Blog #13: Life—The Book!

1) Genetic Mutations
Genetic mutations can affect all of the stages of life but I would prefer to focus on adolescence.
Science: Genetic Mutations can result in wide variety of after effects including physical abnormalities and mental disorders.
Humanities: Though very rare, genetic mutation affects a select few people every year. Scientists say that studies linked to genetic mutation can lead to breakthroughs in the biotechology industry in the near future.



2) Birth Defects
Science: Birth Defects can be a result of genetic problems caused when one or more genes doesn't work properly or part of a gene is missing.
Humanities: I think that Birth Defects should be a primary concern for all pregnant couples. Parents need to be educated on the causes that lead to birth defects and preventative measures that can help the baby develop properly.


3)Transgenic Animals
Science: An animal in which there has been a deliberate modification of its genome
Humanities: Transgenic Animals have the potential to help improve Human welfare in several ways including agriculture, medicine and industry.

Blog #12: Beginning the Internship Brainstorm

The internship I had in mind for next January is a position as an apprentice to the KPBS Broadcast Designer/Network Analyst, David Streib. This internship would require me to work on the studio floor of the KPBS building and helping out with various elements of the procedure. I will also have an opportunity to work in the Computer Lab, where most of the graphic design and video editing take place. I think that a quiet indoor working station will be perfect for me to work at independently where I can concentrate on any give task from my mentor.

I skill that I am confident that I could use full-time is definitely geometry. I like solving problems dealing with shapes and formulas. I think that some of the digital graphic design could incorporate some of these concepts and be a fun new challenge for me. I am also hoping to try out some of the more advanced graphic design software and get a feel for what Dave does every day.

During my internship I hope to learn skills in making 3D designs that I can use in the future to make awesome images. It took Dave years to master the art of graphic design and all that practice earned him 16 Emmy nominations. One day I hope to create epic designs with ease and create masterpieces such as this:

Blog #11: Twitter!

The article I chose to read was the editorial titled: Judge imposes ban on 'don't ask, don't tell' policy on gays in the military. I learned that supporters of the 'don't ask, don't tell' policy believe that banning gays will preserve military readiness, but studies have show the opposite, stating that the policy had a "direct and deleterious effect" on the military. I think that if people are willing to fight for their country and even willing to die for it, then who are we to stop them. I would assume that having gays in the military could get awkward in some situations such as showering and undressing.

Every man has needs. In the military, sex is a luxury and usually only obtained while on shore leave or something. When the soldiers of the military are surrounded by men for the majority of time they serve it leaves little opprutunity to enjoy the pleasures of the flesh. With gays in the military, the situation might be different since they would be surrounded by potential mates. I think this is the reason why the policy was established in the first place and it makes perfect sense. I think that an alternative should be offered for gays in the military as to not complicate the current system, such as allowing them to help distribute equipment or cook the food.

Blog #10: Dying for Dixie

I think that the root cause for Michael Westerman's death is a misinterpretation of a popular cultural symbol. The black teenagers who saw Westerman's truck adorned with the confederate flag, felt threatened by the flag and determined that violence was the necessary course of action. Without any knowledge of the true origin of the Confederate flag, the teenagers automatically associated the message of the flag with ideas of hatred and bigotry.

"'Let's go whip that dude,' he told his friends, speeding off to recruit others for the brawl."

This quote shows that the teenagers were mostly motivated by peer pressure. Since it was the drivers idea, the remaining passengers were stuck in the car with him, making backing-out not an option.

Blog #9: The Civil War...today?

I read a CBS Poll article about whether or not the people of our nation are ready to have a black president. It says roughly two-thirds of americans said they were willing to accept a black president and were planning to vote for Obama. Eight years ago only 38% of the people asked answered that they were not ready for one. Two-hundred years ago, this was not the case. African americans were regarded as slaves and were not given the privilege to get a higher education or even be able to be independent. The Civil War changed all of that and the rights of african americans grow and continue to grow. Our culture has matured and evolved into the tolerant and free country we know today.

Blog #8:The Constitution, The News & You

As i was browsing the internet, I came across a republican biased website that had an article called "Obama Violates Separation of Powers". I was intrigued by the accusation so I clicked and proceeded. The following are responses to the blog prompt:

1) Written May 13, 2009 this article may no longer be relevant yet at the time, republican advocates claimed that Obama has somehow violated the constitution and that he should be punished. Obama's task force assisted Chrystler Corporation when they filed for bankruptcy the court is responsible to temporarily protect the company's foundation until the company is able to resurrect itself. They refunded 29 cents to the dollar for all stockholders while giving the UAW a much higher intrest rate at 55%.

"It is not the responsibility nor does the Obama administration have the Constitutional authority to negotiate, restructure, decide stock options and who and how much stock holder are payed for their investment, or decide budgetary matters with any company seeking or within the perimeters of bankruptcy protection because it is strictly a Judicial matter and as such is Constitutionally handled by the courts and not the White House."

This quote clearly states the author's argument on why Obama has violated the costitution.

2) The constitution states that no entity ,beyond the authority of the President, within the Executive Branch is allowed to interfere with trials. Obama has harmlessly violated the constitution in an indirect way. His task force has seized control of the Crystler situation rather then having it go through the standard judicial procedure.

3) The author sees Obama as a dictator and clearly has it out for him. This article is simply one man's opinion and may have evoked counter arguments, thus engaging in an all-out war of words. I think that it is interesting about how seriously people can take the constitution(the author) in modern times as well as how relaxed they are about it.(everyone else)

American Icons Reflection

Prompt: You will produce a highly polished piece of reflective writing in which you describe your place in a continuum of American Icons.

I think that the key words in the prompt are “describe your place in a continuum”. The assignment’s objective is captured in that simple phrase. To me the prompt is basically asking: “Who is your icon and how can you relate to him/her?” I think that I answered the questions reasonably well and I am confident that the reader will understand my references with some background knowledge of the show. I think that the second to last and last paragraph of my essay communicate to the reader, my opinion of my icon and how I see him.

I think that the intro to my paper was done pretty well. The anecdote serves as a hook that grabs the reader attention early on and makes them want to keep reading. I have been experimenting with good anecdotes and it seems to be effective so I shall most likely try this method again. I think that If I could improve one part of my writing, I would want to improve the flow of my writing. The transition between paragraphs doesn’t flow as smoothly as I would have liked it. Using the writing tips, I think I can improve my writing in the future.

I think that an appropriate score for my work would be 50/60. I tried very hard to produce highly polished writing by using what I learned in class and reviewing my notes. The image that I produced with my work could have used some improvement. I was my first time using most of those applications so I will have to work on my photography and photo editing in my spare time so I wont have any problems in the future.