[CE] Food Optimism

With the Earth's population rising along with methane gas admissions, Proffesor Arnold van Huis suggests a healthy alternative that may not only help decrease impending word problems, but also satisfy our appetites.  

 Huis has dedicated himself to convincing the world to eat insects. He gives lectures, tastings and cooking classes, highlighting the benefits of an insect-rich diet.  According to Huis, bugs offer more protein than beef, cost less to raise and consume fewer resources. 

Having some cooking experience myself, I think eating insects is a great alternative choice of protein.  In most cases, people only consider eating a tiny fraction of food that is available in the world today, while everything else is considered taboo.  Pigs, cows, goats, and sheep make up most of our meat consumption.  We eat no amphibians, no reptiles, a small number of the fish species, and of course no insects being the most common species.  Insects make up such a vast population of the earth (estimated to be in the billions), that it's a wonder why we wouldn't consider these creatures as delicacies.  Eating insects may be a taboo concept in America and Europe, but serving bugs is nothing new in locations like Latin America and Asia.  People have been eating bugs for centuries, and really we’ve probably more to fear from foodborne infections than from having bugs in our food.

Despite the cultural avoidance of insects, Huis and others are committed to convincing us to eat bugs. It would definitely be challenging to make the consumption of insects less appalling or not limited to being tourist food.  Certainly many Americans would not be open to such a drastic dietary change, but marketing insects to the food industry is a viable source of protein in the near future.
 

Insect dish with crickets (Chapulines), worms (gusanos de mamey) and larvae of ants (escamoles).

[Re] Going Beyond Racism (Part 2)

Because we live in America we have a class system consisting of an upper class, middle class, and a lower class.  Inevitably, a percentage of America's population must fulfill these classes.

Like I've said before:

"In reality, we live in a capitalist government where there are people who are aggressively ambitious and those who are reluctant to compete.  We compete for the best education, the best jobs, and even the best opportunities."

 Thus, there will always be people at the bottom of the totem pole and it's not limited to specific races.  It's a harsh truth, but it's also the foundation of which our government is founded upon in which every citizen of the U.S. is affected by.

Here's a quote from Courtney:

"No race is more superior, smarter or deserving that another of a college opportunity. The education systems CSU or UC are similar; some colleges are harder to get in, more renoun and simply are more expensive depending on location and labeling."

Yes, generally speaking everyone has the potential to excel in an educational system.  Although it becomes evident that because we grow up in different environments and come from diverse cultures, we may not receive equal opportunities.  I think this social hierarchy of discrimination is mostly derived from America's history and its traditions.  (Here's a link to how Racism has played out in the U.S.)

Solving racial inequality is no easy task.  It requires a collective effort as humans to be less judgmental, see through racial profiling, and thoroughly educate children as to why racism is wrong.  We must look past superficial thinking and judge people solely on their character and achievements because it is those traits that truely define us.  A starting point may be stopping ethnic categorization in the SAT and college applications.

Lastly, I'm going to pull out a segment from a 60 Minutes interview with Morgan Freeman and his perspective on how we should deal with racism:

[Re] Going Beyond Racism (Part 1)

So this is a response to both Terrace H. and Courtney W. posts about UC Berkley's "Racist" bake sale as well as the discussion about racism that we had in class today.

As much as I love diversity, I believe that by forcing colleges to offer an equal chance in education to all races is promoting as much discrimination as they are trying to prevent.  At heart, the controversy over affirmative action plays into how we judge the justice of social policy.  The basic premise of social policy is that everyone should be treated with equality and receives equal opportunities unless there is a morally relevant reason why they should be treated differently.  By giving additional benefits or burdens to students based on ethnicity, not only are we judging races based on how well they do academically, but we're also denying equal education for students who work diligently regardless of their background.

 Here's an insightful quote from Terrace's own opinion on stereotypes as an African American:

Terrace: "Mainly because African Americans are constantly being looked down and with having such a negative light it is hard for us to break apart from all the stereo types and having people just respect us as a normal human being. With colleges accepting a black person just because they are black is giving African Americans a step back from respect but at the same time I feel that it in a way is sort of comforting."

I agree with Terrace that African Americans have often been portrayed negatively through the academic system. This is especially apparent in SAT because black students may qualify for admission into National Achievement Program and the National Merit® Program by taking the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test.  Although this encourages academic success and support, it also singles out the black population as not meeting the academic quota.  This is incredibly frustrating because there are plenty of students who NEED education benefits such as scholarships to further their education.  However these students aren't given these opportunities because their ethnicity is stereotyped in such a way that they don't need educational support.

Coming from an Asian background, my race has often been stereotyped to have high academic success and achievements.  However, there are people who still harbor hateful feelings towards Asians because of their apparent ascendancy and increasing presence in Western media.  The model minority American news media promotes has given the impression that Asians are geniuses and score amazingly high on SAT.  UC Berkley has been rumored to provide an unfair admittance for Asians considering a majority of students who go there is Asian.  Students are discouraged to enroll in Berkley because they are afraid Asians have set the grading curve too high.   This stereotype has been over hyped in that the media doesn't include that many Asians have taken community college courses or specialized courses to get to the prestigious colleges they attend now.  It is from this gross estimation, that Asians students and especially those who don't meet the stereotype aren't offered as many opportunities.

[BWC] Transitions Draft #1

College Essay Prompt 2:
Tell us about a personal quality, talent, accomplishment, contribution or experience that is important to you. What about this quality or accomplishment makes you proud and how does it relate to the person you are?

Unfortunately, growing up while being assimilated into Western culture has often hindered my ability to connect or be inspired by my family members or relatives.  One of my biggest regrets as a child was not taking the initiative to learn my cultures' language.  Since a majority of my family members spoke Cantonese as a native language, there was an ever-present language barrier that prevented me from learning about my heritage from a wide diverse perspective.  I was more often teased than encouraged to study the language and steadily showed a lack of interest during family conversations.  Having cousins and relatives who have careers as accountants, lawyers, and engineers, I felt anomalous choosing to major in animation/music.  However through the convenience of technology and the Internet, I found inspiration and comfort meeting other people who shared similar interests with me.

I always loved drawing and preforming music since I was a child.  Often I would draw cartoons, portraits, and just about everything I saw. At the same time, I started playing the piano becoming infinitely fascinated by music and took advantage of every opportunity to play at my teacher's recitals. While producing both arts, I realized what I cherished most was seeing the enjoyment of both adults and my peers whenever I revealed my latest creation.  Their enjoyment and recognition had left deep impressions on me, in that both art forms could bring pleasure to all ages.  Although my mother recognized my passion and encouraged it, my father was skeptical and thought pursuing the arts was waste of time.

It was during high school that I started exploring outside my world through meeting other artists online.  It was an eye opener to see so many other people who were experiencing the same situations and struggles as I did.  Soon, I became increasingly optimistic about pursuing both arts.  Eventually it was through an online music hosting site, that I met two very close friends who continue to support and encourage each other's goals as artists.  Overall meeting these two people, have really changed my life and they both have helped improve not only my art, but as a person.  In comparison to who I was a couple years before, I had many insecurities as to whether I was going to continue studying music or art.  Having shared many experiences and collaborations with them over the summer, has helped me become less timid in expressing myself and more undaunted that being an artist is what I want to be.


-414 words

(If I continue this draft I will definately elaborate on the experiences.)

[CE] Educating Inside the Box

       In 2010, Ken Robinson presented a common misconception in the national school system during a TED conversation that I still find very relevant to how we educate kids today. 

 Creativity by Robinson, can be defined as the process of coming up with original ideas that have value in today's society. Children are our future and I agree with Robinson that by continuing to undermine and discourage creativity in a learning environment, we only worsen the situation of our future.  A major issue is that schools today are still utilizing a system where memorization and subjects including literacy and math are prioritized over the creative arts. I believe creativity is just as important as fundamental subjects and should be treated with the same status.  However, within every school system there is this hierarchy of class subjects that assimilates the next generation further away from creative thinking.

In theory, the longitudinal test proves that every child is born an artist with an amazing creative capability and the potential to excel in divergent thinking.  As we grow up to be adults, we slowly lose those capabilities by being educated out of them.  The problem is that the educational system along with society often stigmatizes making mistakes.  As young adults who have endured this standard of education, we increasingly acknowledge the consequences of making mistakes whether it's through doing poorly on a test or in real life situations. It becomes increasingly apparent that as we grow, we become fearful of making mistakes.  Usually I find myself in a classroom where students are either too hesitant in answering a question at the chance that they might be incorrect or brimming with enough ego that they don't bother trying. In many cases, children are more willing to take a chance of being wrong than adults. 

 It's also evident that the purpose of teaching in classrooms has changed in that more importantly than learning or being creative; students are being taught and prepared for standardized testing.  Naturally, I believe students are partly more afraid of failure because some these test scores may dictate their future.  Personally, I'm opposed to the SAT because it sets absurdly high standards and criteria that not everyone can meet.  I find it humorous that colleges and the education system expects people with different learning habits, goals, and techniques to conform and take a test that judges their intellect based on academic questions.  I believe that too often test scores have discouraged adolescents who have tremendous talents and yet we squander their creativity by not providing an educational system that can cater to everyone's intellectual need.

It all starts with each one of us individually working together to insure schools are supportive of the creative process. Our current educational system has served us well to develop our mental abilities.  It's now time to transcend just being "mentally smart" and give the next generation a creative learning environment they can live for.  Robinson proposes that we must rethink the fundamental education for future generations.  Although we may not see this future ourselves, we must properly educate and prepare children so they can face it and make something of it.

[Free] Drive is a terrible movie. (Part 2)

 The Driver is a flawed character because he is so unrealistically portrayed.  He's able to swoon the heart of a married women in such little time, somehow a hand-to-hand combat specialist in between being a driver/stunt-man/garage mechanic, brutally murder people while retaining a straight face, and have a gentle enough heart to carry Irene's son to his bed and willing to save her family from their debt while putting himself in harms way.  We know so little about this character and yet he can pull off such amazing stunts while the audience receives barely any dialogue from him or background information.  There is a lack in complexity and motivation to watch this character because essentially he's invincible and can do whatever he wants.

Some people including critics have come up with the lame excuse that having little dialogue presents more artistic appeal to the movie, silence is golden, or that Ryan is showing not telling. BULLSHIT, he had the same constant serious expression on his face throughout more than half of the entire movie!  If I wanted silence in a movie, I'd watch a Charlie Chaplin film.

There are also embarrassing moments in the movie for instance, the father brings up how he met Irene at a party and to his surprise finds out Irene was under aged.  Then casually says to his young child "That's how you popped out" and they they give each other a bro fist all while there is dramatic music playing in the background, I mean COME ON.  Also it becomes evident that the Driver continues to wear his admittingly really cool jacket in the most public places, irregardless to blood stains left on it from mercilessly beating thugs. Instead of nitpicking all the things I dislike about Drive, you might as well see it for yourself.

[Free] Drive is a terrible movie. (Part 1)

The reason I'd like to talk about this movie is because somehow this film has received so much praise as an artistic, atmospheric, refreshingly intelligent and suspenseful film with a well-nuanced performance by the handsome Ryan Gosling. Supposedly, Drive is one of the most invigorating thrillers of the year and received 93% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.  I can't help but wonder, was I watching the same film?

  I think the main gripe I have with Drive is that the overall story was unbelievable and unrealistic.  The film is well presented with its imagery, cool designer clothing, and plenty of gruesome/cliche horror scenes. Although Driver's story had the potential to be so much more.

Ryan Gosling plays our protagonist, a man of few words, and goes unnamed throughout the entire film.  We don't learn much about his character's background other than that he's a damn good driver.  The opening scene shows him driving through the city at night, picking up burglars from their latest heist and helping them escape from the police. All while this 80's retro themed neon pink cursive text pops up displaying opening credits. I immediately liked the direction the film was going, with the intro song "Nightcall" not surprisingly made by one of my favorite electronic musicians Kavinsky.  The opening scene also reminded me a lot like the opening for the movie Tron Legacy (Which I enjoyed) where Kevin Flynn played by Jeff Bridges, is seen cruising through a the city at night on his motorcycle and out maneuvering a police cop like a badass with music done by another electronic musician Daft Punk.  Not knowing what the film was about and based on the movie title, naturally I expected the rest of the film to have really cool car chase scenes like the one in the intro. However as the movie continued, Drive increasingly became more of a cheesy horror film with predictable swift deaths of almost every unexplained character with little to no dialogue involved.

The main character, portrayed by Ryan, displays a lack of emotion or was limited to only having three facial expressions throughout the entire movie being: charming smile, straight face, and slightly angrier eyebrows with yelling involved.  This is a big problem because despite how few expressions Ryan displays, people believe his performance playing the strong, silent type was adequate.  I believe the talent an actor has can be measured or determined by how great he/she can convey emotions through facial expressions which makes the story all more believable.  Often, directors who are casting important roles will mute audition tapes and see how well the actor can deliver lines based on those facial expressions. Somehow this man is able to attract his apartment neighbor, Irene played Carey Mulligan, and becomes a love interest after just couple of days of short interactions. EVEN THOUGH SHE'S MARRIED AND HAS A SON (I guess the marriage was in a downfall spiral considering the husband was in the slammer and accumulated  debt from "protection" money),  Irene still develops a romantic relationship with the Driver (protagonist) with barely any conversation or dialogue.

[Re] Competition and Creativity

I believe all aspiring young artists have faced this dilemma that Leslie R. describes in her post about creativity and the struggles she faced in the pursuit of becoming an artist. 

"Seeing people who drew better then me use to upset me. It made me feel unconfident so that whenever I drew something I gave up on my work, so I gave up on art.

I felt empty. My dream was always to become an artist and I felt as through I wasn't good enough to be one. I didn't know what to do with myself now. Drawing was my hobbie and it was crushed. I had nights where I layed there on my bed pondering of what I could do. I started to loose interest in art. it became something that just didn't matter to me."

I also think many of us have looked up to someone or has had an influential figure in their life.  We may envy each other others skills or achievements, but that should definitely not stop you from following your dreams.  When I see another person's admirable artwork, I tend to see it as an incentive to keep practicing and improving my own.  Rather than saying: "Wow, my artwork sucks compared to this person." that person should be more of an inspiration to learn from them than to just quit a profession completely.  That kind of negative attitude will never allow you to succeed in life.  In the art world or for any creative field, there is ALWAYS going to be someone better than you.  You can see this as a good thing because without those people, who would we have to learn from?   

Artists continuously strive to prove themselves as individuals, producing art that is unique and intricate to their own aesthetic.  We persevere and improve our own style to create the best artwork that we can.

Competitive nature can be seen either as if the glass is half full or half empty.  Competition can be something feared and discouraging because essentially we must fight for our place in the art industry.  While in retrospect, a competitive environment can bring out the best in humans.  By constantly trying to improve and outdo each other, we can produce some of the best work and amazing advancements in human life this world as ever seen!

In reality, we live in a capitalist government where there are people who are aggressively ambitious and those who are reluctant to compete.  We compete for the best education, the best jobs, and even the best opportunities.  Those who aren't willing to compete will most likely fail while those who do will be able to succeed.  Our world is rapidly changing, in a way that everyone must contribute their best to improve their country.  Since we live in the U.S., which is undergoing an economy crisis, we must do our best in a dog eat dog world.

[Free] The Faintest Memory

In preparation of writing college applications, I had frantically searched my mind for memories that possibly contained the most important clues as to what has influenced my goals and the environment that shaped me into who I am today.  As I thought heavily on what I was going to write, I envisioned almost what was like a movie reel before me, playing snapshots of moments in life that I recall.  This surge of mental images pertained some of the fondest childhood memories I often like to reminisce about.  I believe some of the best memories we have are derived from our adolescence because it was a time when we lived carefree lives.  Whether these memories are melancholy or heartening, I can only wish to retain all of them.

          I find it scary that when we grow older, our memory may not be as accurate or precise as we'd want them to be.  At some point we may even forget memories that help define who we are. Memories are your life experiences, how you perceive your world, and in some cases your best companion.  Without memories, you essentially lose who you are and what you stand for.  I'd like to convince everyone to make as many memories as you can throughout your life because at the end of the day they're all you got.

 

[BWC]: An Artist's Ambition Draft #1

College Essay Prompt 1:

Describe the world you come from — for example, your family, community or school — and tell us how your world has shaped your dreams and aspirations.

 Cultural values and traditions are passed on from one generation to the next through written or oral stories.  So when my parents and older relatives did not share their past with me, I decided to take an independent approach towards learning my roots.  At age thirteen I began this endeavor watching Asian documentaries, which introduced me to stories and lessons that neither my family nor school ever exposed me to. 

  Asian films and music delineated how Chinese culture is truly unique and special. I grew up playing piano, but always complained about how complex it was to understand, learn, and memorize music.  I was enchanted as I watched how young Chinese acrobats dedicate their whole life to train day and night until they master their art, which reflects the daunting courage and diligent charisma of humans.  I was inspired to be patient and opened my devotion to practice.

Throughout my adolescence, I lived somewhat of a sheltered life outside of school and academics.  Having been the son of a CPA for a computer tech corporation, my aesthetic for music was not always appreciated nor fully supported by my father.  Soon after my father's disapprove in pursuing musical arts, I suppressed creative side of my mind and focused my attention on school work.  At critical moment of my childhood, I became very depressed and worried for what I would have as a career in the future.  

When adults share their stories, they inspire me by their approach towards life.  Their stories are often based upon their experiences, which is why they are so appealing to listen to.  It was during my summer in 2008, that I watched a peculiar animated fantasy film called "Spirited Away". The film had been written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki and film score composed by Joe Hisaishi, two people who would impact me the most both as a musician and an artist.  Spirited Away combined both the works of these two amazingly talented, well recognized artists into a beautifully animated film. It was a film that exposed me to the sheer magnitude of unhampered, raw imagination, and that was behind innovative works of art.  It provided an overwhelming experience that immersed me into its story with a beautiful blend of music and vivid atmosphere.  

I realized that like many other struggling artists, both Miyazaki and Hisaishi received their own setbacks, criticism, and rejection throughout their careers.  Their stories emphasized that if I follow what I do or am passionate in, I would eventually meet my desired profession to become both an artist and as a musician.  Miyazaki and Hisaishi's success also taught me that more importantly than making your own mistakes whether it's in art or life is learning and moving on from them.  It is behind those words that I continue to persist in my dream of working with animation and providing accommodating music composition during my high school years.  I am constantly refining my craft, in hope of creating a world that can elicit emotions and touch someone's imagination the way Miyazaki and Hisaishi did with mine.  Although I know I will encounter my own struggles and possibly failures along the journey, I have the spirit and courage to face hardships that will arise as an artist. 




-543 words

Closing Thoughts on 9/11 (Part 2)

Alright so technically I lied, this is the last post I'll do for 9/11, so just bear with me here.  Basically this my attempt to tackle an important question of who was involved in the attacks of 9/11 and what could have been done:

I'm convinced that both Osama bin Laden and the terrorist organization Al Qaeda plotted the events of 9/11.  I also believe the motive behind the attack was because Osama wanted send a message of terror to the U.S. in that Americans weren't safe or the superior nation they assume to be.  Essentially, this terrorist attack was successful in invoking fear into the hearts of Americans and their security.  Vicki L., Justin R., and Jazmin B. blogged just how much airport security and the world has changed since 9/11.

President Bush actually received a memo that threatened a terrorist attack which quite obviously revealed that the World Trade Center would be their target.  I'd like to emphasize that President Bush DID NOTHING to counteract an incoming terrorist attack.  Simply put, President Bush did zilch, nadda, giving an I don't really care attitude to what seemed like an empty terrorist threat that would later come into fruition about a month later.  I'd like to point something out from Natalie Y.'s blog in which she says:

"i think that the government wouldnt want us,americans, to find out what and who things really happened. this idea is also started by a peice of information that i found out in gov like last period. almost a month before 9/11 the president, Bush got a notice that attacks might be being planned and he was just chilling at his ranch taking a vacation for the first month of his term. so hes at this ranch doing whatever because he doesnt think ntional threats are a problem and then a month later 9/11 happens so obviously he wasnt apart of it directly cause he just didnt care."

I agree for the most part of what Natalie said and I believe there is truth in that President Bush for whatever reason decided that this threat held no importance.  And I can verify that Mr.Manno did say Bush received the letter during his vacation on his ranch.  This is also why there were so many concerns and criticism with President Obama taking a 11-day family vacation to Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, when the U.S. economy was in a dire situation.

 I feel overwhelmed from what my gov. teacher Mr.Manno has introduced in just couple of days and I would rather spend a Friday night doing something else than finishing a blog, so I'll just end it here. Thanks for reading~

Closing Thoughts on 9/11 (Part 1)

 ( You'll probably see me frequently posting in parts since I tend to talk A LOT and I figured I could finish more posts this way.)

Since today marks the 10th anniversary of 9/11 and possibly the last time we talk about its tragedy as a class, this will be my last post and then I can move on more uplifting things.

 I'll try to dispel a couple of allegations that were made yesterday in class and hopefully clarify who was behind 9/11 based on what I learned today from Mr. Manno.

First off here's a quote from both the lovely Brianna R. and Courtney A.

Brianna: "On many people's blogs I saw that they mentioned something about how the bomb was placed in a certain area because of the way the Twin Towers had collapsed. Honestly, I don't really see the relevance in knowing how the bomb was placed, just because it's not where the bomb was placed that really matters about that event. Although it does help to try and figure out how the building fell from bottom to top instead of the other way around. So i guess, now that i mention it, it could be relevant in some cases, if you wanted to know that physics behind the attack operation plan"

Courtney: "However, we don't know all the facts. Some have said that it was suspicious that the towers collapsed from the bottom instead of falling over from the top. One of my classmates said that there had to have been bombs set up in the basement of the towers in order for it to collapse how it did."

Now let's take a look at the Twin Towers before 9/11.

Well I'm no architect, but The World Trade Center does not look like any modern buildings we have today.  The tower's design resembles buildings made in the early 70's.  The initial construction of both towers was roughly during 1966.  As you can guess, we did not have the luxury of having the most advanced technology or great engineering achievements we've made in recent years.  By 2001, the structures of the World Trade center have already aged and weakened. (Basically the Twin Towers are like two old geezers on the verge of tipping over). The Twin Towers received no large-scale modifications or improvements since its opening in April 4, 1973.  It's reasonable to believe that these buildings collapsed so quickly the day of 9/11 because of their archaic designs.

Now from what I recall, Mr.Manno said that the planes that attacked the Twin Towers, had initially flew in from Boston.  I'm talking planes that were meant to fly cross-country, planes that would be carrying enough fuel to create a chain of gargantuan explosions.  These explosions would immediately burn the already weakened inner frame and central core to the building.

I don't believe in any 9/11 conspiracy theories. I can't even stomach the idea of our own American government taking part in such a dreadful plan when their job is protect the lives and interests of American citizens.  The idea is almost unfathomable that the government would inflict a devastating blow to its economy and kill almost 3,000 good, hardworking people.

The Real Terrorists (Part 2)

 By posting this controversial video, let me make it clear that I DO NOT hate America nor think of 9/11 as justification for what the U.S has done in the past, but I can't always be proud of the country we live in or the decisions our government makes.   For those that aren't aware, this video depicts a shooting from a US Apache helicopter in 2007 firing upon an unarmed group of adults and children that arrive in a minivan who attempted to transport the wounded from the initial shooting. This video reminds me that the American army is not above making mistakes or harming innocent lives as well.  Yet I can feel sympathy for the soldiers who were involved because they're following orders from their leaders.  If you've read the novel All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria, I would expect you to understand that no peace can ever be achieved through violence and that no battle is ever won if it means the cost of a single life. A solider should never be honored with a medal that honors and praises how many lives he/she has taken.  You can try justifying the incentive to kill somebody, but I believe all life should be considered precious.

American media turns a blind eye to disturbing events like this that our army is involved in.  I rarely watch the news because it seems so one sided like our history books.  The book Lies My Teacher Told Me by James W. Loewen is an excellent book that covers the lies many students, teachers, and American citizens are fed about our American history.  There isn't a news station or media in the world that is completely without bias! In my opinion, if a reporter can't provide accurate, true, raw information, the news is flawed. I've seen so much mainstream media recently about 9/11 because of its anniversary around the corner.  What about the innocent Muslims and other Middle-Eastern people who are persecuted, alienated, and labeled terrorists on a daily basis since the tragic events of 9/11 unfolded? I can only hope that even the darkest future events of American history are brought to light.

The Real Terrorists (Part 1)

Personally, I don't like to dwell on such serious and depressing topics, especially so early on in the year. Nor do I share the passion that my classmates have for expressing opinions for such a catistrophic event that had not affected my life directly.  When the tragic event of 9/11 had transpired, I was still attending elementary school at the age of seven.  The biggest dilemma I had as a child in growing up in Alameda was how was I gonna spend my recess!  I was too young to have fully comprehended the full consequences of a human life and had probably the least exposure to the events of 9/11 growing up. That was until we had the discussion in class today.                     

I've watched numerous documentaries and read different accounts of 9/11's victims, survivors, and heroes. Despite what I've seen and heard from the media, I know I can never truly understand the burden and the pain felt by the people effected by 9/11. Also in some way I don't feel comfortable or even worthy of voicing my opinion on a topic I don't know much about--a topic in which I feel like I have not heard the whole truth or who was behind the events of 9/11.

In retrospect of how Americans find 9/11 to be such a great tragedy, the U.S. was not always the greatest nation it is portrayed to be.  Frankly, I am ashamed of our country's past and its involvement with places like Africa, China, Vietnam, and Iraq. 

In 2004, the U.S. turned its diplomatic and military attention to Africa because of the continent’s oil and natural gas supplies and its metal, and industrial diamond resources as well.  (Link for more info: http://mondediplo.com/2004/07/07usinafrica)

 The U.S. had a hand in controlling China during the Opium wars in the 1800s.  When Emperor Dao Guang outlawed opium from being imported from Britain to China because of its highly addictive nature, Britain along with U.S., France, and Italy waged war against China.  Eventually Dao Guang's last option was to sign a treaty that would take advantage of China. The treaty allowed  foregniers to occupy and control key cities like Shanghai which was subdivided amongst the countries. (Link for more info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opium_Wars)

The U.S. continuously tries to be big brother for other countries with this superior complex that it has to save others.  The U.S. army's presence in foreign countries has shown in more recent years that they have made situations worse. I believe that the U.S. really just has its interests at heart including its government.  I think that the American media has kept the American people in the dark of what the army has done in foreign countries...

Nothing To Lose

I thought this video would be an appropriate way to start off seeing that I don't know the majority of people in the class.

  In many ways, human interaction is important to providing insight and perspective to those around us.  Each person is unique and responds differently to their surroundings. We have own aspirations, dreams, problems, and inner struggles. But what gives us the incentive to let down our walls and make that first conversation with a complete stranger?

Luke Rudowski, a journalist from We Are Change, rides the crowded New York subways, asking strangers thought-provoking questions and their opinions. The large city of New York itself, is a gumbo if you will, of different cultures and backgrounds into one.  Luke brings up an interesting point that, despite the many diverse people taking the subway, rarely anyone talks to one another.  I find this incredibly true and relevant whenever I ride transportation or in a classroom with complete strangers, void of interaction and humanity as Luke described . It's interesting to see just how these interactions played out on the subway, especially for the people who declined to answer any questions.  As for the people who were willing to share, I found them to have the most sincere, down to earth responses I've heard for such difficult questions.

After watching this video, I  realized just how critical it is to break the ice and reach out to someone that you can talk to.  Even the most minuscule of conversations can be considered a treasured experience or window into that person's life.  I hope maybe in some way this video will inspire all you seniors to try and make an engaging conservation with someone you don't know.

 "Only by allowing strangers in can we find new ways to be ourselves."