Call of Duty.

Call of Duty is a first person and third person shooter video game. The majority of the games in the series are based on the World War II and the Cold War era. I know a lot of people who play Call of Duty. This game is played not only played by age appropriate people, this game is played mostly played by teens. Video games involving so much violence should not be allowed to be played by any one. These games cause such a transformation in a person it is scary. I have never played Call of Duty, but i have most certainly watched many people play it. After fully concentraiting on the game, emotions fly high. People begin to scream at the tv saying things like "@#$%^&*". Although i have never played Call of Duty i have played other violent games involving killing. At the begining you are at a lost of what to do but then you just start shooting and killing and after you know it you are completely into the game. I realized how my view point on it changed after playing the game. The excitement and rush of it all makes you not care so much about what it is actually teaching you. Violent games can only teach you one thing, and that is how to be violent. We as teens believe that it is stupid when people say that it is affecting us even if we do not realize it, and it is true. It might sound insane but games like this have actually given people the knoledge on how to kill in the REAL life. We do not need more death in this world and i truly believe that games like this can cause people to be violent and even kill in the real world. The sad part of it all is that small kids are being brought up with games like this. It is adverticed enough to catch anyones attention and if not seen on tv, then small kids can watch older siblings play this game and learn things that a child should not even know. In the game you have a fresh start after dying, but in reality you die you simply die, there is no new start. Once again, games like Call of Duty should not be allowed to be sold, because no body should be given the knoledge on how to kill.


picture source:  http://fur.ly/3myz

When is the next one coming?

The soldiers in World War I had it pretty hard. I know this may sound stupid and sad, but i couldnt go a whole day without needing to use the computer or the internet. I would go insane if my only way to comunicate with my family and friends was by writing a letter. First of all it takes time to write a letter but it specially takes a while for the letter to get to that loved one. As i looked through the pictures of soldiers letters, i realized that all they could say is that they were "alright" or ask "how are things back home?" They must have not want to worry their loved ones on the reality of the war. And for those loved ones it must have been SO frustrating to have thoughts going through their mind of if that certain one was alive or not. These soldiers must have missed their kids and wives or girlfriends. All both of them could really do was to WAIT! Waiting and hope is all they had.

Dogfight.

From playing the game Dogfight on that link, i got an idea of the requirements and the great courage those pilots at war had to have. The first thing on my mind when just playing a simple game online was "How the heck am i supposed to kill and fly at the same time?" I did not even win once and my emotions where all over the place! All that kept running through my mind was that i wanted to win, which made me imagine what the people who actually fought in air must have been thinking about. These men put their life in the hands of change and skill. These men had to have gone through major training, not only physically but mentally. The second these men freaked out in air was probably when their lives were over. It is a hard job to succeed at, so the men who were chosen must have been ideal.

Transformers :{D

Transformers is a movie about a war that was between the noble Autobots and the devious Decepticons for control over the Allspark, a mystical piece that would grant unlimited power to whoever possessed it. The Autobots managed to smuggle the Allspark off the planet, but Megatron went off in search of it. He eventually tracked it in Earth but his hasty desire for power sent him right into the Ocean, and he got paralized. His body was later found. Megatron engraved a map, showing the location of the Allspark, into the Captain's glasses, and send a signal to Cybertron. A century later, Sam Witwickyby buys his first car. He discovers it to be Bumblebee, an Autobot in disguise who is to protect Sam, as he has the Captain's glasses and the map carved on them. But Bumblebee is not the only Transformer to have arrived on Earth. The Decepticons attack a U.S. military base, causing the Pentagon to send to capture all alien race. and Sam and his girlfriend find themselves in the middle of a grand battle between the Autobots and the Decepticons.

The movie Transformers relates to the ideas of imperialism because one stronger nation is opressing a weaker one. The stronger nation in the movie would have to be the Autobots and Decepticons, leaving the human race as the weak ones. The Decepticons are threatened by the earth, since that is where their most prized possession is at. They completely attack the earth in search of the Allspark. The Autobots feel that hurting innocent people is not necessary, so they defend humanity and fight to keep the Allstar safe. In the end the Decepticons are defeated and the Allstar is kept in good hands. Althought imperialism is not obvious, it is used in Transformers.


image source: http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://snarkerati.com/movie-news/files/2010/03/transformers-3.jpg&imgrefurl=http://snarkerati.com/movie-news/transformers-3-not-3d-wow/&usg=__y4iSOq7sSoRQofUEtgRU15SIbco=&h=315&w=425&sz=48&hl=en&start=0&zoom=1&tbnid=FuP4z7XP8w-p7M:&tbnh=149&tbnw=205&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dtransformers%2B3%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26rlz%3D1R2SKPB_enUS386%26biw%3D1259%26bih%3D571%26tbs%3Disch:1&um=1&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=138&vpy=227&dur=6597&hovh=193&hovw=261&tx=179&ty=99&ei=FFXnTMKCGoP88Ab66Ki0DQ&oei=8FTnTNO8MIP6lweFgaWcCw&esq=9&page=1&ndsp=12&ved=1t:429,r:0,s:0

The Panama Canal.

Building The Panama Canal has been harder than expected. I go every single day to work very tired and weak. All i seem to see lately are very sick workers who suddenly die from diseases. I even think i am coming down with something because my energy level has extremely gone down. Another thing that does not help us workers out is the horrid climate. We work as hard as we can for many long hours under the hot and humid weather. I try to avoid thinking about death, although it is a possibility for all of us really, because our lives are put in danger every day. The main reason all of us do this hard labor is for the money. It is not much, but it sustains. I wake up and work, eat very little and in addition only get a few hours of sleep. It is not the life i want and i dread thinking that i might not survive this.

Life is Tweet.

HawaiianQueen
Many things to do today! two ceremonies and then declaring my new constitution:) 
1/14/93 9:15AM

HawaiianQueen
:/ I had such high hopes but things did not go my way....The Cabinet rejected my constitution.
1/14/93 12:27PM

HawaiianQueen
Oh no :O American warship USS Boston was in port at Honolulu Harbor!
1/15/93 8:36AM

HawaiianQueen
I know what is best for my people and I AM NOT changing anything!
1/15/93 2:30PM

HawaiianQueen
Thank you everyone for the support! it means the world to me!
1/15/93 6:19PM

HawaiianQueen
Things cannot get any worse!
1/16/93 10:13AM

HawaiianQueen
I am so sorry everyone! i tried my best but the congress does not want to empower me and annexation was passed :'(
1/16/93 5:O2PM

Yellow Journalism.

"Swine Flu Pandemic Global Nightmare"
"Swine Flu Pandemic Spreads"

The Swine Flu, also known as H1N1, was one of the most popular breakin news in 2009. This virus rapidly spread and became a concern for everyone. As you can see, the news headlines i used as examples are an exaggeration of what actually occured. Yes, many people did die from getting this virus, but it was NOT a pandemic! Yellow journalism is described as an eye-catching exaggeration. It is used nowadays as often as it was used during The Spanish American War, because the one and only purpose of it is to make people interested.

Week Nine Article.

Discuss why you agree or disagree with the blogging assessment system used in this course.
The blogging assessment system used in this course is original and thrilling. I, as a first time blogger this year have rapidly learned how to express opinions in a correct manner. Being part of the increasing users of technology, i believe blogging is the best way to attract the new generation into actually attempting to work in school. Nothing can be taken out of sitting around and writing down information to turn in. Teenagers use the internet for the majority of things now a days, so why not include school work into i?
Not only are we learning about the history of the United States, but we are expressing our point of views on each individual matter. Blogging or writing will help us all through out life. If written properly and in an interesting way, our articles or daily blogs can be a presentation for colleges to see our writing abilities.
Blogging can be a great way to practice how to back up a statement with believable facts and opinions. The future is ahead of us and we are only going to keep on making greater advances in technology, so the only way to help students succeed is by preparing them for it. 
In conclusion, i completely  agree with the blogging assessment system because it is effective. I would really like to utilize it more often.

Blogging!

Was your learning different blogging, as compared to writing just pen and paper? Yes. Blogging has been one of the most unique ways of learning for me. Never have i had a teacher that gave us blogging for homework. Although i did not keep up all the time, it has certainly taught me a lot about history in an enjoyable way. I have been writing with a pen on paper for many years and i believe it is time for a change. I would love it if for each class i have i had to do homework online, where i could compare answers with others and put my view point on things. Blogging is also a much faster way to do homework since it is easier for most kids to type than to write. We have to save paper and completely flow with technology. My blogging experience has definitely helped my learning ways. I truly appreciate new and fresh ways of teaching students like me, and blogging is certainly unique.  

Do not exclude the truth.

Countries should most definitely NOT leave out pieces of their history, even if it is negative. Anything that occured in the past has led up that certain country to what it is today. Just like people have to go through the good and the bad times, countries should go through ups and downs and learn to embrace it all. All struggles teach a person or a country to be stronger and to be prepared for the next time it happens. In every bad situation there is a good lesson. The truth is all we can rely on and trust but if that is not given to the people their lives would be based on a lie and that is just wrong. People should have the option of deciding to chose a light to view a country and it sertain details are hiden then that is not possible. So in conclusion, countries should not leave out any detail that occured in their history, even if it is horrible and shameful.

Oregon Trail.

Gaming could potentially connect with learning because while playing the Oregon Trail you discover the struggles people face and the tools needed to overcome those hard times. First it gave you the option of where to go and sent you directly to a hardware store to buy recomended tools for the long trip. As you begin, important information is given throughout the journey. For instance, the amount of food, everyones health, and the speed the family was going at. The game directed you with comments every so often, but you could also view a map of where you are. In the start, it gives you the option of being a banker or a farmer and how many members you want in your family. This allows you to controll the amount of things shared throughout the entire trip. It was a hard stuggle for me to keep my family members alive in this game, because it is a long trip and there were many diseases. This game connects with history by showing the hardships the people had to go through during 1848. By playing this game the experiences people went through become much more understandable and realistic.

My favorite :{D

My favorite blogging topic from the first quarter has to be the six word story. This topic really challenged me to think of ways to transmit emotion in a short and particular way. I am one to ramble on about feelings, and this topic put a limit to the amount of things i say. Hopefully i did a good job capturing a family's journey west in my six word story. I truly had fun writing this blog. 

Ellis Island.

From the pictures i viewed, the immigrants who seeked a new and better life in the United States were the ones who took a chance and went to Ellis Island. These immigrants must have been patient , scared, and curious all at once. Many people were rejected and many families had to be seperated. The waiting was probably the most irritating part of it all. People were given little space and food while they waited for an acceptance or rejection to enter the dream land. Every single one of them seeked something greater and hoped to find it in the United States. For some the process was worth it and for others it was pointless. Fear and hope sinked deep into each person while they waited at Ellis Island.

Song of the shirt.

The "song of the shirt" is a song writen by Thomas Hood. The song describes how the women who were textile workers had rough lives. They worked nonstop everyday and received very low wages for it. They were put through brutality at work and in addition they had to go home afterwards and take care of their family. This song describes how these women never gave up and always tried to look at the bright side. Their lives were most definitely hard and they must have been very strong to have handled it.

Gunsmoke.

The episode of Gunsmoke i decided to watch was called "The Wiving." In this episode i got to see how people stereotyed the western culture through a entertaining show. The episode began with a father urging his three sons to find wifes, so they go out to a saloon to reflect what they should do. When they entered the saloon, all the men inside were drunk and several prostitutes were entertaining the men. When the men sat down the ladies came over and ordered them drinks, and one of the brothers informed the girls that they were looking for wifes. The girls simply laughed and instantly the men got involved into a bar fight. It all stopped instantly when the police walked in and made order. The three brothers were blamed for the damages and they had to pay the owner twenty five dollars. Since they did not find wifes and they got kicked out of town by the police, the men decided to kidnap the ladies from the bar and go back home. When they arrived home the father chose the lady for each, while Marshal the policeman searched for the ladies. While the girls waited they went along with the orders they received and slowly started to fall for the men. At the end they all fall in love and end up actually getting married. In conclusion, the stereotypes found in this show are actions these men do. For instance, how men go to saloons and fight and drink, how men seek for wifes to please their father or mother, and how there was a policeman who solved everything in the town. I enjoyed the show and learned more about the western life.

Rocky Racoon.

The song Rocky Racoon by The Beatles describes the Wild West as a place of violence and foolishness. In my opinion, the portrayal is nearly accurate. In the song, Rocky gets involved in a shooting with the man who stole his girl. He is shot and receives help from a drunk doctor. Fighting was the way to settle an argument back in those days. There are several ideal topics of the Wild West that this song mentioned. One of them being when Rocky "booked himself a room in the local saloon."Also, the fact that his girl was a prostitue who everyone knew as Nancy. Men were very prideful; considering themselves unstoppable. The Beatles attempted to portray the Wild West with a fun storyline, and in my opinion they succeeded.

Six Word Story.

Better is ahead, together we commence.

Discuss the relationships between the treatment of African-Americans during Reconstruction with the treatment of the same peoples during the United States Civil Rights Movement in the 1950s and 1960s.

It is so unfortunate to know that our country was once one to discriminate and mistreat the African-American race.
African-Americans at the time had fewer rights than the white population, even after the Civil War. Even with laws such as the thirteenth, fourteenth, and fifthteenth amendments, that were created to give them equal rights, the black race was still being treated differently. Although the law gave African-Americans equal rights, the white race was considered economically superior than them. It was almost impossible for a black person to own a property or make good money because the whites were always the priority.

Racial discrimination and segregation reamained during the Reconstruction Era. This plan allowed each southern state to make decitions about how they should treat the freed slaves, as long as the decisions were agreed on. Many things occured during this time of Reconstruction but it definitely did not help the African-American race as much as everyone thought it would. The blacks were forgotten about after the war, while society moved along with their lives. Society, the blacks and whites, were left unprepared on how to deal with each other. Attempting to integrate with the whites, the blacks constantly felt overwhelmed.

The Civil Rights Movement was the movement in the United States that tried to abolish racial discrimination against African-Americans. After dealing with being treated differently for so long, African-Americans began to stand up for what was fair through their eyes. A great example of those who changed history is Martin Luther King Jr. He was deeply involved in the civil rights movement because he wanted the best for his people, and the best was to be treated equaly. He put his life in danger everyday by speaking out about racism, and unfortunately he was killed for it eventually.

The relationship between these two occurrances were very similar ,because the African-Americans were trying change the division between the whites and blacks and trying to become equal. The only difference is that over time, when the blacks were given rights, they began to stand up and not be afraid of what could be done to them. They were a ticking bomb and fortunately they eventually stopped it.

Amnesty Thoughts.

            Lincolns plan of Reconstruction was created with the best of intentions, to unite the North and South. This plan called for the post civil war southerners to receive amnesty. Granting the union amnesty in my opinion was the clever thing to do. I am a big believer in second chances and in doing no harm, which is the main reason i agree with the granted amnesty. The plan of Reconstruction could have gone very differently. They could have been cruel to the them and that would have only caused something bad to occur. In my opinion all Lincoln wanted was for the union to stay together, and i believe the amnesty granted was a benefit to that. 

Civil War Christmas

I selected this Thomas Nast print as the historical image because it projects how family's emotions about their loved ones at war have not changed over time. As you can see on the left, the wife is at the window praying in distress about her husband's safety, hoping that he is still alive. The husband on the opposite side of the image, is sitting alone with his riffle missing his wife and kids. What you should take away from this image, is a small perspective on how most families around the world feel everyday.

Image source: http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.sonofthesouth.net/Thomas_Nast/Nast_Civil_War_Christmas.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.sonofthesouth.net/Civil_War_Christmas.htm&usg=__I3eYAhc-3rvPwkGbNBIIvaeHkn0=&h=508&w=700&sz=174&hl=en&start=0&zoom=1&tbnid=JH3AIhDHQwS2nM:&tbnh=147&tbnw=182&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dcivil%2Bwar%2Bphotos%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26rlz%3D1R2SKPB_enUS386%26biw%3D1259%26bih%3D599%26tbs%3Disch:1&um=1&itbs=1&iact=rc&dur=181&ei=-sySTOWyK4nBswbI__iFCQ&oei=-sySTOWyK4nBswbI__iFCQ&esq=1&page=1&ndsp=19&ved=1t:429,r:7,s:0&tx=123&ty=12

Stereotypes are so typical!

Stereotypes are generalizations, or assumptions made about the characteristics of a person. Stereotyping occurs in our society when it comes to a person's abilities, beliefs, race, age, and much more. From my point of view, this occurs often nowadays only because we have been influenced by our past generations and we keep on allowing it to happen. Everyone has been stereotyped once in their life, and when that happens, it causes a never ending cycle of stereotyping. Some people do not mind being stereotyped, but some get deeply offended by it. Stereotypes will constantly be presented to us, which will forever make it widely known in our society.

"That government is best which governs least"

An american author named Henry David Thoreau once said "that government is best which governs least". This quote is very powerful and it holds a great amount of truth. My individual description of what he meant is, that the government who lets their civilians make their own decisions and stays out of the majority of affairs will be more succesful than the one who tries to control every aspect of their lives. I agree with Thoreau, but only to an extent. We as civilians should be allowed to have our freedom and make our own decisions, but sometimes we can abuse that freedon and that is when i believe that the government should be permitted to be restrictive.

History most definitely matters!!!

History is one of the most important things in this world, so YES it most definitely matters. We rely on our history to prevent us from making similar mistakes and to guide our actions in the present. This would be the truth not only for us individually, but also for large societies. Just imagine the United States not existing because we had lost the American Revolution or because the Spanish founded North America. History is being made every single day, from the small and unimportant occurrences that take place, to the large and most important. All we can put our faith on now is our future, and hope that it will be guided by good leaders who will attempt to make our lives better.