, if we actually had a nice conversation with these detainees, we might have a better understanding of them.

"We talked about everything, normal things, and things [we had] in common."
-Ahmed Errachidi

Even the most savage of soldiers could be converted, just like Holdbrooks. Let not the outside nor the inside of the prison intimidate or scare you. Even in this seemingly "cold" and "dark" environment, pleasant, life-changing things can happen. But at the same time, realizing the acts of hatred and way the detainees are being treated can cause some emotional trauma to a person. Even the prisoner must get used to the freedom he gets when leaving the prison,

"trying to learn how to walk without shackles and trying to sleep at night with
the lights off." -Ahmed Errachidi

Here is an article of how prisoners of Guantanamo are stripped of their identity.

Blog #8: March 17, 2009: Geez, of All People, They Must Have the Good Life!

Jason Lezak (what a hottie). If you watched the Beijing Olympics, you must have followed Michael Phelp's adventure towards 8 gold medals. This adventure and goal was to be fulfilled through the 4x100 meter freestyle relay, where both Michael Phelps and Michael Lezak participiated in. If you watched this amazing relay, you must know that the U.S. indeed won, thanks to the incredible record-breaking finish of Jason Lezak. After this historic finish, of course he recieved popularity, the spotlight, money.

Well, 2 out of 3 ain't that bad right? WRONG. The lack of large amounts of money may ruin his swimming career. Behind the Olympian, gold-medal winning, record-breaking swimmer is a casual man struggling to maintain the necessities that are needed to support himself, his family, and his swimming career. After I read an article of Newsweek called "America's Unemployed Olympic Hero," I learned a lot about the situation a lot of athletes are going through. We tend to overlook these things. We fail to see the casual person that hides under that popular, famous personality. YES PEOPLE, even the most talented, skilled and the epitome of athletes struggle today. Though they are peerless in skill, sublime in their own sport and seemingly impeccable, many athletes who are unemployed are quickly trying to make deals with sponsors (speed dating) in order to get back to their sport. Lezak's agent says:

"Athletes are starting to say they can't do it. Even in boom times, most
athletes struggle between Olympic games; post-Beijing, sponsorships have
evaporated along with everything else in the economy."

Like many athletes, Jason Lezak depends on the money he makes now to carry him on for a while. We dont realize he needs to find money quick because of the taxes, equipment and travel spendings he has to make. Jason Lezak was never a child prodigy, working his way up year after year. I'm sure money never stopped him year after year, and it would be such a shame if all that hard work was completely stopped because of a money problem. Jobs are difficult, and time-consuming, but swimming for many dedicated athletes like Lezak IS the job. They train many times a day, many days a week. These athletes are passionate about what they do, but money is a large challenge in their life. Even people like me struggle with money and sometimes have to give up items or temptations or passions. But we will never give up on something that makes us happy just because of a road-block like money.

Post #7: March 10, 2009: Labels in the Christian World

This week, I read an article of Newsweek by Lisa Miller called “A Christian by Any Other Name.” This article discusses how many denominations have sprung up and how the word “Christian” has fallen into narrower niches and groups. As people in the Christian world struggle to find their identity, many other people have gotten use to the label “follower of Jesus” and are gaining much popularity from the youth. Here are some advantages that boosters say in the Newsweek article:

“Follower of Jesus” has at least two advantages over “Christian” or
“evangelical.” First, it doesn’t carry baggage. You can wear it abroad, in
Islamic countries, or at home with your Jewish or Buddhist friends, without
causing offense. Second, it distances the bearer from the culture wars that have
made American politics so defensive.” http://www.newsweek.com/id/188198

After reading the article, I wonder how the word “Christian” in our society and culture has changed. I also am curious about the many other advantages and disadvantages of being a “follower of Jesus.” The first reason I thought the label “follower of Jesus” was brought up was because others thought they were to act and follow Jesus in the way we served the poor and loved each other. In other cases, we self-apply the label based on creeds and list of beliefs, not based on our behavior. Creeds, doctrines and prayers are very important in our religion, but I believe those are not primary ways of showing the world we are followers of Jesus.

There are many flaws with this label. Sometimes you may be a “follower” of Jesus, but if you do not believe in important beliefs such as Jesus rose from the dead or that we were saved because of Jesus’ sacrifice, then you are not a Christian. This makes me wonder the possible reasons why people chose to differentiate between “Christian” and “followers of Jesus.” One reason I thought was because the word “Christian” has gotten such a bad reputation because of “pretenders,” so real followers are avoiding the word in favor of something that means the same but with a different reputation.

Since the name “Christian” was introduced to the world a long time ago, its meaning and title has gone through many multiple transitions. Starting from religious persecution, to a religious faith as a formal way of expression through theology, to a time of reformation making a designation between “Christian” and “Catholic,” the word “Christian” has gone through many alterations, including many denominations and cults. But the word “Christian” has been viewed within society differently at many different times. At some point, the label Christian might have been given to those who show characteristics that are taught and exemplified by Jesus, ultimately meaning that person was “good.” Other examples would be the “word” Christian viewed as a political stance or relief work such as humanitarianism.

When interviewed about how the world is communicating Christianity with a judgemental attitude and about the concern about message and method, Dave Gibbons said this:

When I relate globally I usually say I’m a Christ follower rather than a
Christian. There are elements within our cultural Christianity that is not at
the heart of who Jesus is. As you travel, you begin to understand that the
problem isn’t Jesus as much as it is the things we’ve added to Jesus and the
gospel.

The spelling of the name is identical, but the meanings place us in different stances and positions. It is because of these differences that the name “Christian” keeps on changing and also why different denominations and cults form. You could ask 100 people about what the word “Christian” means and you will get many different views and opinions. Labels make it seem like one denomination or label is better than the other. What is your opinion on this? Would “follower of Jesus” suit you better than the label “Christian?” What is your definition of the word “Christian.”

Post #6: March 3, 2009: American Public Enemy # Goose!

Ever since US Airways Flight 1549 was successful in its landing on the Hudson River in January, a new "villain" has emerged in society: Wild Goose! The cause of this unusual landing was the impact of a flock of geese, resulting in a loss of thrust from both engines. Ever since this occurence, there seemed to be an all-out avian assault. In an article of Newsweek called "Even to Friends, the Goose is Cooked," people have offered new "weapons" to make sure that geese do not threated human lives. It's true that experiencing a possibility of going through a plane crash is traumatizing, but these innocent geese should not be blamed.

Awwww. Look at that cute, innocent goose. Im pretty sure it didn't mean any harm. Despite their cuteness, everyone seems to be turning against them. A technique where you find their eggs and cover them in corn oil to stop their embroyonic process has been mentioned and encouraged. Aww poor babies. Here are other control techniques suggested to control and limit goose problems. Ever since the landing, even organizations devoted to the birds' humane treatment are on the side of these control techniques.

"But that's the life of the goose today: even your friends want you dead."
-Matthew Phillips

Imagine how bad these birds would be considered if the landing was unsuccessful. But, what animal activists and bird lovers want America to understand is how the goose got there. Airports are built near wetlands where the geese live. Golf courses, homes and other buildings are built near lakes. The geese are trapped and have no where to go. Some people have even recommended egg addling (covering eggs in corn oil) or even birth control for geese. Poor geese. The problem has escalated to all-out goose assault, even though its not the geeses' fault.

What is your opinion on this? What do you think is the best way to handle this?

Post #5: February 24, 2009: You chose to read this blog. Skip to page 79

As I was sitting in English class, my fellow classmates were having a “discussion” with my teacher about how we don’t do any “fun” projects (apparently, FUN isn’t allowed in that class), and somehow the Choose Your Own Adventure game comes up. Well, my teacher said it was a great idea, but we all knew she would never let us do it as a project. Despite this, I decided to reminisce childhood memories by reading a Choose Your Own Adventure book about Mario, a Nintendo character.

When I did these, I always felt anxious and uncommitted to all of the options. Sometimes I felt that there would be other choices, but the stupid book didn’t have it as a choice. As a child, when reading those books, I always thought that there will always be only ONE right choice, so whenever the action I chose led to “my” death, I got frustrated a lot. How was I supposed to know if Mario should save his beloved Princess Peach or his dear brother, Luigi? Isn’t that something Mario should decide for himself? Why must I have to choose the tough decisions for him, while he gets the easier decisions? You chose to save Princess Peach! Skip from page 2 to page 147! So I guess I completely missed the point when reading these types of books! Haha

"If these books are to be exercises in decision-making . . . there should be
motivation for each choice offered, so that readers have to weigh factors in
favor of each choice.” -Edward Packard http://biography.jrank.org/pages/146/Packard-Edward-1931.html

The great thing about these books is that we are making the choices and discovering outcomes. We try and choose the best choice or action, and we consider the outcomes before we choose what page we turn too. We are assuming the role of the protagonist! We are getting involved into the story! It’s also a great literature experience if you want to get a break from all the intense reading you go through in school. These books involve the reader directly in choosing options through the course of the book about where to go next, which plot twist they desire to follow, and which action would be most logical for them, and thus provide millions of possible plot paths and endings in which the reader is the "author" of the story. Here is a quote by the creator of these kinds of books, Edward Packard, explaining how he actually got the idea of choosing your own adventure.

"If I were a better storyteller I wouldn't have come up with this idea," he once
recalled. "I'd have been able to devise the endings by myself. Sometimes while
telling my kids stories, I'd get stuck or feel too tired to go on. I would ask
the kids, 'What do you think Pete would do now?' To some extent I was
introducing the Socratic method of questioning for which law school training is
famous. The kids loved it. The storytelling became lively and, of course,
bedtime was often delayed while we worked out all the adventures the hero might
have enjoyed or suffered if he/she had made a different decision." -Edward Packard http://biography.jrank.org/pages/146/Packard-Edward-1931.html

Though not a book, here is a youtube video that is very similar to a Choose Your Own Adventure book, where YOU make the decisions! Good Luck! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lFfNDFDUuA

Post #4: February 17, 2009: I'm in it for the Money!

I must admit to you all, that the only reason I am blogging is for the money. I am planning on making this a business. I have high hopes for this blog, for it will be the only source of income i will be recieving once I quit my job. Easy money oh yeah! Although I may start at 5-10 views per week, I am hoping that the views will start increasing! Oh my gosh, I'm going to be so rich!

Okay, so I hope everyone knows I'm just kidding around. I'll admit to you all, I did have the idea, but after reading this article from Newsweek about a fellow blogger, Daniel Lyons, I'm pretty doubtful about it. This fellow blogger, determined to turn his blog into a business, posted several times a day on his site, The Secret Diary of Steve Jobs. He even blogged in the middle of the night when he had an idea. This obcessed behavior was viewed by him as "worth it" by telling himself that "at the end of this rainbow I would find a huge pot of gold." Reading this quote, I think to myself, "What good will this blog do for me in the long run?" Man, Daniel Lyons, I somewhat feel your pain. My English teacher makes me write dreadful blogs every week about something educational or whatever.

Haha. So is blogging really worth it? Blogging may not be worth the "large" money you may possibly recieve, causing a lot of poor health, such as too much gained weight. Even with the many viewers we may have, some might stalk us, threaten us, or insult us. And if we really want a increase in audience, researchers say that advertisers want blogs that are less predictable and that attract a large audience. Only a very few make a decent living. I am certainly not going to be making millions with a blog. Neither will I be that advertiser who is also making millions by hoping and lucky guessing that "that" blog will rake up the dough. We all wish it would be true, but blogging just for the experience and enjoyment is the larger award. Psh, who needs money.

So what do you think? Is blogging really worth it? Could YOUR blog be the one that makes millions? Feel free to give me your opinions and your opinion on my blog.

Post #3: February 10, 2009: Did she really just say that?

Oh gosh. So I was watching the episode "The Drumhead" of Star Trek. Im not an intense Star Trek fan or anything, but this episode was very interesting, even though I know abosoluted nothing about the characters. Despite my lack of knowledge of these characters, this episode really displays the character and traits of the commanders, captains, and admirals. I also was curious about the word drumhead, and found out that a drumhead trial is an unfair, biased, or hasty judicial hearing that ends in a harsh punishment. What really caught my full attention is Admiral Satie, a special investigator asked to help with an investigation concerning a conspiracy.

At first, she appears as a just woman. But as we progress through this episode, it is clear what her true intentions are. Admiral Satie used her good reputation of discovering a conspiracy for her to "flourish" and what not. So you can say that her few good "deeds" and reputation were only a cover. She had already uncovered 2 persons who were lying, and was convinced that there were more spies on the ship. Doing this, she revealed herself and criticized the captain and the order in the ship. She criticized the captain's command style and even questioned his loyalty. She noted many wrong things the captain did, but always failed to see the certain circumstances and situations the captain was currently in. But as soon as the captain reminds her about her father and his thoughts and beliefs, she feels insulted and goes on this crazy rave about how the captain is insulting her. Now here, she kinda freaked me out. She probably even freaked herself out. At first, she seemed like a just person. But now...

Admiral Satie then responds by saying she will destroy him! Okay, is it me, or is she like a lot like Danforth? Way to put a crucible character i dislike into this episode. She thinks just because she has the most authority she is doing the right, most just thing. She immediately thinks that because there is some suspicion, someone is starts out guilty! She starts making groundless assumptions and accusations based on the captains past experiences.

There have been others in the past who doubted me. They came to regret it.
-Admiral Nora Sadie

Captain John Picard certainly did not regret it! Please, do not hesitate to express your thoughts about this. If you would want to view more quotes from this episode, go here.

Post #2: February 2, 2009: Clever, Arthur Miller, Very Clever

After reading the play "Crucible," I was pretty curious about why this play was called that. I had no idea that the word Crucible would have a large connection to the actual play. According to dictionary.com, the world crucible has two meanings that are very appropriate to the content of the play. The first meaning describes a crucible as "a container of metal or refractory material employed for heating substances to high temperatures" in order to gain the pure element. The second meaning is "a severe trial and test" of patience and belief.

In connection with the actual play, the crucible represents a severe trial and test of the accused persons personalities. For example, John Proctor's integrity, morals, beliefs, and honesty were tested. Like a chemistry crucible, the play is about ridding of the weak and false characteristics of a person and revealing his or her true "pure" identity. There is a transformation that takes place between the characters and as well as the changes of the town. There is a great deal of tension in the town, and things start to "heat up." The people, court, and town were "heated" and pressured with greed and fear. In the end, just like a crucible, the town is left with something that has been changed by the heat: disorder and chaos.

The Crucible can also represent the courtroom in the play. The judge used the heat of questioning and pressures upon the accused, so they burned away all the impurities (lies) to get to the purified truth. All the accused were the metals in the crucible. They were being tested if they could withstand the pressures and "heat" of the trials. In the end, only a few people were able to withstand the "heat" and keep their pride, dignity, and morals. Many people "melted," but I am doubtful if they could live their lives knowing they gave up their morals and dignity.

Post #1, January 27, 2009: Obama: Impact on the East. FAR EAST

The inauguration speech of President Obama had a large impact for my hometown of Obama, Japan (yes, it does exist). The fact that our town would be sharing a name with America's next president, who would be the first black President of the United States, brought us much excitement, joy, and pride. Mostly everyone in Japan supported Obama and awaited his speech ever so patiently. Everyone had parties and gathered around just to watch the speech also. We even danced around foolishly, doing some dance called "hula."

We have great respect for President Obama, who went straight to the point about how he and the American people would get out of the economic crisis and the many difficulties that they face and lie ahead. Many of the quotes of Obama sum up the way I wish Japan was like America, and as allies, I hope we will help each other achieve the greatness that Obama has proclaimed.

With old friends and former foes, we'll work tirelessly to lessen the nuclear threat, and roll back the specter of a warming planet... For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus, and non-believers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth; and because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation, and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace...

This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed, why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent mall.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/inaugural-address/

America needs our help to ushering this new era of peace. This is a message, not only to us, but to the whole world. President Obama clearly identified the steps we must take to become a greater world, and remembering his words will make a difference. After listening to the speech, many of my fellow members of society have been brushing up their English and public speaking skills because of Obama's inspiring public speaking skills. His message inspired us, giving us a view of the American's condition, telling us how America must take many steps in order to endure the difficulties they face today and in the future, how we are very much like them, and what we, the people of Japan, must do to help.

These "Obama books" feature many Obama speeches with Japanese translation. The speech has influenced English classes in the schools of Japan. Many students here are beginning to follow along as they listen to Obama's voice from a CD. This CD and book have helped students become more skilled at orating, and at the same time, help them learn about American politics and the American condition (OMG English and History COMBINED). I must admit that I have also picked up this book, attempting to recite this speech just as Obama did (I failed miserably). Surprisingly, schools have also started Obama mimicry lessons in order to become better speakers as well. I also believe that reciting and remembering this speech will help the world realize what we must do to make the world a better place.

http://www.reuters.com/article/politicsNews/idUSTRE50J4AQ20090120

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/19/world/asia/19japan.html

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28757230/