~Noah Schlottman
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Friday, April 29, 2011
Letter to the Prez
Write a letter to President Obama in which you address American foreign policy in the Middle East and North Africa, with the Marshall Plan as a basis for your ideas. Please quote from, cite, or otherwise reference at least three article from major publications or websites!
note, you must have an account to access this article, but it's worth making a free account for:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2005/jun/03/internationalaidanddevelopment.hearafrica05
http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/2011/tables/11s1298.pdf
http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/2011/tables/11s1298.pdf
exciting document on foreign aid: http://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/31987.pdf
Good Article Comment:
I’ve enjoyed reading this article and I agree with the authors’ view that, as far as Africa is concerned, the current aid paradigm is flawed, for the reasons that the aid system is on government or NGO projects, rather than local businesses. Still, I’m not quite sure whether a Marshall Plan type of external intervention can ever work in Africa. Here are my reservations and views.
First, in addition to its political aim, the Marshall Plan was a reconstruction (not a construction) plan, which implies the pre-existence of knowledge and human capital require to re-build the devastated Europe. After the WW2 Europe was devastated, but its entrepreneurs/local business class, which built and maintained its prewar infrastructure/institutions, were still able to re-build their economies. Africa has been poor for decades or centuries and has yet to develop an adequate human capital able to absorb huge inflows of Marshall Plan type. Since entrepreneurship is known to be crucial in stimulating economic growth through the creation and transformation of knowledge, it could make sense to think that certain types of government and NGO projects can still help.
Second, as a catalyst, there is no doubt that the financial resources made available by the Marshall Plan were important. Yet, related conditionalities were also a key element in breaking up structural rigidities and bringing about economic growth and prosperity. We know well how reluctant most African leaders are when it comes to creating a business friendly environment.
Third, simply purring huge financial flows in the end of a government that doesn’t know how to build a road (i.e. absence of the required knowledge or entrepreneurship) will only fuel the most favorite sport of African leaders: corruption and all kinds of wastes. While European leaders didn’t divert US fund into their own pockets, very few African leaders would miss such an opportunities “from heaven”.
[In] breif, Africa doesn’t need a Marshall Plan, rather the like of George Marshall.
~Jean-Claude Maswana"
---------------------------------
Dear Mr. President,
The United States of America is the world's protector of the freedoms of expression and worship, and freedom from want and fear. Our vast resources and influence should ensure that those freedoms are upheld worldwide. This has led to government agencies dedicated to providing economic and humanitarian assistance to people and countries worldwide. However, these programs--such as the United States Agency for International Development--have received a great amount of criticism due to, simply, mismanagement of funds. There have been outcries against the cost of foreign aid because the USA is spending in the range of 45 to 50 billion in foreign aid every year. This only makes up a little over 1% of the federal budget, however, that fact does not relegate such amounts to pocket change. The issue here is not the amount of monies spent on foreign aid, but their management and, consequently, their effectiveness in the countries that America assists. An effective foreign aid policy needs to be implemented, modeled after the best success story of the 20th century--the European Recovery Program. Although the Marshall Plan was not perfect, it remains the optimum example of an economic program that set the foundation for the strong economy, infrastructure, and democracy-based political systems that the majority of Europe enjoys.
Strong support of the small business sector in the United States is a necessary element in order to stimulate the economy, foster an entrepreneurial mindset in the American people, and support and strengthen the middle class, which is the bastion of democracy in any free nation. In Africa, our aid and support philosophy should be no different. Our aid monies need to go directly to the people and small businesses instead of African governments and N.G.O.s that are either corrupt or ineffective. The success of the Marshall Plan was founded in the management, tracking, and strategic distribution of the billions of dollars allocated for European Recovery, which were intended to stimulate business, commerce, and infrastructure, and help rebuild, feed, and supply Europe with the necessary resources and tools for long-term restoration.
Africa can be set up for success in a similar fashion, despite the fact that "recovery" would be, in fact, mostly laying the building blocks--the necessary elements--of a thriving country from scratch. Several facts that stem from the knowledge that Africa will be starting at zero are merely acknowledgements of their limitations and susceptibilities. Many African governments are, admittedly, just as corrupt (if not moreso) than their previous Imperialist rulers. The continent's countries, even though rich in natural resources, have no domestic means of utilizing them and often Western mega-conglomerates step in and exploit that country's resources, providing a minimal amount of economic or developmental stimulus in that nation in comparison to the benefits a domestic business staffed by Africans who have been trained in that area for that express reason and employing only locals might bring.
Part of the issue with development in the third world is education and training, knowledge and access. The Western world cannot solve the problems of the third world for them; we can effect change where we are involved and ignite the elements necessary for a strong foundation of infrastructure and ideals that have allowed the United States and Europe to have solid footing even through all sorts of different global crises. Developing a plan that will create a new Africa that will be able to thrive next to the USA and the EU will require a reconsideration of what could be called aid "philosophies"--ideals that inhibit the very business, infrastructure, economy, and politic that we wish to establish in the third world.
Democracy--as the current political epitome of justice, liberty, free will, choice, opportunity, etc. in the civilized world--would be the natural conclusion to a successful, thriving nation with a strong middle class, low levels of poverty, and increasing levels of standard of living, education, and healthcare. Many have commented on the different things the U.S. should focus on and ignore when it comes to foreign aid policies. Glenn Hubbard, although not right in all his conclusions, has outlined in several different publications some misnomers of American foreign aid policy, about which he goes into greater detail than I will here. These are concepts great in intention, but not always effective in practice. Among them are the misconceptions that infrastructure must come before the business that are necessary to support the almost nonexistent infrastructure throughout Africa; that Democracy must be established before we can help countries that will never see its advantages if we don't start stimulating their economies and supporting the people; that microfinance will start up enough small businesses and promote enough entrepreneurs to plant the seeds of an innovated middle class;
Africa can be set up for success in a similar fashion, despite the fact that "recovery" would be, in fact, mostly laying the building blocks--the necessary elements--of a thriving country from scratch. Several facts that stem from the knowledge that Africa will be starting at zero are merely acknowledgements of their limitations and susceptibilities. Many African governments are, admittedly, just as corrupt (if not moreso) than their previous Imperialist rulers. The continent's countries, even though rich in natural resources, have no domestic means of utilizing them and often Western mega-conglomerates step in and exploit that country's resources, providing a minimal amount of economic or developmental stimulus in that nation in comparison to the benefits a domestic business staffed by Africans who have been trained in that area for that express reason and employing only locals might bring.
Part of the issue with development in the third world is education and training, knowledge and access. The Western world cannot solve the problems of the third world for them; we can effect change where we are involved and ignite the elements necessary for a strong foundation of infrastructure and ideals that have allowed the United States and Europe to have solid footing even through all sorts of different global crises. Developing a plan that will create a new Africa that will be able to thrive next to the USA and the EU will require a reconsideration of what could be called aid "philosophies"--ideals that inhibit the very business, infrastructure, economy, and politic that we wish to establish in the third world.
Democracy--as the current political epitome of justice, liberty, free will, choice, opportunity, etc. in the civilized world--would be the natural conclusion to a successful, thriving nation with a strong middle class, low levels of poverty, and increasing levels of standard of living, education, and healthcare. Many have commented on the different things the U.S. should focus on and ignore when it comes to foreign aid policies. Glenn Hubbard, although not right in all his conclusions, has outlined in several different publications some misnomers of American foreign aid policy, about which he goes into greater detail than I will here. These are concepts great in intention, but not always effective in practice. Among them are the misconceptions that infrastructure must come before the business that are necessary to support the almost nonexistent infrastructure throughout Africa; that Democracy must be established before we can help countries that will never see its advantages if we don't start stimulating their economies and supporting the people; that microfinance will start up enough small businesses and promote enough entrepreneurs to plant the seeds of an innovated middle class;
Thursday, April 21, 2011
BLOGHEELEVVEN
If you were President, how would you confront the multiple issues surrounding the Geneva Conventions that we have discussed in class over the past week?
As President of the United States of America, in light of the ongoing debate surrounding the Geneva Conventions and political controversy generated by the publicity and accompanying hysteria of the ethically easy but politically touchy issue of Guantanamo's illegality, and the rights, liberties, and placement of its inmates, I shall resign the Presidency effective at noon tomorrow. To have served in this office is to have felt a very personal sense of kinship with each and every American, with all of our migrant workers, even with the enemy combatants that have succumbed to our just interrogation methods. In leaving the Presidency, I do so with this prayer: May God's grace be with you in all the days ahead. God bless and good night.
As President of the United States of America, in light of the ongoing debate surrounding the Geneva Conventions and political controversy generated by the publicity and accompanying hysteria of the ethically easy but politically touchy issue of Guantanamo's illegality, and the rights, liberties, and placement of its inmates, I shall resign the Presidency effective at noon tomorrow. To have served in this office is to have felt a very personal sense of kinship with each and every American, with all of our migrant workers, even with the enemy combatants that have succumbed to our just interrogation methods. In leaving the Presidency, I do so with this prayer: May God's grace be with you in all the days ahead. God bless and good night.
Honors Blog Essay Paper Story Historical Fiction Letter
Dear Dotty,
It’s been too long since I’ve written anything that actually meant something. I wanted to tell you all that I’ve seen and done in the battlefield while the war was still raging, but my C.O. and I don’t get along well at all. So it seems like all the letters you’ve gotten have been scissored up by him or another officer—that or they give them back to me with a red stamp that unfailingly declares: “Loose Lips Sink Ships.” All the work the officers ever did was sit and read our letters to home—snipping and clipping and laughing. Now that the war’s over, they have absolutely nothing to do. Anyways, I don’t think anything in my letters would have cost us even one soldier, more or less the war.
Nonetheless, my current happiness comes from the prospect of coming home to the States and you and Ma and little Joey. The war was such a blur and everything happened so fast that all the good is mixed with the bad, and above it all is snow, lots of snow, and fog and cold and the sound of the buzz bombs overhead and the eerie swoosh of the German MG42 machine guns. Tex and I made it, both with purple hearts and scars to show for it, but we survived as well as any man could in those conditions.
While you read the papers and worried over me stateside, I didn’t fare any worse than any of the other soldiers.
I remember the start of the Ardennes-Alsace campaign in the biting cold of December, when the Germans started a bombardment along 80 miles of our line that didn’t seem at all out of the ordinary, just retaliation for a similar attack on our part the day before. My division’s lines weren’t being attacked, but by the end of the day the radio was humming with the messages and reports of the front lines. The Germans were heading a huge offensive attack, a final grab at victory. That same day it seemed like the snow wouldn’t stop falling. The Ardennes look like a Christmas card and the snow feels so light when it first falls, but it’s heavier than wearing iron weights—the cold that renders you immobile, the snow that rests on all of your clothing and equipment, the wet, cold melt that permeates your skin, and the fog that follows like a mucky brew of fate. Trudging and attempting to coordinate actions that would pass for fighting is agonizing.
On the 18th we were told to move out. The day before we heard that the Germans had massacred tens of prisoners of war somewhere around Malmedy so we packed up quick and were on the move almost immediately; intel said it was all or nothing, the Germans weren’t taking any prisoners. Me and Tex were scared sick. We’d seen enough greenies get captured, wounded, or killed on their first day in action not to be a little sick to know that we were going to be fighting Nazis in this kind of weather, when the fog was so thick and the nights so black you never knew if the buzz bombs were going to land right next to you or miles away.
Moving to the new defensive lines in the Ardennes was slow work, especially for the vehicles and artillery. The roads were like slides of ice that the trucks, and even tanks and half-tracks slid and skidded off of. When the temperature warmed a little, it all turned to muck and mire. But we trudged on nonetheless. When we made it to the front lines, there were piles of snow that resembled fresh-dug graves in the winter. But they were just bodies in the cold, covered by the never-ending torrent of snow and sleet that would pile on top of them and hide their eternal slumber from our eyes. I never knew how many were ours or Germans, but at that point it didn’t matter, they would just be another tally mark to the hundreds already dead.
And me and Tex had barely made it to the front lines before the white around us became glaringly whiter. And that’s all I remember. They tell me it was a buzz bomb that landed over 25 yards away. But with a buzz bomb, that’s close enough to kill if the shrapnel pierces in all the right places. I’ve seen less kill a man.
But that’s all that happened to me since my last letter, which was probably snipped into innocence by my C.O.
You deserved to know how my time in action was cut short. I was one of the lucky ones in that battle. When they told me around 20,000 of ours died, I imagined thousands upon thousands of those freshly-piled snow graves across the terrain of the Ardennes; bodies being swept under the carpet of fresh powder.
Hope that you and Joey or anyone for that matter never has to see anything like that.
With all my love,
Chet
Sources:
good letter to home:
this one is really good:
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Semester-ay Dos, Blog Ten
After struggling through the Great Depression, Gerry Tedesco (my great-grandfather) joined the Navy and was stationed in Maine at the start of the war. During the glorified sequel to the Great War, he fought the U-Boats in the North Atlantic Theatre. When the infamous German submarines no longer posed a serious threat to the Allies, he was transferred to San Diego to help fight the Japanese in the South Pacific towards the end of 1943.
Thursday, April 14, 2011
WW2 imagery
USA WW2 Propaganda:
Nazi Germany WW2 photography, in a way. The Einsatzgruppen were German "police" who combed captured territory (after the army had taken it over) and searched, captured, and killed Jews:
It is astounding, shocking, and horrific that the Third Reich would dedicate special forces to killing Jews-- forces that would search through records and roam the defeated territories in order to find and murder innocent people--and then would take the time to make sure that none survived.
Source:
One of a series designed by the Douglas Aircraft Company, Inc. under its material conservation program. Courtesy of the National Archives and Records Administration.
Description:
If the USA conserves material and doesn't waste her resources, we'll "trap the Japs" who are depicted by a brown mouse with buck teeth, round glasses, and a rising sun military cap. It's anti-Japanese propaganda.
Reaction:
That's not racist at all.
Nazi Germany WW2 photography, in a way. The Einsatzgruppen were German "police" who combed captured territory (after the army had taken it over) and searched, captured, and killed Jews:
Source:
From the Main Commission for the Investigation of Nazi War Crimes.
From the Main Commission for the Investigation of Nazi War Crimes.
Description:
In this photo, a German policeman shoots individual Jewish women who remain alive in the ravine after a mass execution. (1942) The Einsatzgruppen where special forces dedicated to finding Jews and bringing them to concentration camps; when transporting them proved too inefficient, the Jews where massacred outside of the towns and villages where they were found.
Reaction:
Reaction:
WW2 Photography (USA):
Source:
Arland B. Musser, US Signal Corps.
Courtesy National Archives, Washington D.C.
Decsription:
American Soldiers from the 45th Infantry Division lined up, shot, and massacred German Prisoners of War in the Dachau Concentration Camp. Dead German soldiers lay against the length of the white wall, one-fourth of which is shown here, and the soldiers still standing were shot after the picture was taken. U.S. soldiers killed tens of German soldiers, many during the liberation of the camp but at least a dozen after they had surrendered.
Reaction:
All's fair in love and war. Many of the American Soldiers were reacting to the mass killing of Jews they saw throughout the concentration camp, a massacre that far surpassed that of the U.S. soldiers themselves. I wouldn't justify their actions, but the way they reacted is certainly understandable. Dead bodies filled train, the gas chambers, and the crematory.
So it goes.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Life in a Glass of Dandelion Wine ***little Spoiler Alert***
Choice #3) In a well developed, thoughtful piece of writing that uses direct quotes, explain the use of symbols to develop a theme in your novel.
Through different symbols and character studies throughout the book it becomes obvious that the prevalent theme in Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury is that of Life. It seems like a broad, vague, very open-ended concept, but Bradbury looks at life from many different perspectives and in the course of interweaving stories about summer in a small town in Illinois, crafts a theme and a message to readers about how to live life, love life, and know that we are alive, and, most of all, accept life—accept who we are, who we need to be, accept change, accept death in the way of the Count of Monte Cristo, in which perhaps the most important, if not the only message is that we can get the most out of life—the most happiness, joyousness, love—we can drink in the magic of everything around us when we accept life by accepting death.
Through the eyes of many different people in varying stages of life, through dandelion wine and nature, Bradbury shows different perceptions of how life should be lived and perceived. The concept of Life shows up in every single chapter and it would take a book longer than Dandelion Wine to elaborate on all the “living” symbolism, which is part of the beauty of the novel. Therefore, I will only talk about the Life symbolism that appears in the first couple of chapters. Nonetheless, the symbols that appear in the opening of the novel set the stage and the theme for the rest of the story as Douglas, our main character, along with the reader learns more about how life is perceived, lived, loved, hated, cherished, desired, lost, made, and coped with. Often, Bradbury’s words speak for themselves.
Douglas, who summons summer to life in the opening words of the book, first discovers that he is truly alive, not only that he is living, but that he will continue to live for “threescore and ten years,” years in which to enjoy every small facet of the world around him.
Then we learn about Dandelion Wine, which his grandparents make every year from flowers that “dazzle and glitter of molten sun.” There is a whole paragraph of the chapter dedicated to life—no, to living:
“Dandelion Wine. The words were summer on the tongue. The wine was summer caught and stoppered. And now that Douglas knew, he really knew he was alive, and moved turning through the world to touch and see it all, it was only right and proper that some of his new knowledge, some of this special vintage day would be sealed away for opening on a January day with snow falling fast and the sun unseen for weeks or months and perhaps some of the miracle by then forgotten and in need of renewal….The medicines of another time, the balm of sun and idle august afternoons, the faintly heard sounds of ice wagons passing on brick avenues, the rush of silver rockets and the fountaining of lawn mowers moving through ant countries, all these, all these in a glass.”
I am in awe of the way Bradbury plays with the concept of life. Although we are alive, we may not realize it, heck, we may not even be living. I am amazed that all the life within Summer—sounds, sights, tastes, touch, smells—could be bottled and stoppered, stored away to bring summer back to life, to revive and reincarnate its gloriously precious days, when the world is in the throes of winter. Now that is what I call personification.
Similarly, Douglas wonders about man vs. nature and how no matter how hard we fight against the natural world, we ultimately lose the battle. “It was this then, he mystery of man seizing from the land and the land seizing back, year after year, that drew Douglas, knowing the towns never really won, they merely existed in calm peril, fully accoutered with lawn mower, bug spray and hedge shears, swimming steadily as long as civilization said to swim, but each house ready to sink in green tides, buried forever, when the last man ceased and his trowels and mowers shattered to cereal flakes of rust.” This was life and death in the grand scale, with the town symbolizing human life, the wilderness natural life, and the dark ravine the symbol of death (which is a symbol that is elaborated on when Douglas’s mother worries that he has been kidnapped or murdered one night).
The part of life that Douglas realizes is not only living but knowing that you are alive—not just having life, but living it—a sentiment that could be considered contagious as Douglas, in the pursuit of new sneakers for summer, makes Mr. Sorenson feel alive and young again when he tries to describe the wonders of new sneakers at the start of summer (“Antelopes. Gazelles.)” Sorenson’s captivation is so complete that when he breaks from his reverie and comes back into the store, Bradbury describes it as heading “back toward civilization.”
And those are the 4 main cameos of different concepts of life in the first 25 pages! Throughout the whole book, there is a veritable list of things that symbolize life and its many facets, and Douglas’s interpretation of life as him and Tom find out that happiness is contentment, that old people were never young, that memories make time machines, that life is not the guarantee he thought it was, and that life has magic and meaning only when you accept the concept of death.
Alas, the concept of life—through Douglas, dandelion wine, the ravine, Mr. Sorenson, summer rituals and porch-swings, discontentment and porch-swings, self-trimming grass and the sound of lawnmowers, the dusty patterns on a rug, Mrs. Bentley forever seventy-two, Colonel Freeleigh the Time Machine, the almost death of Mr. Quartermain, the death of the Green Machine, Mr. Tridden, the death of the trolley, and losing John Huff to name the first few symbols—is shown to be open to limitless interpretation—being alive, actually living, life that even inanimate objects possess (happiness granted through knowledge of the past, nostalgia; abstract life), life that we show and pass contagiously onto others, the abundance of natural life that will thrive as we turn to dust, life underappreciated, life and some of its secret riches understood, life and time fleetingly plotting moment after moment and barring the way from prior experiences, with life’s memories the only remnant of things that can never come again, a remembrance that is helpful and dangerous, threatening to be forgotten as moment upon moment assail us as we hurdle through time; life examined and contemplated and turned inside out only to discover that it can only be truly enjoyed when one accepts that, after all of our arguments, regrets, loves, hates, passions, remorse, apathy, enthusiasm, education, diets, sickness, sufferings, travels, fun, boredom, discoveries, laughter, anger, breathing, smelling, touching, tasting, hearing, watching, and waiting comes death.
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Memoirs of a Movement
The experience and wisdom of millennia does not come easily, and the path I have taken to thrive as a main contender of today’s political scene was not an easy road. I often traversed long stretches of neglect and rejection. Yet I was undaunted, although, like a virus of sorts, I only lived on only in the minds of men and women. I would often give myself words of encouragement, more often than not in the third person to alleviate the loneliness that comes with being an ideology: “Worry not, Democracy, people will come back to you in the end. You will be justified, vindicated, and become the epitome of modern, progressive, civilized politics in contrast to the abuses inflicted upon you and burdens of years of neglect.” I was sure that I would one day be embraced by most of the world. And how could I be dissatisfied with the consent of the majority?
As a young child, I was quite reactionary, without a purpose in life or a set of defining factors. In the beginning, I was created as an ends to the means of human satisfaction and a conduit to voice the desires of unhappy beings. Naturally, nobody likes being used, especially when I felt that the just distribution of powers was only a side-effect of my clients’ more materialistic or emotionally-motivated goals. Of course, that was in my days as a private consultant, when my services were used to settle disputes between individuals—I was often called upon with the classic, “Let’s vote on it.”
But settling petty disputes that only required a very limited understanding of who I really was made me a dissatisfied youth, and like most unhappy youths, I soon set out in search of myself.
It was in tribal society that I found my calling—in politics. I was consulted on important matters that determined the goings-on of whole communities, decided who would rule, or resolved matters of law and conduct. Though the societies were primitive and their votes not always the most prudent, I felt needed and was sure that this was my purpose in life.
Though I was still relatively unknown, I set out to see more of the world. My travels took me to Mesopotamia and Sumer, where I was disrespected and in constant conflict with certain enemies I acquired during my stay. Power, Corruption, and Authority were some of my arch nemeses, but they could not always prevail against tides of change and dissatisfaction—people come to me when they need a solution to their political problems.
Nonetheless, my enemies constantly worked against me, in ways I couldn’t compete with. Whoever held or aspired to hold Power could. In fact, oftentimes he would sit on their shoulder, humbly offering advice, as only a dwarf as small as him could. Corruption often catered to a person’s weaknesses, and the voice of Authority often justified many a leader’s actions.
In my journeys, I could never lose them, and over the centuries, they are still as influential as ever. In those early years, I left the Middle East to fight among themselves and execute their power-plays without me, and went east to the sanghas and ganas of ancient India. There, the same problems plagued the change I tried to effect. So I decided to focus my efforts on Europe, where the city-states and progressive thinking of the Grecians showed promise to my searching eyes.
In Ancient Greece, there was constant tension between the Greek city-states and even within them there were calls for reform that often resulted in political upheaval. In Athens, I found a friend in Solon, a poet with whom I spent much time and had many discussions with. He greatly enjoyed my company; so much, in fact, that he soon became a lawyer and lawgiver of sorts, promoting my ideals and negotiating reforms between the conflicting classes in Athens in 594 B.C. I was overjoyed that I was being taken seriously and being used towards good. Of course, after Solon passed the city fell to tyranny for almost one hundred years. Then the politics of Solon were remembered by Cleisthenes and the age of Athenian Democracy truly began; only improving as time progressed.
It was under Pericles that I became radical. My circle of influence was previously restricted to an upper class of citizens that ran the government. Pericles, who was like a father to me, showed me how I should truly be—how I had to give everybody equal opportunity and rights in order to live up to my name. Under his rule (in my name of course), Athens as a center of learning, the arts, and trade and commerce flourished. There were some rough times, but throughout those decades I learned just how much good a previously unrecognized idea like me could be. I was proud of my work.
My experience in Ancient Greece showed me the possibilities of what I could do and gave me the self-confidence and worldwide recognition that I needed to succeed. Armed with new tools and an entourage of acquired ideas, I ventured further into civilized Europe and found myself in Rome. There, I had a son with, um, that doesn’t matter, whom I named Republic. He had the same ideals as me, but the Romans preferred going through him to achieve my goals instead of taking matters directly to me. But I didn’t worry—my son was aided by a not-so-sorry SOP (Separation of Powers) and other ideals aimed at halting Corruption, Power, and Authority. Of course, the lure of Corruption, promise of Power, and voice of Authority are tough competitors to beat. In the end, after more than four-and-a-half centuries of using my son’s services, Republic was defeated and replaced by a dictatorship; Power, Corruption, and Authority had won again.
I was saddened, but history runs in cycles and defeats like this were only to be expected. Afterwards, my son and I traveled around the world helping were help was needed. During our journeys, the west where Democracy had been embraced and molded to fit their ideal government was ruled by monarchies, and Power, Corruption, and Authority ran rampant (or rode horses recklessly). During the Enlightenment, I felt relieved when the philosophes started remembering what my son and I had done, and thought, wrote, and spoke about Democratic and Republican ideals once again. I enjoyed reading the treatises about my family and associates; Montesquieu even went into depth about Separation of Powers, which surely made SOP happy.
The culmination of all of these revolutionary ideas including me (and believe me colliding with a bunch of other ideas can be an unpleasant experience after a while) was the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States of America. In short, I was stoked that my son and I could be part of the foundation for the rest of the… better Enlightenment ideals. In America, my son was more successful than I was—the founding fathers thought he was the best thing since untaxed tea (little did they know that tea would be taxed by the American government! Oh nO!).
While he was thriving in America, I visited some other countries that preferred more direct involvement of the people in government. Eventually, he settled down in Maryland and I found a pleasant, not too big (nor too small) home in a middle-class neighborhood in Switzerland. What I especially enjoyed was the knowledge that I was still developing and changing even in my old age. In the end, every body of every race/ethnicity, gender, etc. gained a voice in government and the right to vote.
Nowadays, my son and I still travel the world, helping where help is needed and being all we can be: ideals. Lately, there have been uprisings against Power, Corruption, and Authority in places they have reigned for too long. There have been calls for reforms and I have been consulted to help in many cases. Yes, indeed, I feel young again with all the political upheaval and reform. Even after being around for thousands of years, there is still change to be made in my name throughout most of the world. As long as there is a need for reform, I, Democracy, will still be alive…and kicking.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Semester Deux, Blog Six
Link to three outstanding Ampersand article pitches that you have seen on other students' blogs.
What makes each one stand out to you? What makes you believe these pitches would lead to great articles? Write a paragraph for each.
http://nateaidanross.blogspot.com/2011/02/semester-two-blog-five.html
I like his first and second pitches that, though cliche, already have direction and character. From ready his simple, somewhat sparse pitch, I can see that his article won't just be another day in the life of an intern, but will have humor, action, romance--scratch that--his article will be unique even though his pitch is nothing new. His content is bound to be interesting when he writes "I came to internship at around 1:00-3:00pm did a whole lot of cleaning and trying to entertain myself, etc." and later "the project only took like a week so I had the rest of the time to be an intern slave." For a seemingly rushed blog post, that's a pretty humorous description.
"...bound to be a bestseller." ~Noah Schlottman, critic for New San Diego Daily Journal.
http://mairavierheller11.blogspot.com/2011/02/semester-two-blog-five.html
Maira's third pitch was really good and original. I wish I'd thought of that, although that would be a very interesting, slightly humorous, totally uneventful, and non-educational piece. I just liked that idea of writing from the point of view of one of the things you frequently used during internship, like a camera, coffee-cup, etc. My perspective can get a little old at times and I must say that I'm not a very good first-person writer; however, if I could write from that point-of-view it would be really cool and creative and all that good stuff. Of course, I'm not sure if that fits the non-fiction requirements...who knows? As I said before though, my article might be very unique and humorous, but totally uninformative.
http://tapandhthma.blogspot.com/2011/02/semester-2-blog-5.html
I really liked the first pitch and how Tomas would compare the human workforce to the bee and insect world. Already, I can see the direction he is going in concerning this full analogy of robotic humans and never-failing busy bees. It would definitely be a unique, engaging way of informing the audience about today's workforce and your experiences and observations during your internship in the hive.
What makes each one stand out to you? What makes you believe these pitches would lead to great articles? Write a paragraph for each.
http://nateaidanross.blogspot.com/2011/02/semester-two-blog-five.html
I like his first and second pitches that, though cliche, already have direction and character. From ready his simple, somewhat sparse pitch, I can see that his article won't just be another day in the life of an intern, but will have humor, action, romance--scratch that--his article will be unique even though his pitch is nothing new. His content is bound to be interesting when he writes "I came to internship at around 1:00-3:00pm did a whole lot of cleaning and trying to entertain myself, etc." and later "the project only took like a week so I had the rest of the time to be an intern slave." For a seemingly rushed blog post, that's a pretty humorous description.
"...bound to be a bestseller." ~Noah Schlottman, critic for New San Diego Daily Journal.
http://mairavierheller11.blogspot.com/2011/02/semester-two-blog-five.html
Maira's third pitch was really good and original. I wish I'd thought of that, although that would be a very interesting, slightly humorous, totally uneventful, and non-educational piece. I just liked that idea of writing from the point of view of one of the things you frequently used during internship, like a camera, coffee-cup, etc. My perspective can get a little old at times and I must say that I'm not a very good first-person writer; however, if I could write from that point-of-view it would be really cool and creative and all that good stuff. Of course, I'm not sure if that fits the non-fiction requirements...who knows? As I said before though, my article might be very unique and humorous, but totally uninformative.
http://tapandhthma.blogspot.com/2011/02/semester-2-blog-5.html
I really liked the first pitch and how Tomas would compare the human workforce to the bee and insect world. Already, I can see the direction he is going in concerning this full analogy of robotic humans and never-failing busy bees. It would definitely be a unique, engaging way of informing the audience about today's workforce and your experiences and observations during your internship in the hive.
Friday, February 18, 2011
Ampersand Ideas
Write out three "pitches" for three different Ampersand articles that you might write for this year's publication.
cool pic, huh?
cool pic, huh?
- For pitch numero uno, I could "recycle" the internship article I wrote for Unboxed, which is titled: "Going Against the Zeitgeist." It should be fully edited and refined well before Ampersand is ready to be a book.
- Of course, I see pitch numero uno as cheating in a way, so I could write a whole new article on internship, maybe focusing a little more on the experience of internship rather than on the process of securing an internship so that I can relate a specific experience rather than outright promote internship. The only flaw I see with this pitch is that I don't have any experiences that really stand out from the rest--no funny stories or immediately transformative, life-changing events.
- I could re-work my mentor interview and use it as my ampersand article (it has some pretty awesome quotes in it).
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Inspirational Article #3
http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2011/02/16/mr_sugarmans_class/
Mr. Sugarman's class by Carlo Rotella
I liked this article because it is a good story and it has to do with writing and education--even if it is in a fourth-grade class. This reporter's opinion is that you need to have the groundwork laid--a fundamental learning basis--if you're going to be successful in higher learning. Therefore, leading to "We know that we need to improve and even out the quality of elementary and secondary education in this country."
The author uses pretty much all of the tips and the way he writes, his voice, is very reader-friendly and engaging. He doesn't throw arguments in your face, but presents his perspective and simply states that we need to improve public education because those are the formative years. Another key component was that the writing and the argument revolved around his story about his experience in Mr. Sugarman's class, not the other way around. It took on a reflective, considerate tone that said, this is what I'm considering, and encourages the reader to think and consider at the same time. It's short and sweet, but remains poignant and effective. I think that it's a good example of narrative nonfiction without being pages long like a New Yorker article. The only thing I think it misses is some solutions for public education. Rotella wants the public and policymakers to stay focused on improving schools, but he doesn't offer any suggestions himself....maybe he didn't want to. Nevertheless, the fact remains that this is a good example of literary journalism that doesn't contain breaking news, important figures, or the like, but is able to give the reader a positive experience and some good reading on a subject that might not always be in the public eye all of the time yet is nonetheless vitally important--kind of like internship.
Mr. Sugarman's class by Carlo Rotella
I liked this article because it is a good story and it has to do with writing and education--even if it is in a fourth-grade class. This reporter's opinion is that you need to have the groundwork laid--a fundamental learning basis--if you're going to be successful in higher learning. Therefore, leading to "We know that we need to improve and even out the quality of elementary and secondary education in this country."
The author uses pretty much all of the tips and the way he writes, his voice, is very reader-friendly and engaging. He doesn't throw arguments in your face, but presents his perspective and simply states that we need to improve public education because those are the formative years. Another key component was that the writing and the argument revolved around his story about his experience in Mr. Sugarman's class, not the other way around. It took on a reflective, considerate tone that said, this is what I'm considering, and encourages the reader to think and consider at the same time. It's short and sweet, but remains poignant and effective. I think that it's a good example of narrative nonfiction without being pages long like a New Yorker article. The only thing I think it misses is some solutions for public education. Rotella wants the public and policymakers to stay focused on improving schools, but he doesn't offer any suggestions himself....maybe he didn't want to. Nevertheless, the fact remains that this is a good example of literary journalism that doesn't contain breaking news, important figures, or the like, but is able to give the reader a positive experience and some good reading on a subject that might not always be in the public eye all of the time yet is nonetheless vitally important--kind of like internship.
Inspirational Article #2
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/16/business/economy/16leonhardt.html?hp
For Egypt, a Fresh Start, With Cities by David Leonhardt
Although this article isn't exactly narrative nonfiction in the New Yorker style, as a newspaper article it utilizes writing tips and pace elements that might normally be forgotten when a student gets caught up writing in the literary journalistic style. Tips like "Make Meaning Early," "Activate Your Verbs," "Watch Those -ings," and "the Loop" are all used in this article because the reporter has to inform us of something new, tell a story, and make a point on one subject. Also, these reporters have to keep it short and sweet. It isn't something that can drag on for pages and pages, which is a fault I've found with using New Yorker articles as writing examples--students learn to recognize good writing, but might then take liberties length-wise and not "Write to an Ending."
What I didn't like about this article was the "if you say this, you're wrong"......argument......"so I say this; I'm right:" set-up. I just don't like the voice of it or the aggressive tone, but that might be a problem with David Leonhardt, not with concise, informative, relevant reporting.
For Egypt, a Fresh Start, With Cities by David Leonhardt
Although this article isn't exactly narrative nonfiction in the New Yorker style, as a newspaper article it utilizes writing tips and pace elements that might normally be forgotten when a student gets caught up writing in the literary journalistic style. Tips like "Make Meaning Early," "Activate Your Verbs," "Watch Those -ings," and "the Loop" are all used in this article because the reporter has to inform us of something new, tell a story, and make a point on one subject. Also, these reporters have to keep it short and sweet. It isn't something that can drag on for pages and pages, which is a fault I've found with using New Yorker articles as writing examples--students learn to recognize good writing, but might then take liberties length-wise and not "Write to an Ending."
What I didn't like about this article was the "if you say this, you're wrong"......argument......"so I say this; I'm right:" set-up. I just don't like the voice of it or the aggressive tone, but that might be a problem with David Leonhardt, not with concise, informative, relevant reporting.
Monday, February 14, 2011
THIS IS A MUST-READ ARTICLE FOR AMPERSAND INSPIRATION!
http://www.hightechhigh.org/unboxed/issue4/ampersand_making_sense_of_internship
Ampersand: Making Sense of Internship by Randy Scherer
I think that this is a great example of a well-written, inspiring article that serves as a good role model of how to write and what to write about, since this article is about internship--Ampersand, to be exact. The beginning of this story--which is a good tip in itself: this is narrative nonfiction, not a research paper on internship--made me connect with the author, even though I've never experienced that same exact situation, because I could relate to the associated feelings of being unprepared, worried about how you will make your vision reality. After that initial "hook" by which he fished me out of life and into his article, I enjoyed the logical structuring of the article--so much, in fact, that I didn't even notice it...maybe because it's that great thing called flow. His story followed a great chronological progression, from the start of the mentor interview to the end product: a book called Ampersand. The anecdote at the beginning--with his thoughts, feelings, worries--and the great quote at the end made this article a definite Concert, not a pancake. The author also used "Make Meaning Early" and watched his -ings. Throughout the whole article, extra factoids and explanations centered around the story and fit in with certain parts, not the other way around, giving it that great flow I mentioned earlier and making it narrative nonfiction, not a research paper with 'just a story' in it.
For further reading about internship in high school education go here: http://dp.hightechhigh.org/~rscherer/gsedp/RLS_ARThesis.pdf
Ampersand: Making Sense of Internship by Randy Scherer
I think that this is a great example of a well-written, inspiring article that serves as a good role model of how to write and what to write about, since this article is about internship--Ampersand, to be exact. The beginning of this story--which is a good tip in itself: this is narrative nonfiction, not a research paper on internship--made me connect with the author, even though I've never experienced that same exact situation, because I could relate to the associated feelings of being unprepared, worried about how you will make your vision reality. After that initial "hook" by which he fished me out of life and into his article, I enjoyed the logical structuring of the article--so much, in fact, that I didn't even notice it...maybe because it's that great thing called flow. His story followed a great chronological progression, from the start of the mentor interview to the end product: a book called Ampersand. The anecdote at the beginning--with his thoughts, feelings, worries--and the great quote at the end made this article a definite Concert, not a pancake. The author also used "Make Meaning Early" and watched his -ings. Throughout the whole article, extra factoids and explanations centered around the story and fit in with certain parts, not the other way around, giving it that great flow I mentioned earlier and making it narrative nonfiction, not a research paper with 'just a story' in it.
For further reading about internship in high school education go here: http://dp.hightechhigh.org/~rscherer/gsedp/RLS_ARThesis.pdf
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Under each link, describe the writing techniques that the author/interviewer uses to create a finished piece of writing that both accurately portrays the interview subject as well as results in a polished work that the reader can enjoy.
Consider the structure of the overall piece, what information is in the beginning and/or end, if an introduction is used, if there is additional writing throughout the piece, if there are references to any follow up questions, physical formatting, etc.
Consider the structure of the overall piece, what information is in the beginning and/or end, if an introduction is used, if there is additional writing throughout the piece, if there are references to any follow up questions, physical formatting, etc.
- http://www.telegraph.co.uk/
culture/music/ rockandpopfeatures/7928784/ Bill-Withers-interview.html - http://www.rollingstone.com/
culture/news/steve-jobs-in- 1994-the-rolling-stone- interview-20110117 - http://www.rollingstone.com/
politics/news/obama-in- command-br-the-rolling-stone- interview-20100928 - John O’Brien: The Design of the Job by Lynn L.
- http://blogs.forbes.com/andygreenberg/2010/11/29/an-interview-with-wikileaks-julian-assange/
- http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/music/article6043331.ece?token=null&offset=0&page=1
- In the Bill Withers interview, the journalist introduces the character with background information and proceeds to narrate in his own style in between quotes that give the audience a look at Withers' personality, his way of speech and thinking. Also, his questions flow with the article instead of breaking it up and making it choppy; he offers them to the reader in the present tense, as if he were asking us the same thing too. The journalist isn't afraid to intersperse his own impressions and other information that he thinks the audience needs to know, but also supports his opinion with quotes, especially the last apathetic statement by Withers.
- Once again, the reporter provides quite a bit of background information about Jobs and the topic of the interview (which is especially helpful now since some of the info is dated), but instead of the style of the Withers interview, this journalist puts his questions in bold and supplies uninterrupted answers below once the interview begins. He also does not conclude it himself, but ends it abruptly at the end of one of Jobs' question responses.
- This last interview with Obama is in a style similar to the Jobs interview (of course, it is from the same magazine). The reporter starts out by telling us what happened and doesn't really focus on background information or anything else, instead quickly jumping into the interview. Her questions are in bold above his responses and any additional information, like what is happening physically (e.g. laughing) is in brackets, which makes it seem rather like a screenplay or script. Even at the very end, she describes what happens in italics between brackets before his final response, which the audience is prepared for, so it wasn't abrupt and out-of-place like the interview with Steve Jobs.
- In The Design of the Job, Lynn provides the usual background info., description of the character in a work setting, and even some quotes from outside the interview. She tells us how long the interview lasted and once the interview starts, the speaker is designated much like a script. However, the ending is smooth as it sends the reader and O'Brien back into their lives with a look into the future and what happens next.
- In this Forbes interview with Julian Asange, Greenberg introduces the audience to Asange and gives us all the reasons for the interview--on the Sunday before this November interview, Asange released over 250,000 classified U.S. documents on his website WikiLeaks. In addition to background information, the interviewer references previous statements by Asange, even providing a quote from the interview itself at the end of the introduction. The interview, done in the usual 'script' format after the introduction, is self-declared as "edited" and accurately portrays the Asange and his purpose, and attempts to divulge more information that wasn't previously known to the public. There is no outro/conclusion at the end, but the interview stops at the end of a question.
- This was an interview with Bob Dylan from a couple years back. I chose it because I noticed that it has no introduction or background information, and no conclusion (which many interviews I've seen don't have). However, the interview accurately portrays Bob Dylan and his views on, like the title says, Barack Obama, Ulysses Grant, and American Civil War Ghosts. We get a look into Dylan's personality and thought-process without any input from the reporter. It's pure.
I liked the style of the Bill Withers interview, but most enjoyed the introductions of the Obama and John O'Brien interviews, the styles of which I could utilize in my own mentor interview.
Thursday, February 3, 2011
What have you read lately (say, since last semester), that you found interesting? Why did it catch your attention?
Truthfully, I haven't really read any books between last semester and now. During winter vacation, I visited friends, slept, celebrated Christmas, slept, ate good food, forgot everything I had learned during first semester, slept, and then went to internship. At internship, however, since my mentor and coworkers knew I would have down time, provided me with fun, simple reading--scientific research papers to be exact. I had the chance to leisurely peruse through several of these papers (each of which made up a hefty stapled packet) that talked about neuropsychological studies conducted on children. Most were written or cowritten by one of the people I worked with my project on, Erik Newman, a postdoctoral fellow. From what I read, they were very intriguing and definitely really interesting stuff, but even Erik expressed that he was pained to have to read research papers, or try and write them, at times. What usually caught my attention was the Introduction, which, if you remember Brandon's class, tells you everything. After that, I usually skipped to the Results because that told me what all the other stuff in between actually meant and what purpose it might serve.
When I finally was set up to create the emotional/social test for the upcoming research study with Erik and Connor, I actually went online and tried to find some research studies on previous tests that were similar or had results that pertained to emotional/social development in children. I found a great study conducted in France and I actually read through almost the whole thing, especially since I wanted to know the Procedures because they could help out with the test we had to compose. It was, once again, very intriguing.
My reading attention (as it could be called) has been caught by psychology lately, purely because of the fact that my Internship was all about psychology. Alas, another sign that shows just how much internship messes with your life...of course, that's a good thing said with unintended negative connotations.
However, fear not! I shall READ ON!!!
Truthfully, I haven't really read any books between last semester and now. During winter vacation, I visited friends, slept, celebrated Christmas, slept, ate good food, forgot everything I had learned during first semester, slept, and then went to internship. At internship, however, since my mentor and coworkers knew I would have down time, provided me with fun, simple reading--scientific research papers to be exact. I had the chance to leisurely peruse through several of these papers (each of which made up a hefty stapled packet) that talked about neuropsychological studies conducted on children. Most were written or cowritten by one of the people I worked with my project on, Erik Newman, a postdoctoral fellow. From what I read, they were very intriguing and definitely really interesting stuff, but even Erik expressed that he was pained to have to read research papers, or try and write them, at times. What usually caught my attention was the Introduction, which, if you remember Brandon's class, tells you everything. After that, I usually skipped to the Results because that told me what all the other stuff in between actually meant and what purpose it might serve.
When I finally was set up to create the emotional/social test for the upcoming research study with Erik and Connor, I actually went online and tried to find some research studies on previous tests that were similar or had results that pertained to emotional/social development in children. I found a great study conducted in France and I actually read through almost the whole thing, especially since I wanted to know the Procedures because they could help out with the test we had to compose. It was, once again, very intriguing.
My reading attention (as it could be called) has been caught by psychology lately, purely because of the fact that my Internship was all about psychology. Alas, another sign that shows just how much internship messes with your life...of course, that's a good thing said with unintended negative connotations.
However, fear not! I shall READ ON!!!
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
semester2 blog1
What are the big ideas that you are taking from internship into the next steps in your life?
I am taking the many words of advice from my mentor to heart. This advice applies to all people and I already believed in this, but Dr. Terry Jernigan told her similar opinions in her own words:
“I think that it is important to go through life open to opportunities. What makes sense next with what you’re doing now? Being aware of the opportunities around you and how you could utilize them is more important to getting where you want to go.”
“Trust in yourself to know what you are interested in and know that it’s worth pursuing.”
“Be open. Experiment with ideas that might spark new interests. No matter what you do, take risks and pay attention to whether you’re feeling alive and engaged. Open yourself up because that’s where you’ll find that new element, that new possibility. If you don’t take that risk, how will you ever get there?
“Put yourself in novel situations so that you can see things in new ways.”
“Internship would be a positive addition to any education program. A lot of programs are too narrow and highly insular. Out there, experiences are highly variable.”
I think that Internship showed me how I can test out what I want to do and discover new opportunities all along the way; how to not get caught up in static goals, which can make us miss the journey. This is a very big idea when you think about, and I want to be even more open-minded about my experiences and see what chances the future holds.
What are your plans for the coming semester?
I plan on continuing my honors courses and learning as much as I can from my classes and, yes this is important, getting straight As in all my classes so that I can meet my personal goals and college expectations. In addition, I want all my work to be exceptional so that I can take pride in it and inspire others. That pretty much sums up my school goals.
Monday, January 24, 2011
theLASTWEEKpost
8. In what ways has your internship inspired you to think about college? Have you discovered new colleges that you are interested in attending? Have you learned about new courses to study or majors to pursue?
Every day at internship I think about college...and see college, hear college, touch college, breathe college, even smell college. That's because my internship is at the University of California, San Diego. I didn't really "discover" UCSD, but I am interested in attending and I definitely will apply here. From talking to the undergrads and researchers, I've given consideration to studying Clinical Psychology, Neuroscience, Behavioral Studies, or all three. The field of psychology is so broad that there are many specific things that can be pursued within it. I've gotten a look at the three majors mentioned above as well as psychometrics, cognitive and analytical psychology, and many other subfields. After this internship, I think about college as a workplace as well as a school. This Center and many others on campus conduct revolutionary research and often discover more than private research centers. Also, it's a great place for college students to work as paid interns, which gives internship credit and money! How great is that?
But, seriously, I think that college is the gateway to opportunity. If I go for my Master's, my options are many and I could end up as a researcher or whatever I want to be.
Friday, January 21, 2011
posts 1&2 for week3 OR "I'm bad at computer stuff because I don't watch Jersey Shore" and "Don't do it for us, do it for the Children"
4. Read another student's blog. What stands out to you? What experiences do you have in common? What contrasts do you see? What questions do you have?
Well, I chose to look at Brandi's blog because she looked at my blog to answer this same prompt from the hthmainternship blog so that she could finish the assignment for her blog so I figured there must be some great connections, which is why I looked at her blog to do my blog, it's not necessarily because I was looking for an easy blog to blog about, although that is part of the reason, although the other part might just be to make Randy do his "like, right" face and partial eye-roll.
What stands out to me is the fact that Brandi is involved in pretty cool naturey (not a word, but should be because it denotes "have to do with nature" not "of nature") stuff...(natury?) But she said something that sounds really cool (and exhausting when you think about it): "...at sweet water summit, if they were able to connect all of the little individual community trails, the trail at sweet water summit could connect all the way to CUYAMACA! Doesn't that blow your socks off?!" Well, I admit, that long of a hiking trail would be pretty cool and I might try it someday when I'm training for a marathon or when I've bought a quad...although you probably can't take quads on nature trails...
We have quite a few experiences in common. As she mentioned, we both have technical issues. I had to learn programming so that I could help fellow researchers on the social/emotional component for the longitudinal study that will start in February. I also read that she was happy not to be used as a guinea pig--was it a hamster?--or some other testable rodent by her mentor and colleagues, but was instead endowed with great responsibilities to do what no intern has ever done before. Of course, I thought it was cool that I wasn't given grunt work either (I mean these are scientists...what could grunt work be: "Hey, Noah, can you take this plutonium to Dr. Meddville at the Rady School of Medicine? You only have to carry that radioactive chemical through flocks of college students, halfway across the campus, over a couple busy roads. Good luck."?). Instead, I was treated like an adult...of course, almost everyone besides Dr. Jernigan thought I was a college student and one of the college students interning as a Research Assistant pretty much scoffed when she was told that I was 16 (I overheard). Nonetheless, I have been very happy in my position as shadower and meeting-sitter-inner-on and all-around-doer-of-things-like-making-font-italic-er.
In contrast, where Brandi has run into problems dealing with programs like Excel, I have a big problem with programs like Photoshop. I know, it's pretty simple, but I only know the basics and I don't spend my time on CS programs when I'm waiting for Jersey Shore to start (sorry Nate) so I'm just not as adept as some are when it comes to doing stuff on Photoshop or InDesign. I'm helping design a simple--simple--brochure for the Center for Human Development and I had to use an old Dell laptop where there was a visible lagtime of 5 seconds at the minimum (no exaggeration) and it took a pretty long time to do it. Not to mention that I'm still I little dazed from my bout of sickness.
I just have one question: How often do you get to go outside on the trails and preserves and stuff like that, Brandi? Because I think that kind of stuff would be neat to experience too in addition to the official side.
5. Who benefits from the qork that you do at internship? How and/or why?
I call this half of the post Do it for the Children because they're really the ones who ultimately benefit from all the qork that goes into PING and other child development studies. We do this research and test all these different things that so that other researchers trying to find a way to help kids with, let's say, autism can use our study as a control group and use their time and resources to test autistic kids, and then use the findings to help better the lives of those children. A big focus of Dr. Jernigan's is personalized education. There is already a big push in genomics towards personalized medicine, but with our findings, future generations could be treated better and taught better according to their DNA and brain structure. An insanely interesting, totally cool finding that appeared in the TDLC results on the ALEKS intervention study showed that there was a very strong correlation between FA (brain fiber tract density) asymmetry and cognition. I saw the discovery with my own eyes and now will have some very cool things to show at my iPOL. But ultimately, all these findings help the children. They help us learn how the young 'uns develop, how they mature, change, respond, mature--these studies help the men and women of the future. In the end, I'm not doing this for me. When I do this, I do it for the children.
Well, I chose to look at Brandi's blog because she looked at my blog to answer this same prompt from the hthmainternship blog so that she could finish the assignment for her blog so I figured there must be some great connections, which is why I looked at her blog to do my blog, it's not necessarily because I was looking for an easy blog to blog about, although that is part of the reason, although the other part might just be to make Randy do his "like, right" face and partial eye-roll.
What stands out to me is the fact that Brandi is involved in pretty cool naturey (not a word, but should be because it denotes "have to do with nature" not "of nature") stuff...(natury?) But she said something that sounds really cool (and exhausting when you think about it): "...at sweet water summit, if they were able to connect all of the little individual community trails, the trail at sweet water summit could connect all the way to CUYAMACA! Doesn't that blow your socks off?!" Well, I admit, that long of a hiking trail would be pretty cool and I might try it someday when I'm training for a marathon or when I've bought a quad...although you probably can't take quads on nature trails...
We have quite a few experiences in common. As she mentioned, we both have technical issues. I had to learn programming so that I could help fellow researchers on the social/emotional component for the longitudinal study that will start in February. I also read that she was happy not to be used as a guinea pig--was it a hamster?--or some other testable rodent by her mentor and colleagues, but was instead endowed with great responsibilities to do what no intern has ever done before. Of course, I thought it was cool that I wasn't given grunt work either (I mean these are scientists...what could grunt work be: "Hey, Noah, can you take this plutonium to Dr. Meddville at the Rady School of Medicine? You only have to carry that radioactive chemical through flocks of college students, halfway across the campus, over a couple busy roads. Good luck."?). Instead, I was treated like an adult...of course, almost everyone besides Dr. Jernigan thought I was a college student and one of the college students interning as a Research Assistant pretty much scoffed when she was told that I was 16 (I overheard). Nonetheless, I have been very happy in my position as shadower and meeting-sitter-inner-on and all-around-doer-of-things-like-making-font-italic-er.
In contrast, where Brandi has run into problems dealing with programs like Excel, I have a big problem with programs like Photoshop. I know, it's pretty simple, but I only know the basics and I don't spend my time on CS programs when I'm waiting for Jersey Shore to start (sorry Nate) so I'm just not as adept as some are when it comes to doing stuff on Photoshop or InDesign. I'm helping design a simple--simple--brochure for the Center for Human Development and I had to use an old Dell laptop where there was a visible lagtime of 5 seconds at the minimum (no exaggeration) and it took a pretty long time to do it. Not to mention that I'm still I little dazed from my bout of sickness.
I just have one question: How often do you get to go outside on the trails and preserves and stuff like that, Brandi? Because I think that kind of stuff would be neat to experience too in addition to the official side.
5. Who benefits from the qork that you do at internship? How and/or why?
I call this half of the post Do it for the Children because they're really the ones who ultimately benefit from all the qork that goes into PING and other child development studies. We do this research and test all these different things that so that other researchers trying to find a way to help kids with, let's say, autism can use our study as a control group and use their time and resources to test autistic kids, and then use the findings to help better the lives of those children. A big focus of Dr. Jernigan's is personalized education. There is already a big push in genomics towards personalized medicine, but with our findings, future generations could be treated better and taught better according to their DNA and brain structure. An insanely interesting, totally cool finding that appeared in the TDLC results on the ALEKS intervention study showed that there was a very strong correlation between FA (brain fiber tract density) asymmetry and cognition. I saw the discovery with my own eyes and now will have some very cool things to show at my iPOL. But ultimately, all these findings help the children. They help us learn how the young 'uns develop, how they mature, change, respond, mature--these studies help the men and women of the future. In the end, I'm not doing this for me. When I do this, I do it for the children.
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