Thank you for a great year

Hey folks,

I just wanted to thank everyone for a great year. The Excel 10 blog will be taking a hiatus for the 2007-08 school year b/c I am not teaching Excel this upcoming year.

You can always check my other blogs:
Groves U.S. History http://groves-us-history.blogspot.com/
Civil War http://grovescivilwar.blogspot.com/
and the brand new one that begins in December 2007, Honors Philosophy http://grovesphilosophy.blogspot.com/

Thanks.

Geoff Wickersham

Beat Poems - 2007

The following poems were performed at our end-of-the-year party/coffeehouse poetry slam.

Birth, school, work, death,seems pretty dull in short view.
My first 10 was all backstreets still 'nsync for everybody,
growing up you see thats all frazzle dazzle.
Relationships become real, people change, people get new bigger boyfriends and try to get them to beat you up, its all life.
Already, 16, money blurs it all.
It seems its all that matters, all that can get you there, is in green.
But Lupe said that all the money in the world don't make it painless.
And what's with these american role models, seems to me like false idols.
Really, people can vote on fallacy and not leadership, get a grip country.
Does it really take that campus to open our eyes, everybody hurts, wake up, I know Geist won;t.
Right now, you can't tell Kanye nothing, the Middle East we'll never know,
Plagued with bling bling, status symbols, so much fake Holden would be going crazy with these phonies.
Keep reading your tabloid, keep spreading that rumor, keep checking your myspace, keep texting in class.
But what can I say? I am merely in step 2, dreaming, more hating the outlined future.

Josh "Slam Dunk" Sm.

Power by Henry M.

I said 1, 2, 3
G-Wick, Zimm, and Barry
Going around and teaching
Why do you tell us what to do
Over and over again?
No drugs, no sex,
Turn right, turn left,
You're wrong, I’m right
Too much arguing in the world
That’s why there’s war
I want oil and I want democracy
More like hypocrisy
Which sort of rhymes with equality
Ironic? I think not
Equality is the ultimate
The ultimate power, the ultimate weapon, the ultimate fear
Fear when used correctly is the ultimate power
Power is what we seek and what we need
They say the people hold the power
So why are we in Iraq?
People over there killin’, dyin’, hurtin’, and crying
Why do we cry?
It’s a natural bodily function
Taught to us in biology
What’s the point of school?
I guess to make our brains strong
Strong like bull
Bull___
I hate that smell
Smells in general; are power
They can strike any emotion
Emotions are the weakness
Of man
When your weak your on your knees
Beggin’ please like Clapton
He was on cocaine and his kid died
Losing family is like losing a friend
A friend is a friend no matter what
Does a tree fall if nobody is there under it?
Yes, no, maybe so
So what?
It’s the passive aggressive statement that we all know
We know nothing and want to know something
So why don’t we?
We want to know why
Because knowledge is power.
Power comes in the form of a teacher, a president, a parent, the MAN
Man oh man do I hate people in power
It is used and abused
Like children given to the state or
Like wives beaten down and silenced
Silence can be deafening or so they say
People say a lot of things but don’t stop to listen or smell the roses
Rose-colored glasses make the world look pink and not perfect
Why don’t you just buy some sunglasses and look through those?
Because we would rather be blinded by the sun than by the propaganda that is fed to us
Babies are fed and grown people aren’t
Well, aren’t supposed to
Drunk drivers and crazies and natural freak accidents leave people being fed through a tube
Tubes from a bag with nutrients going into your arm
My arm?
No
It won’t happen to me ‘cause it can’t
Teachers stress on us to learn this and that
But you only learn from experience
Experience in what?
Drive for 50 hours to get a license
A license to kill?
Just go to our loved Detroit and buy yourself a .44 Magnum and ask yourself a question
Do I feel lucky? Well, do ya, punk?
I don’t know if I do or I don’t
Let's roll the dice
Roll the dice for foreign language finals
Since we aren’t nervous enough for them
Nervousness can make you do stupid things
Stupid things aren’t stupid unless you don’t know why it’s happening
That’s why Vietnam was a stupid thing
That’s why there aren’t any stupid questions
That’s why the answer my friend blowin’ in the wind
Wind is a very peculiar thing
It is all around us and we can feel it
But for some reason we can’t hold onto it
Can I hold on to you?
I need a friend to hold onto and to cry on
I need to feel the wind in my hair that gives me the power
I need to have the power to cry, to live, and to die
People fear death but that’s a mistake
Mistakes are ok to make
They are just more experiences
Mistakes give you more power
Too much power can go to your head
Just like a brain freeze
I need a slurpee from 7/11
That’s about three fourths or 25%
Einstein’s grade in school
They say he was dumb but who really was?
Mr. Atom Bomb
BOOM
Here comes the
BOOM
Here comes the marching band
The music flows through me
The jazz band takes over me
I am consumed by it
Just like a steak to a lion
The king of the jungle
Who is the king of the world? Hitler tried and so did Caesar
Why are they so different?
Personalities is why
Personally I think a lot
About things
About people
About the world
About life
Life is what we do
What we all do
Some live it differently than others
I want money
No I want life
No I want liberty
No I want happiness
Why?
So I can be happy like everybody
Now if I’m happy won’t you just smile?
Smile with me
Now I’m not asking, I’m telling
Just like I’ve been told that I am a teen
And teens don’t have power but we can apparently still change the world
And teens go to school but don’t know a thing
So if you don’t know, now you know

Editor's Note: More to be added soon.

Pics from the Vietnam Teach-in

The End is Near!

As the end of Excel and school is nearing and we are talking about Beat poetry and finals, I have two questions for you:
1. Do you like the rebellious lifestyle of the Beats? Why or why not?
2. As finals are almost upon us, what have you done to deal with the stress of studying and preparing? Do you study a little every night or none at all? Or cram it all in the night before?

Andrew S.

Beat Poetry links

Great introductory website to the Beat Writers. http://www.rooknet.com/beatpage/index.html

The literary landmark, City Lights Bookstore: http://www.citylights.com/

It's time to reach out and help someone

The Virginia Tech tragedy really disturbed me especially after hearing that nobody expected it. It’s really hard to understand the point of view of someone depressed enough to take so many lives. It seems scary that despite his actions, nobody even suspected any rash action from the shooter. As hard as it is to think about, no one does anything thinking that they’re a bad person. The shooter probably views himself as a sort of martyr. It is unfortunate that there are so many people in the world are lonely and feel ostracized enough to lash out so radically. We should all make a grander effort to reach out to people who appear lonely and depressed. It sounds corny but a little friendliness and compassion can make a difference.

-Mickey

Editor's Note: This is a Buddhist symbol for compassion.

Wrapping up the Bees!

I thought that Sue Monk Kidd added a lot of different critical issues into this book, like Civil Rights and also religion. She also brought in the fact of mother/daughter relationships and others.

Could she have done without the side stories and worked around the issue or were all the issues necessary??? What else would you have added/ how would you have changed the novel if it was yours??

What was your opinion about the book, good/bad what parts did you like and dislike???

Michael L.

Editor's Note: Here's Sue Monk Kidd's personal website address, starting with a link to the page that has her musings/reflections on the book. If you've wanted to ask her some questions, you might find them answered here. http://www.suemonkkidd.com/reflections.asp?t=b&i=18

Her second fiction book, A Mermaid's Chair, has been made into a movie for Lifetime. And, as many of you have heard, Dakota Fanning is being slated to star as Lily in the 2009 release of the Bees movie version.

Savage Inequalities

Over the past several weeks in Ms. Zimmerman’s elective, we have been learning and looking at different types of protests. In our last elective we had to read an excerpt from the book Savage Inequalities: The Savage Inequalities of Public Education in New York by Jonathon Kozol. We then had a long discussion about how the wealthier children in the nicer schools are not aware of how fortunate they are, and how it takes them sometimes until they reach high school to see the large gap between the rich and poor. Although it’s strange that on the other side of town there is a child that knew his/her life was nothing compared to the rich. They are brought up looking at children who are spoiled causing them to think about the things they don’t have in life.

We then saw parts of the movie that was filmed in Ohio; it showed how the schools are very different from one another. Some children have to walk outside just to go to the bathroom; other kids by the time they have reached high school have never used a computer, and in one school if they didn’t provide the children with free food they would go without eating (the whole day). Other schools have advanced technology, very expensive chemistry and physics labs, and nice gymnasiums with pools and good work-out programs.

By reading the article, having the discussion or watching parts of the movie, did it have a lasting affect on you? What were you thinking during all of this?
- Have you gone to Birmingham schools your whole life, in which case were you aware of the inequalities? Do you think (educational inequalities) will ever change?
- If you went to another school before coming to Groves, was it a major change for you?

Katie G.

A quote from Savage Inequalities: "Anyone who visits in the schools of East St. Louis, even for a short time, comes away profoundly shaken. These are innocent children, after all. They have done nothing wrong. They have committed no crime. They are too young to have offended us in any way at all. One searches for some way to understand why a society as rich and, frequently, as generous as ours would leave these children in their penury and squalor for so long -- and with so little public indignation. Is this just a strange mistake of history? Is it unusual? Is it an American anomaly?"

United States of Disney?

We have been learning about the Media and its affects on the world in Mr. Barry’s elective. I find the thought of Disney one day owning every other company in the world a little bit scary, what about you? It seems that you have to be important and have money to get anywhere in this world. Do you agree and if so why? If you don’t agree, tell why.

Another major issue we have talked about is violence in the media. Every time you turn on the television, it’s always about violence. This is not a good thing and it is having many effects on the younger children watching it. Children are becoming less caring about the world's problems and are starting to think violence is acceptable in everyday life. Do you agree or do you have your own opinion? Please explain your thoughts…

Erin.B.

Mike says, "violence? What violence?"

Weight Problem in America?

Hey Excel-ers!
I was wondering, do you guys think (over) eating is a big issue in America? Do you feel a lot of America is overweight? What are some healthy ways to start a good lifestyle?

I just started Weight Watchers, and it's a really good plan and it's not hard either. There are plans to choose from and you get to eat what you want! It's great!

I think everyone should be happy and healthy at the same time. What do you guys think?
THANKS!
JOSH F. :)

Effects of stereotypes?

In Excel, we learned about how men and women are portrayed in the media. Through the videos we saw, we were able to learn that women are made out to be sensual in the ads in order to help sell their products, and that they are usually showing off their bodies, which has a negative effect on children today. In the movie “Tough Guise”, we saw how men are supposed to be tough and gain respect through violence and intimidation, as the media portrays "true" men as strong and buff.


My question for you is this. What is your view on men and women that are being portrayed in the media, and how do you think we can change the way that men and women are shown in the media? What kind of effect do these stereotypes have on the next generation?


Zach Y.

What could have been done differently at Virginia Tech?

As you all might have heard, there was a horrific shooting at Virginia Tech a few days ago. Many innocent people both young and old were killed and very injured. The investagation is still being taken care of and closely looked at. Some of the students that I have heard on the news and read online were aware of what was going on as it was happening after being able to check their email early in the morning. The school sent out an email and tried to worn the students of what was going on and to keep them cautious and stay locked inside their dorm rooms. Others were still walking to class with much precaution. Many people are wondering if the school did enough to keep everyone and every classroom safe. What do you think? Do you think there is anything else the school could do to keep people aware and safe? What about keeping people calm? What do you think about schools teaching their students what to do in case of a lock down or emergency?

Emily W.

Final Thoughts on Catcher?

Now that we have finished reading Catcher, what are your view points on the book? How did you like the way J.D. Salinger portrayed Holden and how do you like the way he wrote the book? What did you like about it? What didn't you like?

I liked the book especially the ending - it seemed very emotional and I liked how much Holden had changed by the end.

Josh T.

Is Holden postponing the inevitable?

The other day in Mr. Wickersham’s class we talked about how the title Catcher in the Rye relates to Holden and the rest of the book. Holden is stuck in between being a child and an adult. When Phoebe asks him what his ideal job would be, he says he would love to be a catcher in the rye. He wishes he could still be a child and he does things, like scratching off the bad words in the museum, to prevent other kids from losing their childhood innocence and having to become an adult.

Have you ever done anything because you didn’t want to grow up, or because you didn’t want someone else to have to grow up? If so, why? If not, can you understand why someone, like Holden, would do this, or do you think it is completely crazy and pointless? Do you think Holden was avoiding the inevitable or do you think some people just need the extra time to figure things out? Please explain.

Pic from: www.bittersweetfatkid.co.uk/catcher_holden.jpg

Elizabeth

Stem Cell Research

Tonight I went to the Stem Cell Research Foundation: International event at the Detroit Science Center, and I learned many interesting things about what stem cells are about and what they have to do with what the research is all about.
My dad and Bubbie are both co-chairmen and presidents of the Stem Cell Research Foundation: International. They are very excited about what they are doing, because they can help people in the future. My papa, his dad and her husband were killed from pancreatic cancer 2 years and 2 months ago. This is a motivation for them to help save lives.
What I was wondering was, what do you think about stem cell research, and what are your positions on it?

Editor's Note: An issue surrounding stem cell research is one similar to that surrounding abortion - namely, when does life begin? It is the contention of some believers that life begins at the moment of conception, and that the initial embryonic cells that divide are part of the human living organism - a human soul. The 4-5 day old cells are ones that can be used in stem cell research. President Bush has limited the use of stem cell research to only a few stem cell lines, and that any labs that receive federal money cannot conduct research on other stem cell lines and expect to receive more federal money. The following diseases can possibly be helped by stem cell research:
Alzheimer's disease, Heart disease, Cancer, Spinal cord injuries, Rheumatoid Arthritis
Lupus, Scleroderma, Diabetes, and Parkinson's disease.

Links:
National Institute of Health's Stem Cell page: http://stemcells.nih.gov/info/basics/
Student Society for Stem Cell Research: http://www.ssscr.org/
About.com's site on stem cell research: http://alzheimers.about.com/od/research/a/stem_cell.htm
Stem Cell Research Foundation's FAQ page: http://www.stemcellresearchfoundation.org/About/FAQ.htm

Follow up: (This is a reply from JJ's dad, Dr. Alan Bittker, about the benefits of stem cell research) -"As you said, we are very excited about our progress with the stem cell foundation. We really believe that the research will make a dramatic impact and improve the medical treatments and cures during the next decade. While some people in the community are hesitant or opposed to support embryonic stem cell research, we were very encouraged by the overwhelmingly positive reaction we received following the kickoff event. The 'typical' negative reaction is usually due to the fact that some people believe that every cell – regardless of circumstance – could become a human life. And, because the research is conducted on cells from embryos, they believe a potential life was somehow eliminated.

Our support of this research is based on the fact that scientists, in less than ten years, have been able to create and grow the following from basic stem cells: beating heart tissue, insulin-producing cells, human heart valves and human tissue that reproduces with its own blood supply. Each of these discoveries has the potential to change the face of medicine and offer cures for future generations. Additionally, we are encouraged that nearly 75% of the U.S. population supports this research due to its enormous potential. For all these reasons, we believe we are on the right track and have the momentum needed to raise funds and accelerate this critical research."

We'd like to thank Dr. Bittker for taking the time to work with us on this issue.

So what's the big deal?

I have been wondering why this novel is so revolutionary, so I guess I want to see what other people think.

In class we have discused the events in the novel Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Sallanger in great depth. Also we have seen how the novel affected American literature forever. Many students after reading have asked themselves "why is this story so famous?" or "these events that Holden experiences are not that crazy, why is it so interesting?"

Why do you think Catcher in the Rye is so famous, and what elements of this story are so unique compared to literature that we've studied before this novel?

Josh "Slam Dunk" Smith

Temporary Moment of Insanity

In reading Catcher in the Rye, we all know that Holden is a madman. However, he never comes out and straight forwardly admits that. In all his crazy moments he simply points fingers at other so called "phonies" and psychos.

Do you think your insanity is open to interpetation by others the way others see sides of Holden he doesn't see himself? Have you had certain instances where you were put into the situation where others might feel you are slightly insane? Help us out by explaining.

Lisa

Holden: Love him or hate him?

Now that we have finished reading The Catcher In the Rye, what is your take on the book?

Did you like the main character, Holden Caulfield or did you secretly despise him? Many people have pointed out that Holden is a hypocrite. He constantly expresses his hate towards people who are phony, yet it is clear that Holden himself is a phony.

Also, what are your final thoughts on the book? Did you like The Catcher In The Rye? Why or why not?

C-Kal

A Catcher website: http://www.euronet.nl/users/los/books.html

Copycat threats? What's the deal?

On Monday, there was the Virginia Tech shooting with 33 people dead. But, this past week there have been over a dozen threats to Oakland County Schools.

• Berkshire was closed on Friday due to a threat.
• Groves was on la perimeter lockdown at the end of the day (code white) on Thursday, and there was an investigation into a classroom discussion earlier in the week.
• Sunday night e-mail threat (even before the shooting) at four Rochester schools brought out the bomb sniffing dogs
• The dogs came back Wednesday night to two Walled Lake High Schools, and three more threats were issued on Thursday.
• Oxford received warnings on Tuesday at a middle school.

Why do people think it is funny to make a threat? Just so it can close school and no one has to school? What do you think about all these threats recently?

Paris

Articles: http://www.dailytribune.com/stories/042007/loc_threats001.shtml

Oakland County Prosecutor says that fake threats are no joke, will be taken and punished severely: http://www.clickondetroit.com/news/12520802/detail.html

Editor's Note - In an article in the Daily Tribune, it can cost "$200,000 to $600,000 to close an entire district and add security measures", according to Oakland Schools Superintendent Vickie Markavitch. So please, in our cash-strapped district, don't do anything stupid. And even if money wasn't an issue, if you need someone to talk to or have an issue, we can find ways to work it out. Violence isn't the answer.

Virginia Tech Tragedy

On April 16, 2007, there was a shooting at Virginia Tech University. The shooter came in and shot students with no warning. He killed 32 innocent teachers and students and then killed himself. The shooter had a roommate who said that he was not a popular kid; he was quiet and had almost no friends.

How does a person get to a mindset where they would take another person's life and after killing one person, how does he/she have no remorse or conscience and keep killing others?

Why do you think that this very quiet kid would do such a thing? Even his roommates who lived with him for the past 7 months did not think he could do something so horrible just like the kids at Columbine didn’t think that the shooters would do such a thing as well.

Tripp

Yahoo articles: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070417/media_nm/television_massacre_dc

http://news.yahoo.com/s/infoworld/20070418/tc_infoworld/87786_1

D.C. Trip - FDR Memorial

Thought you might like to see some photos from the FDR Memorial in D.C.

Fairness in the Crucible?

In reading The Crucible so far, communism is connected directly with witchcraft. People in the Red Scare during the time after WWII act a lot like the people in the time of witch trials. Innocent people are accused, jailed, and killed.

Do you guys think this is fair in terms of The Crucible? Communism?

Lisa R.

Rebecca Nurse's trial.

Photos taken from: http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/salem/SAL_PHO.HTM

Your take on the play

Now that many of you have seen the play, experienced the intense on-stage drama, tell us what you thought.

Ms. Z. mentioned the symbolic lighting - did you notice the red and blue lights that came on at certain times? Why did they come on and for whom? She also mentioned the stage was symbolic. I've got my own take on those three trees in the background. Did those branches remind you of flailing hands reaching towards the sky? Kinda Picasso/Guernica like? That might be a stretch. But it also made me think of something else which I'll save for later.

How about the characters? Did they act the way you thought they would? Did you know any of the actors personally and did that knowledge interfere w/ the characters the portrayed? I thought Paul's portrayal of Danforth was bordering on comical, especially with his facial gestures. How about Spence and Mickey? Awesome job, guys. Josh was behind the stage and Andrew was techie on the spot.

So, give us your take on the play. Different than the movie? Of course.

Was GN and GL too real?

This past week in Excel, we watched Good Night and Good Luck. How did the incorporation of actual stock footage add to the overall credibility of the movie?

Did the stock footage go “over the edge” –becoming too real for a movie?

How has culture in the United States changed since the time portrayed in this movie?

Do we have a different mindset? Are we less ignorant?

Jared P.

Good Night and Good Luck Blog - 3rd try's a charm

Choose three statements – one from each speech – and discuss how each statement can be applied to our world and political or social situations today.

" No one familiar with the history of this country can deny that congressional committees are useful. It is necessary to investigate before legislating, but the line between investigating and persecuting is a very fine one and the junior Senator from Wisconsin has stepped over it repeatedly. His primary achievement has been in confusing the public mind, as between the internal and the external threats of Communism. We must not confuse dissent with disloyalty. We must remember always that accusation is not proof and that conviction depends upon evidence and due process of law. We will not walk in fear, one of another. We will not be driven by fear into an age of unreason, if we dig deep in our history and our doctrine; and remember that we are not descended from fearful men. Not from men who feared to write, to speak, to associate, and to defend causes that were for the moment unpopular.

This is no time for men who oppose Senator McCarthy's methods to keep silent, or for those who approve. We can deny our heritage and our history, but we cannot escape responsibility for the result. There is no way for a citizen of a republic to abdicate his responsibilities. As a nation we have come into our full inheritance at a tender age. We proclaim ourselves, as indeed we are, the defenders of freedom, wherever it continues to exist in the world, but we cannot defend freedom abroad by deserting it at home. The actions of the junior Senator from Wisconsin have caused alarm and dismay amongst our allies abroad, and given considerable comfort to our enemies. And whose fault is that? Not really his. He didn't create this situation of fear; he merely exploited it — and rather successfully. Cassius was right. "The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves." Good night, and good luck."
– See it Now broadcast, March 9 1954


If we confuse dissent with disloyalty — if we deny the right of the individual to be wrong, unpopular, eccentric or unorthodox — if we deny the essence of racial equality then hundreds of millions in Asia and Africa who are shopping about for a new allegiance will conclude that we are concerned to defend a myth and our present privileged status. Every act that denies or limits the freedom of the individual in this country costs us the . . . confidence of men and women who aspire to that freedom and independence of which we speak and for which our ancestors fought."

– Ford Fiftieth Anniversary Show, CBS and NBC, June 1953

“We are currently wealthy, fat, comfortable and complacent. We have currently a built-in allergy to unpleasant or disturbing information. Our mass media reflect this. But unless we get up off our fat surpluses and recognize that television in the main is being used to distract, delude, amuse and insulate us, then television and those who finance it, those who look at it and those who work at it, may see a totally different picture too late.

Our history will be what we make it. And if there are any historians about fifty or a hundred years from now, and there should be preserved the kinescopes for one week of all three networks, they will there find recorded in black and white, or color, evidence of decadence, escapism and insulation from the realities of the world in which we live. I invite your attention to the television schedules of all networks between the hours of 8 and 11 p.m., Eastern Time. Here you will find only fleeting and spasmodic reference to the fact that this nation is in mortal danger. There are, it is true, occasional informative programs presented in that intellectual ghetto on Sunday afternoons. But during the daily peak viewing periods, television in the main insulates us from the realities of the world in which we live. If this state of affairs continues, we may alter an advertising slogan to read: LOOK NOW, PAY LATER.

For surely we shall pay for using this most powerful instrument of communication to insulate the citizenry from the hard and demanding realities which must be faced if we are to survive. I mean the word survive literally. If there were to be a competition in indifference, or perhaps in insulation from reality, then Nero and his fiddle, Chamberlain and his umbrella, could not find a place on an early afternoon sustaining show. If Hollywood were to run out of Indians, the program schedules would be mangled beyond all recognition. Then some courageous soul with a small budget might be able to do a documentary telling what, in fact, we have done--and are still doing--to the Indians in this country. But that would be unpleasant. And we must at all costs shield the sensitive citizens from anything that is unpleasant.

I am entirely persuaded that the American public is more reasonable, restrained and more mature than most of our industry's program planners believe. Their fear of controversy is not warranted by the evidence. I have reason to know, as do many of you, that when the evidence on a controversial subject is fairly and calmly presented, the public recognizes it for what it is--an effort to illuminate rather than to agitate.

I do not advocate that we turn television into a 27-inch wailing wall, where longhairs constantly moan about the state of our culture and our defense. But I would just like to see it reflect occasionally the hard, unyielding realities of the world in which we live. I would like to see it done inside the existing framework, and I would like to see the doing of it redound to the credit of those who finance and program it. Measure the results by Nielsen, Trendex or Silex-it doesn't matter. The main thing is to try. The responsibility can be easily placed, in spite of all the mouthings about giving the public what it wants. It rests on big business, and on big television, and it rests at the top. Responsibility is not something that can be assigned or delegated. And it promises its own reward: good business and good television.

To those who say people wouldn't look; they wouldn't be interested; they're too complacent, indifferent and insulated, I can only reply: There is, in one reporter's opinion, considerable evidence against that contention. But even if they are right, what have they got to lose? Because if they are right, and this instrument is good for nothing but to entertain, amuse and insulate, then the tube is flickering now and we will soon see that the whole struggle is lost.

This instrument can teach, it can illuminate; yes, and it can even inspire. But it can do so only to the extent that humans are determined to use it to those ends. Otherwise it is merely wires and lights in a box. There is a great and perhaps decisive battle to be fought against ignorance, intolerance and indifference. This weapon of television could be useful.

Speech at Radio-Television News Directors Association, Chicago, October 15, 1958.

Minimum 250 words total response.

Is history repeating itself?

We started reading The Crucible today, what are you initial reactions to the book after reading Act One? And do you think [the situation it portrays] is another example of history repeating itself? If so, what event do you think it was repeating?

What do you think will happen at the end of this novel?

Lauren

The Crucible's characters - who do you love?

Today in our seminar classes we started reading The Crucible by Arthur Miller. As it mentions on the back of our books, "Mr. Miller's plays are rooted in a realistically critical view of American life and propelled by the intense personal conviction of a man who cares what he writes about and writes about something that matters." The Crucible was based around the times of the Salem witch trials.

In my seminar class today (3/21) Mr. Wickersham mentioned to the class about how he has characters he loves and characters he hates. Just from what we have read so far, which character do you think you can relate to the most to? Also, how do you feel about Arthur Miller and his style of writing?

Jordan R.

March Madness in the 50s?

Currently, the NCAA march madness college basketball tourney challenge is going on. This is a large event that happens once a year.


This event is one that allows many people to show off their ego, and it gives them bragging rights for around a year.


March madness started in 1978, 28 years after the 1950s.


1 - Do you think that the people in the 50s could've come up with such an event?

2 - Did you make a bracket this year?

3 - What could give people of the 50s bragging rights for a year?


Sean T.





NCAA Tournament History - http://www.sportsline.com/collegebasketball/mayhem/history/


NCAA Basketball tournament timeline - http://www.ncaasports.com/basketball/mens/story/9033549


1939 - NCAA Tournament begins with a field of 8.


1946 - The championship game is first televised. Oklahoma State defeated North Carolina.


1951 - The # of teams expands to 16 and in 1953 to 22 -25.


1975 - A 32-team field was adopted and the term, "Final Four" first appeared in an NCAA publication.


1979 - 40 team field.


1980 - 48-team field. In 1981, the NCAA begins a regulated system of ratings to ensure a balanced tournament called RPI.


1985 - The 64-team field is set.

Source for 1956 Champions University of San Francisco photo.
http://graphics.fansonly.com/schools/sanf/graphics/1956-m-baskbl-champions.jpg

Night, Hiroshima, A Separate Peace

All of us have read and explored one story concerning WWII. We have all been touched greatly while reading these. Some of us read Night - a story about Elie and his father and their struggle through the Holocaust, while some read A Separate Peace - a story about how WWII affected childrens lives in the US and about how it caused some to go insane and some to be jealous. The rest of us read Hiroshima - a story about dropping the atomic bomb over Hiroshima (and Nagasaki).

Each of these novels show us every view of WWII. Night showed us it from the Holocaust, A Separate Peace showed it by how Americans were affected, and Hiroshima showed us from the atomic bomb being dropped on it.
- What have you learned?
- Did reading this make you realize how little you knew about it?
- What really touched you while reading and made you feel similar to the way the characters were feeling?
- Also, now that you know what the other books were about, if you could go back in time, would you chose another book? Why?

Josh Sk.

Standing on the sidelines while a genocide occurs

Philippe Galliard, Red Cross supervisor in Rwanda during the genocide in 1994, said,

"In such circumstances, if you do not at least speak out clearly... you are participating in the genocide. If you shut up when you see what you see, then morally, ethically, you cannot shut up. It is a responsibility to speak out."

Few spoke out effectively to stop the genocide in Rwanda in 1994. It took a couple of years to get the U.S. and Europe to act in Bosnia by 1995. Now, we're witness to another genocide in Darfur, Sudan. The government-backed janjiweed, Arab Americans, have persecuted Black Americans.

What can we do, as witnesses to this genocide, to help stop it? To help raise awareness?

Frontline: Ghosts of Rwanda website: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/ghosts/

www.savedarfur.org

Also, a way for high schools to get involved - Dollars for Darfur. Check it out. We might want to organize something. http://www.savedarfur.org/page/content/dfd/

Mr. W.

How would you react if you were in Rosa's shoes?

Recently, we've been talking about the Holocaust and WWII. Friday, Mrs.Bruton came in our class and gave us a lecture on the history of theHolocaust. Mrs. Bruton showed us a short movie about people who actually survived and went through the dreadful times. In the movie, there was a lady, Rosa, that talked about how she got sent all over the place. Her parents both died and her siblings got killed when people came to inspect their houses. She was the only person in her family who lived. The guards told her and a group of people to go somewhere and they'd come back to get them later on, but they never did. Rosa was very lucky because during that time, a break like that was very rare. Rosa survived and is still living today.

Could you ever imagine going through something that scary?

What would you do if you were a little kid all by yourself at a "death camp"?

How would you react to taking your clothes off in front of guards or having to shave your head?

Haley

Pictures taken from:

1. http://shamash.org/holocaust/photos/images/maidan01.jpg - shoes collected from victims at Maidanek

2. http://shamash.org/holocaust/photos/images/Auschw01.jpg - glasses collected from victims at Auschwitz

Nicole compares World War 2 subjects

Today in Excel class, we had Mrs. Bruton come in and talk to us about the Holocaust and some of its major points. We saw that it went from a religious point to racism. Earlier this week we talked about Pearl Harbor and the history of that and compared it to Saddam Hussein and the 9/11 attacks.

Do you think that there is any significance between these 3 major events in history? Why or why not. Do they relate to each other in any way?

Will the past ever leave us alone?

William Faulkner, a great American writer of the first half of the 20th Century wrote:"The past is never dead. It's not even past."

I got to thinking about this quote as we're coming up to our unit on World War II and all of the awful things that happened during that war. The death toll is staggering. An estimated 62 million people were killed, 37 million civilians and 25 millions soldiers. There were crimes against humanity - the Holocaust visited upon Europe's Jews and other outsiders; 7 million Chinese civilians killed not only by the Japanese but also in a bloody civil war; and Allied soldiers brutally kept in Japanese prisoner-of-war camps in Asia.

It has been over 60 years since this war ended, yet we still see reminders of this war in many places that we go.
1. The United Nations Security Council is based upon the winners of the war and hasn't changed to reflect the world as it is today;
2. Japan has little to no armed forces;
3. Germany still pays reparations to the survivors of the Holocaust;
4. A distrust between the Soviet Union and America during the war carried over into a 46 year Cold War which we will continue to pay for until many of us are old and gray;
5. The cloud of Japanese internment camps hangs over America as a gross violation of Japanese-Americans civil liberties;
6. And we all live under the specter of a nuclear blast because of the race for the atom bomb in the 1940s that America won in July 1945 when we detonated one successfully in Trinity, New Mexico. One of the biggest threats to world peace, if not the biggest threats, is the spread of nuclear weapons today. Just look at North Korea and Iran.

So, my questions for you, as we tackle World War 2, are:
1. What should our approach to the war be? Do we look at it just as another American war which expanded our military, economic and political power across the globe? Or was there a greater purpose involved in fighting the war?
2. When do we let go of the legacy of the past? When is enough enough? Or are there some things that should never ever be forgotten? Specifics would be great for this answer.

Article on Japan's apology for its WW2 legacy - http://www.voanews.com/english/archive/2005-08/2005-08-15-voa6.cfm
Casualties stats - http://www.reference.com/browse/wiki/World_War_II_casualties
32

Opinions on Black Boy

What are your current opinions on Black Boy?
If you like it, why?
If you don't, what could be better about the book?
What would you change about it if you were the author?

Geoff G.

1st iPod, now iPhone. Next, iBomb?

Will Apple take over the world?

As the release of the new Apple iPhone comes up, it's been a joke that apple is going to take over the world with it's technology. So far, we've seen that technology has it's good sides, and it's bad. At the world's fair, they had all this technology that was supposed to be for the good. Then World War II shows up and we turn out with the atomic bomb.

In the last 20 years, we've created arcade games, to the Atari home system, laptops, gaming consols like the new PS3 and Nintendo Wii, TVs that use mirrors to make a better picture, and countless of other things inclucing actual intelligent robots (note: all of this shown at the Consumer Electronic Show at the begining of January this year).

So my question is: with all the new "good" technology coming out, dare we ask what new "evil", destructive technology can we build? Are we going to become so advanced one day that we build something no human can survive? Is increasing the technology we build really an overall good thing?

-Abbie

What will the future be like?

When watching the movie yesterday on 1920s and 1930s art, I felt that much of it was about the future. In that time period people felt as though the future would be completely different from that time. Some felt that the expansion of city life was ruining the American way of life. Some felt that expansion was the only way our country was going to strive forward.

How do you think America will be in the future?

Will it have flying cars and robots or will it be the same?
What do you think would be good changes, and what do you think would be bad ones?

Robbie H.

American Gothic?

Today we watched a video on all sorts of different types of art from the 1930s.
- Which was your piece of art work?
- Did you like a certain type (ex. Realism, Regionalists)?
- What characteristics of the artwork did you find appealing?
- What characteristics did you not like?
- Did you recognize any famous paintings like "American Gothic"?

John S.

Editor's Note: The following art pieces are from a website at Arkansas Tech University where students did their own version of a copy change using "American Gothic" but adapted other images, ideas or styles to the paintings to create Andy Warhol-like prints. Enjoy.

Technology will solve all our problems

As we al learned, The World's Fair in 1939 gave hope to Americans that technology would solve all of thier problems; but then the unexpected happened. Americans learned through the mass destruction of the atomic bomb that technology could help them improve their lives, but at the same time, it could turn on them and take their lives.

If you were living in this time and went to the World's Fair and the next thing you knew, an atomic bomb was launched and a war began, how do you think you would react? What would you do? How would you feel?

Kelsey

What would you do if you were Richard?

In Black Boy, Richard dreams of going to the North ever since he was a young boy. He says, “I dreamed of going north and writing books, novels. The North symbolized to me all that I had not felt and seen; it had no relation whatever to what actually existed” (Wright, 199). Richard’s dream of going North to write surprises me because he was so young when he decided to become a writer and grew up to be very independent. It seems hard to imagine that Richard knew what he wanted to do with his life when he was so young. He also baffles me because he just finished school and already wants to move out far away from his family.

If you were in Richard’s shoes, would you adamantly pursue going North? How did the Southern racism push Richard’s desires to move? How would you feel about living on your own as a young person, and leaving your family so far away?

Megan

What if you lived during the Depression?

As we have seen, the Great Depression has not only been a national slump in our country's history, but it has also been a pivotal point in many people's lives. Recall that many abandoned their families (ranging in age from child to adult) were gone for a long time finding work and some even committed suicide. Credit and buying on margin were two factors that fueled this downfall from a climax. But we can only read so much about this difficult 1930s "bear market."

If you lived as a mother or father of a family during this time, what would you do with your wealth when finding that the stock market was a bull market, and there is money to be had, with hopes to increase your state of living?
Also, once the stock market crashed, what would you do in an effort to keep both your family AND yourself going?
Why would you make these decisions? Reflect on how these decisions would impact your life.
Seth

Editor's note: Yes, the little boy in the picture above is standing there w/o his pants. Try not to freak, and please deal with this w/ a bit of maturity. I put this picture in here to show you the utter poverty some families had to undergo through the Great Depression (please notice the capital letters). Things we take for granted like pants for little kids might have been something in need for this family; either that or like other little kids his age, he liked to run around naked. Who knows?

First or Second?

Which semster do you like better: first or second and do you think you are going to take Excel next year?

I like second semester better becasue I like that fact that we see all of our teachers and we won't miss any assignments. I didn't like first semester because it was my first time and I felt that I was being left out because sometimes I didnt understand the material and didnt ask questions. I also felt like that because sometimes I wouldnt know what I had to do for homework.

But now I know the things to do better in class. Based on what people told me about next year's Excel, I'm not going to take it because I feel that I am not ready for it but I did have fun in Excel.

Anita H.

Choices, choices, choices

I have been going between so many classes for next year, and I can’t decide which ones to choose. There are so many choices which include:
Excel 11
World Lit. And Comp.
AP Language
AP Government and so on.
I hear good and bad information about every class. Teachers can help a lot, but we have the ultimate decision for our future. Are you overwhelmed with all the choices and decisions that have to be made by the end of next week? Do you know what classes you want to take next year? Do you have any suggestions for the rest of the class about things you have heard?
Michelle

Editor's Note: Please post positive comments about classes b/c nothing derogatory or negative will be posted.

One of my all time favorite quotes about American history

Great American writer James Baldwin wrote this about American history: "American history is longer, larger, more various, more beautiful, and more terrible than anything anyone has ever said about it."

Question: What do you think he means by this quote (besides restating the obvious -"American history is longer, more beautiful...etc. ")? Can you use an example from first semester American history (or one that you're familiar with) that best captures this quote and explain why your incident/person/event applies to the quote?

Things to think about when writing your response: try to go in depth by thinking about what has been taught or hasn't been taught about American minorities in the past. Consider how future Americans (your children and grandchildren) will look at today's history. What have you studied in the past that has really struck a nerve? Why?

Citation: James Baldwin (1924–1987), U.S. author. “A Talk To Teachers,” October 16, 1963, published in The Price of the Ticket (1985).

Gatsby and the American Dream?

In class, we discussed The Great Gatsby and how the American dream is tied in with his book. Do you think that Fitzgerald was trying to tie his own American dream in with what he was writing? How do you think that the Great Gatsby shows people living the American Dream? In your own opinion what do you think the stereotype of an “American Dream” is? Do you believe that everyone is capable of achieving their own American Dream?

Matt

Old Man / Open Boat Pictures

Just a smattering of the fabulous fun had on the Wednesday before break with the scurvy crew from the Old Man and the Sea / "The Open Boat" elective.