The reconstruction era post-Civil war began in 1865 and ended in 1877. Everything from policies being implemented to the abolishment of slavery. Essentially, creating a new America.
Technically, the Civil War ended in 1865. Factions like Red Shirts and other hate groups began to form. These types of people are anti-government and want to implement their own policies. The KKK are the remnants of the confederacy. These remaining members of the confederacy are split up into groups and are considered paramilitary groups.
Essentially, reconstructing America and amending the U.S constitution. The idea of slavery was abolished when the emancipation proclamation was in effect.
There is an organization known as the Southern poverty law center. They battle against paramilitary groups; that try to discriminate against black citizens that were freed after the civil war and were given full legal rights after the reconstruction era. Whenever their is a southern poverty law victory, they take away the funding of some of these hate groups so that they can no longer operate, recruit new members to support their cause and spew their hatred.
Reuters New Service, Feb-26, 2009. Southern Poverty Law Center; hate group numbers up by 54% since 2000.
http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS222404+26-Feb-2009+PRN20090226
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Blog #9: Media saves the beach 2
Last year, for one world week, I was with a beach clean up crew with Chris Wakefield. We had to scan the beaches for litter. We found so many cigarette butts, bottle caps, bear bottles and etc. We picked up all the trash left on the beach and threw into these plastic bags. Its just terrible how we had to clean up someones else's mess. Think about the wildlife first before you make the wrong decision; littering our beautiful beaches. People should consider throwing away trash into the nearest recycling bins that they can find. One by one, we our saving our earth by keeping it clean.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Blog #8: Media Saves the Beach
For this project, I'm really interested in photography. In middle school, we had this thing called intersession. Mine was photography. I kind of like taking pictures using my creativity. I usually take pictures of random things and do some cool stuff in Photoshop. I don't know but I might just do a picture book or something for this project.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Blog #7: Final work
Heritage
Silence engulfed the dining room, my head resting on the palm of my hand as I aimlessly twisted the spaghetti around my fork. My dad began to speak as everyone quieted down to listen. I heard a noise like the sound of a motorcycle engine as he cleared his throat. My eyes were focused on him as he began to speak about his early days in Palestine, neighboring the Mediterranean Sea and Jordan. I interrupted my father and said, “Dad, why did you leave Palestine?” He left Palestine because of the Israeli occupation, he answered. He left his country with tears in his eyes and headed for Saudi Arabia to study and lived there for a couple of years.
Shortly thereafter, my father booked a plane ticket to study in America. “Several million Palestinian refugees live in Jordan and Lebanon”, (Miller, 400). Some immigrated to America. I imagined what it would have been like coming to this country for the first time. It was a misty, gray day when his plane landed on the runway at New York’s airport. I later discovered that at the base of the Statue of Liberty there is a plaque with the Elhams family name. My father had mailed a $100 donation to the Statue of Liberty Fund to have the plaque made years after his arrival (Maestro), (Daniels). My father had mailed off a college application to the University of Berkley and was accepted. Unfortunately without sufficient money, he couldn’t attend Berkley and instead attended San Diego State University. College consumed all of his time.
One of my father’s major influences was his own grandfather. His grandfather, the mayor of the town where they lived was the law of the land. People looked up to him and sought his advice. An adventurous horseman, he was a self-made man who actually built his own house out of stone. One of my father’s dreams would have been to build his own home for his family. This could perhaps explain why I have always been interested in architecture.
He is particularly inspired by President Obama’s desire to extend the hand of friendship to Muslim nations. When I was eight years old, I traveled to Washington, D.C with my father to see the nation’s capitol. We visited many monuments and government buildings. I learned a lot about my country’s great history. The original Declaration of Independence is at the National Archives in Washington D.C. (Cheney, p.24).
I will make sure that the next generation will learn the importance of my cultural heritages, both Arabic and Hispanic. It is my responsibility to make sure that the next generation understands their identity. My father has been an inspiration that has made me want to triumph over adversity. He symbolizes a man who can make the American Dream a reality.
Works Cited
Cheney, Lynne. America: A Patriotic Primer. New York: Simon Schuster, 2002. Print.
Daniels, Roger. Coming to America, The History of Immigration and ethnicity in American Life. Print.
Maestro, Betsy. Coming to America, The Story of Immigration. Online. Web. 13 Sept. 2009.
Miller, Barbara. Book: Cultural Anthropology, George Washington University. Print.
"Museum & Attractions." Washington.org - Official Tourism Site of Washington, DC. Web. 13 Sept. 2009. .
blog #6: Unknown title
Whenever, I begin writing, I tend to spill my ideas onto a blank sheet of paper. Once I have those ideas on paper I organize them. I always like to hook the reader in with my first sentence. Basically, my rough draft was vague. I also discovered that I forget to support my statements with solid evidence. After I completed draft one of the artist statement, I learned that I like to get in depth and find a hand full of evidence. I really think one of my strong points is using descriptive words so that the reader can paint a picture in their mind.
I did some minor changes to my artistic statement by changing the words that had -ing endings. From doing that I really enhanced my writing. Randy said in class that he hates words that have -ing endings. Now my artistic statement is clear and easy to understand. I learned that when you use -ing endings can making your writing choppy.
I would probably continue writing about what do to inspire the next generation. I would also try and use my useful techniques to enhance the paragraph.
The sentence uses descriptive words to get my point across. It really explains and paints a picture of what is happening at the time. This sentence grabs the attention of the reader because I think the reader like sentence that are very descriptive. When the reader can better understand what is currently going on. Its an excellent sentence to start off a story because of the way it is written. It also tells the reader that the author had a great choice of words.
I did some minor changes to my artistic statement by changing the words that had -ing endings. From doing that I really enhanced my writing. Randy said in class that he hates words that have -ing endings. Now my artistic statement is clear and easy to understand. I learned that when you use -ing endings can making your writing choppy.
I would probably continue writing about what do to inspire the next generation. I would also try and use my useful techniques to enhance the paragraph.
The sentence uses descriptive words to get my point across. It really explains and paints a picture of what is happening at the time. This sentence grabs the attention of the reader because I think the reader like sentence that are very descriptive. When the reader can better understand what is currently going on. Its an excellent sentence to start off a story because of the way it is written. It also tells the reader that the author had a great choice of words.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Blog #4: Photo Techniques
Posed portraits:
Initially, I'm going to capture a photograph of myself and put something in the background of my picture. Or I might hold this rug in my hands for the picture so.
Side-lighting:
definitely, my picture could use some side-lighting. I want to make it more detailed and not blurry or anything. I need people to see my facial expression in that photograph and what I am holding in my hands.
Rule of Thirds:
I could use the rule of thirds because I am taking a picture of myself.
Blog #3: In-class critiques
For my rough draft of the artist statement, I spilled my thoughts on paper. I organized those thoughts into four paragraphs. The student who critiqued my artist statement told me to revise my conclusion paragraph because it was a little choppy. I also need to spell the word, Mediterranean, correctly.
Most importantly, I definitely need to revise my conclusion paragraph. I should add some important quotes and tie them into my artist statement.
Draft 2
Silence engulfed the dining room, my head resting on the palm of my hand as I twisted the spaghetti with my fork. Clearly, I was bored. My older brother, Omar, was sitting between my dad and myself. My dad was seated on the far edge of the dinner table. The spaghetti and meat balls on my father’s plate instantly disappeared. My dad began to speak like the beginning of a presidential speech as everyone quiets down to listen. Before he begins to talk, I heard noise coming from his throat like the sound of a motorcycle engine. My eyes were focused on him and he began to speak about his early days in the land of Palestine, neighboring the Mediterranean Sea and Jordan. I cleared my thoughts, he continued talking.
Politely, I interrupted my father and said, “Dad, why did you leave Palestine?” He told me he left Palestine because of the Israeli occupation. He left his county with tears in his eyes and headed for Saudi Arabia and lived there for a couple of years. Shortly thereafter, my father booked a plane ticket from Saudi Arabia to America. I visualized his arrival in America. It was like I was invisible and following my father. It was a misty, grey day when his plane gradually landed on the airport runway. Later on that dark night, my father was sitting inside his apartment building finishing up a college application. He mailed it off to the University of Berkley and was accepted. Unfortunately without sufficient money, he couldn't’t attend Berkley and switched to SDSU. He wanted to have a great house, a nice car and essentially a successful life. He had trouble trying to keep up with his culture and religion. College consumed all his time. He was clearly trying to fit into the American lifestyle. It was like he left his original ways and pushed them aside. He struggled with his identity as much as I did until he realized that he is an American Palestinian.
My father’s major influence was his own grandfather. My grandfather, the mayor of the town where they lived was the law of the land. He was a strong advocate for peace. People looked up to him and sought his advice. An adventurous horse man , he was a self-made man who actually built his own home. One of my father’s dreams would have been to build his own home for his family. This could perhaps explain why I have always been interested in architecture.
My father has been quite an inspiration that has made me want to triumph over adversity. I know that evidently, he symbolizes a man who is exceptionally hard working. He has told me that I should teach the next generation the importance of my cultural heritages, both Arabic and Hispanic. I must take the responsibility to ensure that the next generation understands their identity.
Most importantly, I definitely need to revise my conclusion paragraph. I should add some important quotes and tie them into my artist statement.
Draft 2
Silence engulfed the dining room, my head resting on the palm of my hand as I twisted the spaghetti with my fork. Clearly, I was bored. My older brother, Omar, was sitting between my dad and myself. My dad was seated on the far edge of the dinner table. The spaghetti and meat balls on my father’s plate instantly disappeared. My dad began to speak like the beginning of a presidential speech as everyone quiets down to listen. Before he begins to talk, I heard noise coming from his throat like the sound of a motorcycle engine. My eyes were focused on him and he began to speak about his early days in the land of Palestine, neighboring the Mediterranean Sea and Jordan. I cleared my thoughts, he continued talking.
Politely, I interrupted my father and said, “Dad, why did you leave Palestine?” He told me he left Palestine because of the Israeli occupation. He left his county with tears in his eyes and headed for Saudi Arabia and lived there for a couple of years. Shortly thereafter, my father booked a plane ticket from Saudi Arabia to America. I visualized his arrival in America. It was like I was invisible and following my father. It was a misty, grey day when his plane gradually landed on the airport runway. Later on that dark night, my father was sitting inside his apartment building finishing up a college application. He mailed it off to the University of Berkley and was accepted. Unfortunately without sufficient money, he couldn't’t attend Berkley and switched to SDSU. He wanted to have a great house, a nice car and essentially a successful life. He had trouble trying to keep up with his culture and religion. College consumed all his time. He was clearly trying to fit into the American lifestyle. It was like he left his original ways and pushed them aside. He struggled with his identity as much as I did until he realized that he is an American Palestinian.
My father’s major influence was his own grandfather. My grandfather, the mayor of the town where they lived was the law of the land. He was a strong advocate for peace. People looked up to him and sought his advice. An adventurous horse man , he was a self-made man who actually built his own home. One of my father’s dreams would have been to build his own home for his family. This could perhaps explain why I have always been interested in architecture.
My father has been quite an inspiration that has made me want to triumph over adversity. I know that evidently, he symbolizes a man who is exceptionally hard working. He has told me that I should teach the next generation the importance of my cultural heritages, both Arabic and Hispanic. I must take the responsibility to ensure that the next generation understands their identity.
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Blog #2: Osamah's resoures
Native American resources...
Geographic website contains information about the early days of the native Americans. It explains the arrival of the American Indians in America. The following link, http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/player/kids/history-kids/native-americans-kids.html, will take you there.
There is a book called, The MAKING of the WEST: peoples and cultures a concise history, that has information regarding American Indian history.
John Stewart resources...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5pK7sK0i4A&feature=related this video is an interview about John Stewart's popularity in America.
The website is the number one source to find daily show episodes and news about the show. This is where you can find lots of information
The Book, America by John Stewart, contains information regarding American politics and presidencies. Its a great resource for an American icon like John Stewart.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Blog #1: American Icons
John Stewart
He represents the face of comedy. Each episode keeps me interested and makes me laugh hysterically.
I'm sure you all have seen, The Daily Show with John Stewart. His show airs on comedy central every night at 9:00 o'clock. This American politic satirist/writer/television host/actor/media critic and standup comedian to the left side of your computer screen, clutching the microphone in his hand, is John Stewart. He currently resides in the United States of America. Stewart began his work on the daily show in the early 1999s. Every episode, John likes to criticize all the news coverage from the news networks like NBC, CNN and Fox News channel from his “fake news” desk. When he’s on air, you hear John discuss politics the entire episode and, obviously, he is wearing the same exact clothing an ordinary anchorman would wear, a suit with a tie. Anyway, John would always ridicule George W. Bush’s presidency when Bush made mistakes like the Iraq war during his presidency.
The main reason why I chose him is because he is passionate about his career and he loves being on Entertainment Television. John definitely inspires me and his wide range of viewers not to be afraid to stand your ground when politicians make mistakes. We both are very critical observers of events such as the Fox media reporting that doesn't explain the entire story sometimes.
Karem Elhams
My dad, Karem Elhams, was an immigrant originally from Palestine. Palestine is located in the Middle East, neighboring Jordan and the Mediteranean Sea. My dad's name is not spelled Karem, it is actually, Kareem. Kareem is correctly prounced, Kah-REEM, meaning "generous and giving". Before his arrival into the states, he spent most of his childhood in Rafa, Palestine. In 1941, the Israeli occupation of Palestine occurred and my father journeyed to Saudi Arabia and lived there for a couple of years. He then left Saudi Arabia and traveled to the United States seeking education and a new life. I find it funny that people in America struggle to pronounce my dad’s name. Surprisingly, my dad, a mathematical genius, sent in his college application to Berkley University and was accepted. Unfortunately, he could not afford to go there.
Dad, who I have always had a strong and unbreakable bond with, truthfully inspires me to be more productive and reach for high expectations. I would like to quote what he said to me three years ago, “The only person who I want to be more successful than me is my own son”. This quote simply means that he only wants me to successfully surpass him in life.
American Indian
The American Indian symbolizes courage against adversity. They only took what they needed from the land and they lived in harmony with nature. They are the original survivalists and they make do with what they have. The American Indian are the indigenous people of early America. They fought for control over their lands with weapons against harsh enemies. They fought bravely against their adversaries. American Indians tried to avenge the death of familyand friends. The American Indian used the tip of a spear to pierce the flesh of a buffalo for clothing and food. They would hunt to feed their families. Some grew crops. American Indians used their many skills to skin animals. They pray to the animals for forgiveness. They built dwellings to shelter themselves from the cold harsh winters. They were akways optimistic, always trying to survive.
I can honestly say that these American Indians inspire me greatly. They are some of the most successful survivors who struggled against some of nature's harshest elements and learned to be very resourceful. They have proven to be very brave and intelligent survivors.
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