Media Analysis: That Seventies Show

by Antonese

Time Travel. We all with it were possible. While learning about the 1970’s, I wanted a time travel machine to really see how that generation worked. As I was flipping through the channels, I landed on That Seventies Show. I had found my time travel machine! Afeter watching three hours of back-to-back reruns I quickly learned that That Seventies Show is a satirical mirror of the seventies generation.

Everyone loves a good comedy. That Seventies Show definitely makes you laugh. This show is about six friends who live in Wisconsin during the 1970’s. They portray events and lif of that era in a comical and exciting way. I learned a lot about that generation without realizing it. From the music to the presidents to the fashion, That Seventies Show taught me valuable information within the context of a narrative.

The characters in That Seventies Show have different personalities and beliefs. Hyde is the hippie of the gang. He sports is afro and loves to smoke marijuana. He’s into music and maintains a “live and let live” attitude. Jackie and Kelso are the rich airheads who are into their looks and nothing else. Donna is the child of the Baby Boomers, a preview of the Gen-X-ers. She is independent and has learned to take care of herself. Fez is a Mexican immigrant who is always getting picked-on as a foreigner. Eric is the average seventies kid. He skates by on his own mediocrity. His parents definitately portray the seventies prototype as well. His mom, Kitty, is a traditional housewife who is also an alcoholic. She is moterhly and caring, but she turns to alcohol when times get rough. Eric’s dad, Red, is a stern Korean War vet. He shows how men were suppose to act tough and macho in that era, exhuding a strong and emotionless persona. His rude attidude scares off most people, but at least he is comfortable in his own skin. He’s not shy and insecure.

As I watched each episode, I noticed how all the characters, aside from Fez, were white. I pondered on why this is. If That Seventies Show portrays people of the seventies, shouldn’t it show both blacks nad whites? I still haven’t found a strong answer. Perhaps it’s just showing the reality of segregation. Or maybe it’s reminding us about our own reacism. Although there aren’t African-Americans, there is Fez. In the show, they demonstrate how cruel people were to immigrants. They make him look stupid and clueless. Perhaps that shows hhow many people viewd immigrants. Or worse, it tells us how our society currently views immigrants.

The seventies were three decades ago. Yet we can still access our public memory of it through shows like That Seventies Show. It can become a mirror reflecting reality of that generation through the lens of our times.

Face the Issues: Middle East

Students discuss the prospect of peace in Israel and in the Middle East as a region. Click below to access the entire podcast (and download it)

http://www.archive.org/details/FaceTheIssuesMiddleEast

Or click below to listen:

Photo Source:
Flickr Creative Commons

http://www.flickr.com/photos/edo-finelight/2394087158/

Why Can’t We Be Friends?

By Maria

There are all kinds of people who don’t care about another person’s race. They are more concerned about the person on the inside. Or so they say. What if the person in the inside has been shaped by what they look like on the outside? What if it’s impossible to “look past race” because race has shaped how we view ourselves? Can people from two races really get along? Can they see past race?

I do believe people from two races can get along well. I don’t say this out of habit. I have my reasons. Friendship is more about what both people feel inside. It is about shared ideas and interests, not about race or any other outside characteristic. A good cross-racial friendship will mean people will experiment with new things from another culture. True, there might be challenges, but the relationship will grow stronger because of what they have gone through. They’ll have conflict based on how they were raised and they’ll challenge former ideas. But that’s how people grow. Eventually the friendship will be easy, Who knows? By the end of it all, both sides might end up more like the other culture as a result.

To every good side, there is also a challenging side. For example, one of the friends may love their race and without recognizing it, he might put down the other person’s race. The other person might get mad and it can end with hurt feelings and bruised egos. They may even lose their friendship. Or what if one person doesn’t like the food or the music of the ideas of another culture? Then when they hang out, there is the idea that one race is “right” and the other is “wrong.” After awhile, both people want to hang out with only people from their own race, because it’s easier to be with someone you have something in common with.

It’s not the race of a friendship that matters, but the attidutde you have about it. Trying new things can be awesome. Having friendships that go past the racial barriers can make you into a better person. It makes like interesting. It makes life fun for both races. The goal is to move past racism and explore race in a way that allows people from both sides to have fun. A solid friendship makes it to the end together. Even if it is sometimes difficult, it is possible for people from two races to deeply know each other and be best friends.

Photo Credit
Flickr Creative Commons
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lulazzo/2950951981/

Stamp Technique

by Jessica

At first glimpse, these might not seem like they are "social studies" related arts.  Yet, in these stamping pieces, we are reminded that the preservation of nature is valuable. 

Life and Death

by Monique

Life a beautiful thing! Life is why you and me are here right now,because of life we are able to live. Our parents brought us into this world and gave us our chance to live our life. What if you didn't get your chance at life? What if it was cut short,and you were never brought into this world? What if your parents just decided they didn't want you? What if they decided to get you aborted and want nothing of you? Have you ever thought about this,taking an innocent unborn babies life? Millions of unborn are aborted every year.

Abortion is something that is constantly a problem in our world today. Million of unborn are being aborted each year.These child's life and soul are being taken from them. They didn't even get to take their first breathe of air. These are innocent babies who have done nothing wrong in life.There not even given a chance to make mistakes and learn from them. There not even given a chance to do anything in life.

Abortion is one of those things no child or anybody should have to go through. Everyone should get their chance to live,whether the parents wanted them or not. Although abortions are bad and unfair to the poor children who never get to take a breathe of air,in some cases an abortion is the only options the parents have left.

In some cases parents have to get an abortion. Sometimes their just not financially ready or responsible to take care of another human being. This doesn't give you the right to end their life though. There's always the option to have them adopted. Your still giving them the chance to live their life. No matter what the situation is abortion is never the best option. You will always have more options,you never have to end the poor child's life.

Abortion is never the best option to choose. It doesn't matter what the situation is. Taking an innocent unborn child's life is just cruel and wrong. Everyone should have a chance to live life and experience the world. No ones opportunity should be taken from them,no matter what the situation is. Abortion is just wrong and should not be allowed to be done. Let the children live and see the world. Let them learn what it's like to live,learn,and grow in this world.

Accountability?

A Wall of Ignorance

by Eydmar

Turn on the news and you might catch a glimpse of some Iranians burning a U.S. flag. They call us the Great Satan and do what they can to insult us. Yet, it's two sided. There are reasons for this conflict.

Who's fault is it that the middle east hates us? It isn't really anybody's fault. It's not like as if we wanted them to hate us or anything. The middle east and the U.S just don't have many things in common. They think that women should not expose any skin at all. On the other hand we just think the opposite. For them it's like a dis if women do. For us, it's just normal. We enjoy McDonalds and we want them to enjoy it as well. To many of them this feels like imperialism.

We don't want them to hate us on purpose. We also don't try to do the opposite of what their religion does. We just are simply different than they are. It's like if you go to another country, and you do something that you do all the time in your normal country you live in. It's not like you know that they don't allow it. For you it's just normal. It's not so much a wall of hate as it is a wall of ignorance.

There is a solution to this. One thing we could do is not use so much violence. I think that we use way too much violence in our approach to the Middle East. That is why the Middle East views us as a bunch of violent, unjustified soldiers that don't know how to keep order. Yet, our only way of keeping order is to use weapons. In the process, we abuse our power and authority. So maybe we should get out of there and see what happens. Another option would be to open the lines of communication. If we can learn to talk we can learn to find peace.

Photo Source

http://www.papamiket.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/iran-flag-burning.jpg

Travel Journal: Globalization

by Brenda

While going to Mexico, I noticed many aspects of how globalization has changed the landscape, the people and the culture. The following are just a few examples:

Transportation:
The Lozoya Shuttle seems at first to be a Mexican transportation company. However, it shuttles people to places like New Mexico, Mexico, Salt Lake City and the entire North American region. The company itself has shuttles all over the world and most likely has investors from the world as well. Even if it is not transnational yet, it is an example of how our methods of movement have become globalized.


Food:
Every place I go in Mexico seems to have a McDonalds. I wouldn't be surprised to see one under the sea someday (perhaps a Krusty Krab styled similar to a globalized cartoon sponge) No matter where the location is, the structure of the restaraunt is the same, even when the food isn't. So whenever you are craving a Quarter Pounder, Chicken McNuggets or McFlurry just wander around your town, wherever that might be in the world and there's sure to be one.

Music:
As I spent some time at my tia's (aunt's) store in Mexico, you would think all the music would be Mexican. Well that's incorrect. My tia's workers had songs like "bartender" and "shadow of the day" and "disturbia" on their cell phones. The radio station played songs with global appeal, from regeton to rap to rock. Who am I to judge, but do they even know what the songs mean? Or is it that they like the rhythm? Is the feel of music the same globally? Or have we lost the national flavor? I find it strange that I am a Mexican-American who listens to more Mexican music than many of the Mexicans I met in Mexico.

Political Cartoon: The Hypocrisy of Zero Tolerance

Social Art Collective

Everyday at lunch, we have the Social Art Collective. The main premise is to express our social voice collectively through art. Our goal is to blend the ideas of service with the methods of art. Every art project includes a service project mixed with it. For example, we work on a Paper Border Project while also doing a supply drive for immigrant groups.

Our Purpose:
Art with advocacy, awareness and action

Characteristics:

• Use as many renewable and recycled resources (dang, we're really into alliteration today!) This means we are creating the Paper Border with all previously used paper products. We are creating collages with old magazine pictures.
  
• Anyone can participate and no single individual can take sole credit. At the same time, individuals can put their own individual flavor in each project.
• Every work must have a social-centered viewpoint. In other words, the art is not for sheer aesthetics, but rather it exists for the purpose of advocacy, action and awareness

Primary Detectives: Picture of a Farm

by Sergio

The picture looks like it is at least fifty yeras old. It is in black and white (actually sepia) and it's pretty clear. It looks faded and old, but it's hard to pinpoint a specific year. The texture feels kind of like cardboard and the corners are ripped. Also, it's smaller than today's pictures. The picture seems to be located in a farm, maybe an orange grove. In the middle there is a row of dirt and the cart is being pulled by horse.

My guess is that they took this picture to show that white people worked just as hard as minorities. Notice how, in the picture, there are latinos, blacks and whites together. Maybe it was just a picture showing the people who worked. It could come from the owner of the land.

A lot of things have changed since then. For example, the style of the photo is vastly different. Nobody takes pictures in black and white anymore. Plus they all take pictures in digital instead. The picture itself has some differences from then until now. Not that many of us wear suspenders, but in the picture everyone is wearing suspenders instead of belts. Also, they are wearing really old-school hats.

Living History: Javier Lucero

Javier Lucero shares what it was like as a child in the Rodney King Riots. Mr. Lucero is a teacher at Frank Borman Middle School and was shaped by this childhood experience.

Please visit
http://www.archive.org/details/Lucero_205

or click below:

Are You Kidding?

by Michell

Is it okay to make jokes about another race? Is it okay to use racial slurs to gain a simple laugh? In my opinion, no, it is not okay to make jokes about another race. Just twist it around the other way. Some people might make jokes about your race and you wouldn't like that very much. So it's bad to make jokes about other races.

People are racist against others becuase of their skin color or their ethnic background or where they are from. Yet people are born with their skin color and they have no control over it. People can't control where they were born either and though they try and ditch their culture, it's a part of them as well. Why make a joke out of something no one can control? Whether it's a "blonde joke" or an anti-black joke or a redneck joke, a joke against a race is a joke against something people have no control over.

Some people from other races are nice, while some people from your race are mean. If we're all human then we are all capable of being nice or mean. If that's true, then it is not good to judge someone based upon race. It's not okay to use stereotypes about different people that essentially add up to, "these people are bad" or "these people are mean." However, when we tell racial jokes, we spread the stereotypes.

Telling racist jokes could actually be dangerous for you. If you make racial jokes, people will assume you are racist. Someone could get really mad and hurt you or someone you love. What you consider a simple joke might be an insult to another person. Sometimes fights even break out just because someone said something as a joke. In the end, many people get hurt because of racism.

Consider how your words will make someone feel next time you are thinking of telling a racist joke. Being racist does not bring anything good to your life or to the person you are making fun of. Although you might get a laugh, you'll lose something bigger in the long run: the chance for racial unity.

visual poetry

by Patricia

Racist Without Realizing It

by Daniell

It makes you not have many friends.  It can cause you to lose your job.  It makes you angry and you don't think right.  It's a disease many people don't see.  Racism can be in your body and you don't even know it.  People are racist without realizing it. 

Often people don't know the racism is inside of them.  They might say things but not know that they are hurting someone, for example, using the "N word." Some people talk behind each other's backs.  They use racial slurs knowing that no one is around.  Some mascots for professional teams show racism, such as "Chief Wahoo" for the Cleveland Indians.  Then of course there are people who believe a woman belongs at home raising children instead of being in the workplace.  Yet, in many cases, if we asked each person if they were racist, they'd answer "no way."

Racism is learned as a child grows up. Parents may be racist and their kids learn it as a result. Other people around a child, maybe in their community or neighborhood may teach them.  They absorb this as "normal" and fail to see the racism.  In addition, television and other media may show children racism.  Computers and the Internet are also another place where children may learn to be racist.  

It doesn't have to be this way.  People can deal with racism by being kind to people from the entire world.  You could become friends with  other people from different cultures.  You could show respect for the things that their cultures might do.  You could apologize if you ever make a mistake and offend someone.  Maybe the best way is just to get to know people.  Also, you could find out about other cultures by going to the liberary, researching on the computer or asking people about their culture. 

In conclusion, if you are racist, you could lose your job, become angry and not have many friends. So by realizing that you might have racism inside of you, you could have better relaionship, keep your jobs and be a happier person because you have dealt with your racism.  

Photo Credit

http://www.flickr.com/photos/14881734@N02/3066769796/

Flickr Creative Commons

Free Speech

We will have this one up soon! 

Masks

This is meant as a creative way to demonstrate how we all wear masks. We never ask for the masks. We rarely put them on ourselves. Instead, they are created socially and are designed as a way to judge.

-Concept developed by Isaac

Survey Results: Outsourcing Survey

People might mock Metro Tech and the idea of "just" being a hair stylist, but it's a job that won't go to China.

by ML 

We posed the question, "What job would have the least chance of being outsourced or tech-sourced?"  Not surprisingly, the number one choice was hair-stylist.  Go figure.  It's a pretty personal job.  But we want to explore it a little deeper.  

What is it about hairstyling that makes it free of outsourcing and tech-sourcing?  First, it's a job where the person is doing an art.  Technology can enhance art and change art, but it can never create art.  It's part of what makes us human.  Second, hairstylists work as counselors. They listen.  They talk.  They give advice.  Many jobs that "could" have been tech-sourced won't, because people need the human interaction.  A machine could pour drinks, but people want a human bartender.  A psychologist could sit there and offer advice from a call center in India.  But we want the person to be here in person.  

The second highest on the list was construction.  It's a job that is being tech-sourced, but we'll always need physical people to actually operate the machines.  Unless you're Bob the Builder, you have a chance of keeping your job.  Again, what construction workers locally know is how to be creative, how to know the land, how to interact with one another.  

A few of us were surprised that only two people chose chef.  It is doubtful that machines will ever perfect the art of cooking.  We've had machine-created food for years and we're now seeing why a human in the kitchen is always better.  In fact, many of us will take a home-made dish over machine-made any day.  

So, are there overall lessons from this survey?  It confirms what we already know.  The world is changing.  Outsourcing and tech-sourcing are a reality.  However, creativity and the ability to handle relationships will be our greatest assets.  

Here were the results:

construction	4 (22%)
doctor	1 (5%)
lawyer	1 (5%)
hair-stylist	10 (55%)
cashier	0 (0%)
chef	2 (11%)

Photo Credit

Flickr Creative Commons

http://www.flickr.com/photos/phex/3176861684/

reflections on being Latina

by Andrea

Being Latina has many great priorities to it. There are many many different Latinos in our world. We have a different culture than others. We come from many Latin roots. It's part of our identity. What is the main priority to being Latin? Do you like being Latina? How does it feel being Latina? Those are questions people ask sometimes. 

What is the main priority to being Latina? From my experience, it includes being a part of a big caring group of people. There may be some rumors or news about Latinos and crimes.  Truth is that not all of us are like that. We really care about one another. Even when we don't have money, we pull together and take care of each other. With our families we're very close together. That's why I think just being part this culture is the number one priority for many of us.  It sets the tone for what we value and how we live.

Do I like being Latin? Of course I do. There are people out there who don't like their culture and I admit that, given some of the negativity of the media, it would be easy to have some self-hatred toward our culture. On the other hand I love my culture. Latinos have a different spice. It's a flavor that is fun and caring and respectful of family. I think we're just different from the other culture, but the other cultures are also good too. Loving my culture doesn't mean I have to hate others. I know I like being Latin and that will not change. You have to be proud of the culture you are and mine is Latino.

How does it feel being Latina? Well it just feels like any other way. In our world today there are many different cultures. Being Latino is just normal. Yeah there are other foods and different ways we dress but we're all together. We share these characteristics as a group. If we like it or not everyone is part of our world, no matter what culture we are.

So is there such thing as a cultural connection? No. The reality is that right now, in our time today our cultures aren't really connected. We have all this hate and racism. You may have thought that we had gotten over racism a long time ago but no, it's still here. People say the solution is to ignore culture.  But I think the solution is to love your own culture without hating the cultures of others.  My guess is that some of the hatred out there is because people are embaressed by their own culture. We have to learn to break the hatred. We have to try and bring ourselves together. One day we will all need each other and we can only begin to do this when we are comfortable in our own culture.

Photo Credits

Flickr Creative Commons

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lekke/89350095/

crossing the racial border

by Mireya

Our culture is filled with racial separation.  We have separate churches that seem okay calling themselves "black" or "white" or "latino."  There are school cafeterias where students sit in different locations based upon race.  While segregation seems normal in America, is it possible for two people to deeply know one another if they are from a different race?

People from two different races can get along with each other. They could can get along with each other because maybe they don't care what color their friends are. Probably they really trust each other so they don't pay attention to what race they or their friends are. Friends are friends no matter what color or race they are. So a person can be close friends with another person that is a different race that they are. 

Another example of people from multiple races getting along are the examples of people who have a mixed racial identity.  A person who was adopted and raised by a person from a different race than his will feel a  kinship with both races. He probably likes his new family like if it were his own family. So he doesn't pay attention to their race. He probably fell in love with his new family and the cultural background connected to it.  Other times, people have parents who are from multiple races.  So, they grow up feeling that both sides are normal.

Some people actually don't care about race or stuff like that. For example, there are some people that are married to people from a different race than theirs. Personally, I know of a Latina who is married to a African American. She doesn't care about what people think about her. She lives happy with her husband. They are content in their love that can cross the boundaries of race and culture.  Even though the world might judge, they have proven that it is possible to not only know someone, but deeply love someone from a different race.
    

So race does not have to be a stone wall we can't cross.  Some people get past it. They are happy with what they have.

Photo Credit

Flickr Creative Commons

http://www.flickr.com/photos/phinaphantasy/1797954963/ 

Holocaust Images

The following are all pictures from our Art Collective, a project where all students collaborate on one major work of art.  This particular art will work as the side canvas on both sides of the audience during our Holocaust play.  Originally, we wanted the cast to stand in front of it with candles, but now it looks like we'll have to use flashlights.  The idea was to capture the haunting nature of the Holocaust in the form of blended black and white images.  Each image is finger painted.  There was something earthy and personal in using our hands to create the art. 

Globalization Collage #22

We chose mostly images from World War II.  The reason is that the main ideas that led the world into war are the same that continue in globalization.  It's just that the definition of a nation changed a little.  So we started with an alliance system.  Now the alliance is between one transnational company and another.  We used to have imperialism.  Now we have imperialism in the name of Wal-Mart.  We used to have global conflict and now we still do, but globalization has made the enemy harder to detect.

Globalization Collage #20

Globalization Collage #21

Globalization Collage #19

Globalization Collage #18

Our collage has symbolism of the world today and how everything is connected.  About how globalization has changed us in a good and bad way.  The United States culture is being spread all over the world by Internet and things like that.  For this reason we have Peter Griffin the in the middle of the world and American ideas coming out around him. We say that its good since its connecting people all over the world.  Its also bad since some people don't want to be connected because they say its ruining their culture. It symbolizes how globalization is made and how it effects others.The mood is colorful and full of different emotions. Globalization is mainly just a thrill ride where it fun and scary, it has it's ups and down and in the end, we can't go back to where we were before. 

Globalization Collage #17

Globalization Collage #15

Globalization Collage #16

Globalization Collage #14

Globalization Collage #13

Globalization Collage #12

Globalization Collage #11

Globalization Collage #10

Globalization Collage #9

Globalization Collage #8

Globalization Collage #7

Globalization Collage #6

On the left, you see black and white.  You see how the world was back during the era of the Cold War.  The colors depict the black and white ideas, include how they defined their world, what they believed about truth and the notion of good and evil that once dominated all dialog.  Now you have globalization with the technology, the colors, the humanity together but confused and losing our sense of wrong and right. 

Globalization Collage #5

globalization collage #4

globalization collage #3

Many of the students see globalization as something evil. We disagree.  We want to embrace the global village.  So, we showed pictures of how globalization is changing school, technology, business and pretty much the whole world.  We chose every color to show an optimistic mood and the heart is symbolic of a love of globalization.  Our stated theme is that globalization connects to the world and our implied theme is that this connection is a good thing.

globalization collage #2

globalization collage #1

So what does this actually mean?  In the background are the forces that are changing because of globalization.  There is government at the bottom left hand corner, society at the far right hand side, food and culture up in the upper left hand side.  In the middle is the world forged by globalization.  It's the Brave New World, full of technology, entertainment, multinational corporations and urbanization.  The force creating it is the yellow monster created by the global pissing contest between all the organizations and companies and governments that are in competition to dominate globally.  This represents the darker side of globalization, with a Blackberry body and the words broken in the middle, army and jean pants (culture and military), three heads on the top (media, terrorism, science) and a space man arm with a Pizza Hut logo. The stated theme is that globalization has changed the world.  The implied theme is that it's a dark force that we cannot destroy.

Sticking Together

by Marbella

When a catastrophic event happens, you never know what the end result will be. You never know what barriers you would fail or conquer or the emotions you would have to face.  Whatever the case is you always are aware of caring for your family. You will have the desire to go with them even if you are in the worst circumstances. In other words, your family goes first. Yet, it's also possible that you'll have an impulse to care for your community.  Though you may not know it, you might just feel compelled to reach out a hand.
          

This same situation was what happen with people in New Orleans. They never knew that August 29 of 2005 would be a terrible day. Experts were predicting catastrophic damage to New Orleans and the surrounding region just a few days before, yet many people thought it was just the news trying to scare people. Many chose to leave. They had in mind their family. Ninety percent of the residents of southeast Louisiana were evacuated in the most successful way. However that proved that they also cared about others. A hurricane of a category range of 3 hit them in the most undesirable day, still they pulled it off. 
          

By August 31, 2005, eighty percent of New Orleans was flooded by 15 feet of water. They did try their best at surviving yet still they had over 1,500 deaths. This event left them so desperate that many who remained in their homes had to swim for their lives to survive. Sometimes bad plays an unhappy trick on them. They called it a "total destruction" because the end result was not Louisiana any more. Therefore experts said that it could take six months or longer to pump all the water out of the city. 
          

This not only affected the community but politics, economy and their population. This event left them down when it came to the economy. All of the bodies without lives also made a big difference, not only to their families. Engineers and the total failure of the  built flood protection system,which experts agree should have protected the city's inhabitants from Katrina's surge. They made mistakes but those are now solved. We can learn from our mistakes. 

We can also learn from the example.  People came back.  People donated time.  Whole communities said, "We know that this place is a wreck, but we'll rebuild.  We'll continue.  We'll overcome."  Volunteers stormed the flooded city to pull out survivors.  Throughout the country, people raised money, donated their expertise, prayed for the victims and found every possible way to stick together.  
          

This is not only a "weather problem", but you can compare it into something that is now going on. Our economy problem and what is going on in our community can be compare to Katrina's disaster. In this situation we did not get hit by a catastrophic weather event  but by a hurricane of mistakes. You can't blame it to one person, everyone must have  done something to bring us to this point. I'm not not defending anyone but not blaming it on another person. Therefore we should learn from our mistakes to create better solutions. If we can follow the same example of Katrina, we can learn what it means to volunteer and stick together and love our neighbor.   

Photo Credit

Flickr Creative Commons

http://www.flickr.com/photos/pikmin/355795135/ 

why murder isn't a sport

A dead animal won't make you fashionable

by Stephanie

What would you do if your skin or head was chase after people because of how it appears? Imagine now that people will even kill you for that special skin of yours. You are trapped with nowhere to go and you are forced to be killed and skinned. Throughout this world, we are doing this awful thing but with animals that are vulnerable and defenseless.  We should not kill animals for their fur or even for people’s trophies. We're beyond the caveman stage.  We can move on.

What do people get out of when they claim an animals life? In return they could put up a stuffed head on a wall. The only two main reasons you should kill an animal is for their meat or if it is dying and have no choice. Many legitamate hunters kill in order to have meat. However,  just killing an animal for the fun of it is like a murder.  In the United States, so-called sport hunters kill 100-250 million wild animals every year. They include mourning doves (25%) and squirrels (15%), followed by quail, rabbits, ducks, and woodchucks. Deer constitute 3% of the animals killed by hunters.  In these cases, many of the hunters are going to eat meat.  However, some of them are killing for the sheer sake of having fun. Approximately sixty million animals are left out in the cold and they bleed to death, die of infection or thirst or starve to death. They go unused.

Fur is awful and should be illegal to kill an animal for its fur. Forty million animals are bred in fur ranches. More than 50 million animals are violently killed to be worn once in your life, or merely on a few small occasions. Worst of all they kill them by gassing, electrocution, and neck breaking. Fur-bearing animals are also caught and killed in barbaric body-gripping traps. These animals are going though animal cruelty and the world does not do anything about it. This is bringing some animals to extinction   in the future. Such as this has happen to animals that have been hunted but have disappear forever.

The world should pay more attention to what is going on. It is like if they are blind and can’t see anything. They should make it illegal though out the world and not permit fur at all. That only way you are going to kill an animal is that if you are going to eat it. Killing an animal for the fun of it or for fashion is just ridiculous. Animal have feelings also like us humans. Just think we are taking lives from animals because we think it would look cool if their head was hanging on the wall. Many people should be put in the animal shoes and feel how they go though every day.

Do not kill animals for entertainment or making a bold fashion statement. It is 2009 and not 87 b.c stop killing animal for the fur or any item at all. Animals should just be meet to be eaten and not being trophy alone and not be wearing them clothes. As humans we should not be able to tell when to take a life away from an innocent animal. Animals should just be left alone and be wearing on. Make the world into a better place not a non animal world.

Photo Credit

Flickr Creative Commons

http://www.flickr.com/photos/7317125@N06/2084011251/

view from the street

by Erick

This is my neighborhood.  This is all I see.  Empty shells of homes and families and dreams and memories.  We can bail out the banks, but the homes stay empty and the lives are broken.  It's not an economic issue.  It's a human issue.  So, here's what I see when I see my neighborhood. 

Social Solution: Civil Rights Museum

The following is a Social Solution involving part of our Civil Rights unit.  Students in this group designed a Civil Rights Museum proposal (they'll add pictures and put together a presentation at a later date) that they are mailing to the local city council.  The goal will be to get a Civil Rights Museum here in Phoenix that includes a broader perspective than just black/white.  We'll be posting some other group examples at a later date.  Most likely, we'll design a website with each group proposal as a separate page.  Still, here's a preview of what students are advocating.  

Even if we don't get the museum approval, we will take the last three weeks of the school year and design our own Hands-on History Museum.  The goal will be to make it a travelling museum throughout our school district.  

LETTER

To whom it may concern:

We are students here in Frank Borman Middle school. We are writing this letter to inform you of why the people of Arizona should have a civil rights museum. We believe that the Civil Rights museum will be a big influence on people within the western part of the U.S. and to America as well.The museum will also help younger age groups to learn more about history and other cultures. Not only has the youth of Arizona been neglected of this topic but the older age groups too. So it would be better for everyone to have somewhere to learn about civil rights, especially because this is an important subject.


There should be a Civil Rights museum within Arizona because the community should know why we have our civil rights and what many groups, races, and people had to go through for the rights we have, and take advantage of and still discriminate and stereotype.There is a Civil Rights museum in Memphis but it is too far for people who live in the western part of the U.S to travel to.There are no museums that people with out transportation could walk to, most of them are in downtown. There is also a great deal of history that contributes to the civil rights topic here in Arizona. For instance the Native American rights movement had many significant things that happened here. That is a movement that not many people know much about. It's a part in history that is being neglected. It's always important to know the history of our land.Thank you for taking the time to read this letter and our exhibit plans for our museum.

Sincerely,

Melissa, Karina, Rikki, Denise and Alberto 


MUSEUM EXHIBITS

Title:Inspirational people
Rational:This room is dedicated to all the civil rights leaders that helped organize groups and don't get any credit.

• have a room for like every leader
  
• then we will like put there speeches on the background
  
• pictures on walls
• try to make murals
• little kid talking and say why they like them
  
• put there speeches paint on the wall
• put the racist test out for people to take
• have people act out slavery
• we make a time line with people

Description: While people see the time line they follow the time line and while they follow the time line around the room the come across some speeches. They will also come across some murals of civil rights leaders. They will come across pictures like violent protest and have small videos of interviews of children who tell you why they look up to a certain civil rights leader. There will be like a small voting place where they get to take a racist test. For the act out slavery thing first i think we make them walk in a line and chain up their legs and make them walk in a straight line and make them know how it feels to be a slave.



Title:Segregation room
Rational:Show people that segregation existed.

• Show a little girl playing in the park and she's African American and she goes to drink water and the Whites fountain is all nice and she has to go to the other fountain and it all ugly and gross
• Interviews with people who were alive at the time(1960's)or videos of the interview
  
• See if we can find more details on the things new American mind that happened during the times
• Skin charts(authentic charts they used.)
• We should show the results of a study done with a white and black child choosing a doll where the dolls are different races
• We can put a statue for a model

Description: Our main idea for this room is to make it a sort of play/film. Having people see the way people were treated back then in person really adds to the intense mood we try to achieve for this room.The child going to the water fountains is a way to show the emotion of the segregation. Authentic skin charts are to show just how racist it was back then. The experiment is to see how much the fresh mind of America has influenced children. By choosing a doll to play with they show the preference they have.


Title: Protesting
Rational: To show the methods used to fight for civil rights.

• Protests
• Sit ins
• walk outs
• boycotts
• political wars
• integration
• segregation
  
• we could make games up about these issues that are fun but they get to teach you a lesson

Description:The room is to inform the public on ways groups would protest. It's also meant to show how much,the people who lived during this era really cared. They were willing to do all of these things so that their voices could be heard. The reason we have forms of protest listed are so that more people will realize all the trouble people went through.To help inspire other groups, and to help civil rights groups know where others have failed and what they could to do to make the ways better.

Title: Native life and dancing during the civil rights
Rational: To show how the Native Americans were treated and ways they are stereotyped.

• play it out one of the battles
• Before and After pictures on how the Natives looked like in their own lands and one where they all look the same in the schools
• how they were verbally portrayed as in savages and dumb and show all the sides of the stories
• make the tourist dance how they think Native Americans dance and when they're done we bring in a real Native American group and show the tourist how they stereo type Native Americans
  

Description: This room is to prove that everyone is racist and has a bias. This room will have people interact and realize that t.v. and media are ways they make us stereotype other races. And that it can be passed by word of mouth. This room will also inform people about the Native Americans and their history. Along with their culture. The room will also portray how the Indian Schools were.




Title: Do I love Lucy?
Rational: To show how people can discriminate against women(or transvestites).

• separate room by boys and girls where the girls play the boys and they boys play the girl and play each others sides
• make name tags with last names and tell them this is your new identity all others parts that are part of your identity
• play the show I Love Lucy and point the wrong parts
• play music from the movement playing in the background
• Put a guy working really hard and show a girl doing the same thing and look for any differences
• we can put a guy working hard on construction and then we show a women working in the house and then we show the pros and cons
• Video record daily life and see how people treat women
  

Description: This exhibit is to show how men and women can and will be equal. They don't always have to prove themselves. It also shows how people can treat others just by appearances. Also how shows from the 50's and 60's were discriminating against women. Showing examples from the famous show I love Lucy we hope that people will recognize the stereotypes. That television show has many prejudice in it.



Title: Farmers and Latinos
Rational: Show how farm workers were mistreated and to show that farm workers work really hard got nothing out of it

• A wall of people who all made a difference parts of the wall covered with the leaders or activist working trying to make a difference like in Dolores Huerta Cesar Chavez making a speech and people all around them
  
• Then slides and videos of people who worked in fields in the hot sun and weren't payed enough and show like a small video of a camera man following a farm worker all day in the hot sun and his family and do another short film on a Caucasian worker and his or her family and compare it to the farm workers
• have the tourist go around in a room and there will be a small booth that says wanted they have to play the part of a Latino and experience being neglected from working
• We have can get pictures of Chicano park before the Latinos fixed it up and show the difference between them and make people notice how the government treated Latinos
• Then after tourist have done the Latinos tour they're gonna show a slide of hoe farm workers worked and were treated back then and a video of the present farm workers and ask the tourist if much has changed from the 1960's to the present

Description:
This room focuses on all Latinos and Chicanos and the farm workers rights. It has multiple possibilities for the present. To show that the government and the public are going back to the way they treated the Latinos group and Chicano's group in the 1960's. The Latinos room is to get the idea across that Cesar Chavez wasn't the only one who fought for farm workers right.The public may see this room differently then we do but it's all normal.