AP Test Review

I looked at the 2008 essay collections, and focused on the construction essay, which was presenting information on a recent attempt to abolish the use of the penny due to ineffectiveness and bother. From what I saw, I would have argued against abolishing it mainly because of the historical value of the penny and the fact that a public opinion poll showed strong opposition to the notion. I think I would have been successful in my essay, as the essay response which received a "9" had similar ideas as the ones I came up with. The successful essay acknowledges the counter arguments, explains what the penny is a symbol of for america (our thrift, ect.), and compares it to historical monuments.
The essays that struggled used cliches and qualifiers, and they make some generalizations that contribute to faulty conclusions. The low scoring one also cited a source that would have been more effective if left out, as the data in it was questionable due to multiple assumptions.

Postmodernist Literary Theory

Postmodernist theory is all about breaking away from the conventions of the times, not trusting usual areas of knowledge, breaking out of established structures of writing, and seeing that there are many truths and ways for language to be interpreted. Looking at the book through this lens, immediately the multiple narrators (5 in all) are signs of a untraditional story-telling style of a singular narrator. Also, we notice in the telling of the story that every member of the Price family has a narrating voice except Nathan, the Reverend and preacher. This changes the overview of the family in that we only see his actions through his family member's eyes--and therefore we get a biased report, as they speak from their feelings and after punishments such as The Verse. Language is played with by giving us narrative from the perspectives of an adult, teenagers, and a young child, which all invite different levels of maturity, grammar, and bias.

The subject matter of The Poisonwood Bible is of an evangelical Baptist trying to bring religion and overall structure and savior to the Africans in the Congolese town he travels to. This fights (and up to this point, loses) with the unstructured lives of the Congolese people, and in this way embodies the postmodernist spirit with the survival of the lack of structure. The style of the novel also lacks structure, with no numbered chapters and periods of the book which span an afternoon and others which span a month given equal time. Nathan omits from his memory all the instances of his wife trying and succeeding in reaching out to the Congolese, perhaps to feel more important in comparison and independent, and this skews the truth of their respective capabilities.

Apocalypse Now vs. Heart of Darkness

The major difference that makes a large impact on the story is the fact that in the Congo, the object of being there--and through that--why Mr. Kurtz was there, was that it was for material and financial gain, while it wasn't in Vietnam, which is the setting of Apocalypse Now. The reason that the U.S went to war in Vietnam was to ensure that the communist South didn't change the North into communists, as a proxy war in the larger Cold War with The Soviet Union. So the war was for philosophical and politic reasons, not to plunder the natural resources of the Vietnamese. Because Mr. Kurtz was, while unconventional and at odds with the government that he worked for in both book and movie, bringing very large quantities of profitable Ivory in for the 'government' ran by King Leopold, they had some relative value for him. He was making them very rich, it was just that he was unconventional, and apparently spoiling the region for some time to come. So, in Heart of Darkness, Mr. Kurtz had some intrinsic value monetarily for Leopold, and therefore some worth himself. It changes his worth and therefore the reasons for all happenings to set the story in Vietnam where he was not providing a revenue source, but rather just holding an outpost. It makes him less valuable and therefore causes the leadership to order his execution. It also changes the motivations that led to his brutality with Vietnamese life. In Apocalypse Now, he murders for power, because he can, and because it is wartime. In Heart of Darkness, Mr. Kurtz murders for intimidation (to collect Ivory easier) and because he can. To note, in Apocalypse Now Kurtz does have value in recognizing key enemy agents, but this isn't recognized by the leadership. Also, because Mr. Kurtz was sending back a chain of Ivory back at all times, the leadership could still feel a connection, and some modicum of control over what he did. This, however was not the case in Apocalypse Now because all the leadership in charge of the Vietnam war could do was read the reports on the chaos and assassinations carried out by Kurtz, and so they (rightfully) felt helplessly out of touch and control.

HoD Discussion

In Chapter 11, page 110 of Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad, the pile of wood with the pencil-scratched note on it which Marlow finds is puzzling to me. The three statements, "'Wood for you. Hurry up. Approach cautiously.'" point to the fact that Marlow and his crew were expected, or could the wood be for someone else? Or had it just been put out for a random traveler? Mostly my question is who left the wood pile and deserted hut, if it wasn't Kurtz as the signature was longer? We know that the note to "'Approach cautiously'" was a helpful hint because of the scene on page 118, so whomever had left the note must be amiable.

HoD Quotation Discussion

Pg. 70 "What redeems it [the conquest of the earth] is the idea only. An idea at the back of it; not a sentimental pretense but an idea; an unselfish belief in that idea--something you can set up, and bow down before, and offer a sacrifice to..." Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad

If you can believe that conquest of other lands can be redeemable, then our narrator seems to be saying, through use of religious terms such as "belief", "bow down before", and "sacrifice", that as long as religion is guiding you, then you can engage in conquest. He believes that the robbery, savagery, and unscrupulous gains which come of invading are detestable. However, that he says that there can be a 'redeeming value' to this practice is horrible...how can any of these aforementioned acts have any redeeming values? There can be only some very extreme situations in which conquest can be any good, such as to stop a genocide...not to spread a religion that will be imposed on unwilling subjects. The "sentimental pretense" lends itself to the Congo as some type of foreshadowing in the story (although people would have been hearing about the Congo conflict already), as Leopold was able to successfully use and discard Africans in his colony for financial gain under the guise of humanitarian efforts.

View of Colonialism

"To what extent has this up-close-and-personal expose of so many seriously screwed-up people changed your view (or not) of these enterprises? Furthermore, has it shed any light on contemporary issues of exploration and exploitation?  Use examples."

This has made my view more cynical of colonizers (and people)--I've always known that they go in expectation of a return of some kind--but this has made it clear. People were forced into these actions by the peer pressure and 'norms' around them, and this makes it sick. It also as well makes people change, and lose their independence if they are weak in any way at all. Almost everyone has some of these weaknesses. It has shown me that it is bad for everyone, not just the obvious victims (although this effect is almost insignificant in terms of the scope of the victims). It only reiterates the fact that we, in our own countries, usually do not understand any part of another culture, and any forced interaction with them (whether it be colonizing them or invading their country to 'help them') it always ends up worse for the lesser-developed and weaker country. 
This book has made me seriously doubt whether humans have the ability to do things purely from philanthropic tendencies--there is always a bottom line that it seems that the 'good work' fulfills; tax deductions, public image, a larger financial return...it makes me sad. There should be more anonymous donations, where there isn't anybody looking for recognition. 
I do feel however, that humans can act selflessly in any situation (not all humans, but most), as long as there is full transparency for the whole world to see. When every fact, figure, practice, beneficiary, method, dollar spent, hour worked, financier, and product made or produced is accounted for and made into public record, then mostly purely good deeds can occur. 
This has shown that people will try to get away with anything that they possibly can--whether it be mining meteorites in space, chopping down forests for lumber, or drilling oil offshore--they will do anything to maximize profit with no regard whatsoever towards the people, environment, and economy that had been there long before they had arrived. The 2010 Gulf oil spill is a great example, as it was brought about by a company (BP) cutting corners by skipping costly procedures. The spill dumped around 172 million gallons of oil into the bay, also killing 11 workers, but more importantly it contaminated millions upon millions of gallons of water, killed off countless animals, fish, and birds, and destroyed the local fishing economies for thousands of fishermen. Just writing about it makes me sick, and yet BP was only eventually fined 4.5 billion dollars in fines, and as a company they face no restrictions, bans or criminal charges. Only four executives face charges. 
People are greedy, people cut corners. 

6 - Under the Yacht Club Flag

Because King Leopold the second already basically has his colony, this chapter deals with his attempts to keep going in search of turning a profit. He has neatly burned through his significant personal funds, and now turns to every side for cash: banks, wealthy families, the church, money from bonds, and finally his own country. King Leopold has so masterfully shaped the public opinion about himself (creating scientific gatherings, claiming he skips a course at lunch to economize, altering the date on his will to make a financial move seem benevolent) that he is able to convince his country to lend him 25 million francs.

With this infusion of cash, he is now able to put together his superior technology in weaponry (breech loading rifles, maxim gun), medicine (quinine for malaria), and transportation (steamboats) to start a push to develop some infrastructure in the Congo which will eventually help transport valuable goods to the coast which he will be taking.

The start of the chapter talks about Leopold's family life, which is deteriorating. In his efforts to create ties between himself and the Austria-Hungary ruling family, he marries of both of his daughters to princes from there. They are horrible match-ups, so much so that after cheating on her husband the prince, Louise actually chose to go to an insane asylum instead of returning to her husband. There seems to be a pattern with the women around Leopold; they either go crazy, die, or end up in a worse situation (Louise, Carlota, Prostitute & Stephanie).

Everything seems to work out for King Leopold--governments buy his ploys, a disillusioned and betrayed Sanford dies without causing any troubles, and Stanley does as he is told. Still no one knows Leopold's true purpose with the Congo.

November 1889, when the Anti-Slavery Conference was held, Turkey had been invited to keep diplomatic ties strong, yet Turkey only abolished slavery ten years later in 1899. When Islamic harems were mentioned as something that kept the slave trade going, the Turkish delegation erupted with laughter, probably due to the fact that they thought of harems as nothing out of the ordinary, as men of many different levels of power had harems of varying sizes. Turkey was basically on the other side of the spectrum toward slavery in relation to all the guests at the conference, yet they weren't treated with indignant delegates and forceful talks. It seems as if customary niceties towards other countries had quelled the righteous voices of the righteous people representing their countries.

Questions:
1. Why is Stanley's love life discussed so often? What is the purpose?
2. What is more important to Leopold: money or power? Why?
3. Why does Leopold move to annex part of the Nile instead of solely focusing on the Congo?
4. Why does Stanley feel such loyalty towards King Leopold?
5. Where would Leopold stop in his quest for his colony? Could anything stop him?

Our reactions to third-world, far-away atrocities

Why don't people speak up sooner when they realize that mass brutality, manipulation, and subterfuge is going on in various of the lesser-well-known corners of the world?

When we, living in the U.S or Europe, hear of some geographically distant conflict of enormous scope, we tend to not do much about it. Maybe this is because we don't feel any part of it; it is too distant, and many times we never see any part of it as well. "Vava Tampa is the founder of Save the Congo, a London-based campaign", and one of his theories is that "no Western interests or ally is endangered by it", and so we don't instinctively care, and we cannot grasp the implications. This effect mirrors the familial protectiveness that many of us feel; we are looking out for our family first and foremost, and then we can begin to care about others. We have to be, in physical and mental and financial senses, taken care of and rested in our own body first, in order to to be able to with any meaningful energy and purpose focus our energy on somewhere literally across the globe. The distance involved between areas is a large part of the lack of response. 
A valid point is: why is it up to us to solve every other countries' problems? Who is taking care of ours? I believe in the U.N--and through them NATO--can intervene as a coalition of countries, but beyond that I don't think the U.S.A should be taking these judgement calls and acting independently. Our country isn't in any fit shape to be expending ourselves like this, as we are 16 trillion dollars in debt currently and have many other failings and shortcomings besides. 
Maybe we don't speak up because we are actually benefiting from these wars in that the minerals and other raw materials being fought over in places like the Democratic Republic of the Congo are ending up here, and if we helped to stop the conflict then the resources would stay there.
Also, there are so many conflicts and wars constantly raging around the world (Syria, Pakistan-Israel, Tunisia) that we become numb to stories of atrocities. We physically couldn't do something if we tried to help remedy each situation, and this can turn into apathy. In far-off corners of the world, there are also added roadblocks to publicizing and getting help for a situation because they simply don't have the technology and the means to get the word out there.  

SPP Update

The research paper was hard for me, due to the fact that good information on the job market 25 years ago was sparse. What went well for me was my method of writing the paper--from my notes (citations/urls/quotations) I would look at a body of information and directly write a paragraph of commentary and synthesis, and after I had done a few of these, paired with my intro., my paper was three and a half pages long. I didn't get it my paper back, even though you insinuated that we did! I did good research, using the Library's Opposing viewpoints linked, and Google scholar searches. I could have researched my topic first before I submitted my topic, because then I would have found (or not found!) the information available about my specific area of research.  

RP Update

1. The purpose of my paper is to evaluate the use and consumption of GM foods, and to assess if consuming these products is problematic or fine.

2."Genetically Modified Food Should Be Banned", by Andy Rees has proven to be a very useful source for me to use when I back my arguments up. He provides specific examples supporting his thesis (he is anti-GMOs) to many different facets of GMOs--their regulation, tests done, and their dissemination.

3. As of right now, I feel that I am still leaning towards an anti-GM view, because of the research and tests that have come up, the environmental effects caused, the uncertainty regarding the safety, my personal family views, and the divisions of thoughts by different nations.

4. The FDA's testing methods are not accepted by everyone as thorough enough. Testing right now can be done by the standard of substantial equivalence--a practice where the GMO is compared to the closest product to it (say, GM corn to corn). They are compared based on taste, smell, look, toxins, nutrients, or allergens, which isn't enough because these foods are changed at a cellular level. Testing parameters such as amino acids, cyclopropenoids,  fatty acids,  and acidsglycoalkaloids should be tested regularly to ensure an all-round evaluation that is thorough. 

5. The fact that GM seeds can travel around 25 km naturally or on the wind was so surprising  because of the sheer distance involved and the fact that  the chemical companies proposed safe buffer zones between GM and non-GM crops of 5 ft to be safe. 

GMO Paper Outline

Link to Outline

Response to human nature paper

Why You Truly Never Leave High School

 Paragraph 22, "Until the Great Depression..."

This practice of separating us by age for school creates an unnatural environment, one that never used to exist. This decreases our interactions with adults, therefore removing a large variety of role-models to learn from and along side with. Before the institution of school (here, specifically, high school),  kids grew up in their own way, but now we all go to school and partake in the social experiment. Back 50, 100 years ago, you could take an available job, you could look after your siblings, or you could attend school if your parents were wealthy enough--all different paths to growing up, most that had daily interactions with  a variety of people of the same interests, and of different ages. In our own world of social norms, hierarchies, and values we are separate from the adult culture. We don't have the same responsibilities and experiences as them, so our priorities are different. Also on the topic of child labor, in some cases in is more instrumental that a child help out his starving family by making money at a job no matter their young age, as going to school will not help their food situation then and there. I do believe that restrictions should be in place for the type and duration of the work, but also there should be some leniency, as it is for the greater good, and they will be more healthily socialized afterwards.

Baja's Value as a Tourist Destination

Baja Mexico. A place I know well in the winter. We come here for tradition, wind, different experiences, and family. The town we go to, Los Barilles, has slowly over the last quarter-decade turned into more and more of a tourist town, although it still retains some of it's authenticity for now. When we are down in Mexico, it's clear to see the popularity of Los Barilles, as on any given windy day from the middle of December to the middle of January, there are some 50 kite boarders and 5-10 windsurfers on the water. There is even a "Lord of the Wind Showdown" with thousands of U.S dollars for prize money, as a testament to the "consistent north winds blowing and the warm water", which attracts beginners and experts alike. There really are prime conditions, as evidenced by the handful of Kite board schools and participants.

(View of the beach with two kites ready for use)

Hotels and restaurants prosper at this time of year with the influx of sports enthusiasts, and each year more and more restaurants pop up. Baja Expeditions tells of many other activities to do as well, and they help in facilitating these adventures. Whale watching, kayaking, camping, and sailing are all popular activities to participate in while visiting Baja, thanks to the natural wildlife and habitats. Don't go to Baja to relax in a posh hotel, because then you are missing out on the reality and the point of the trip--you are there to experience the rawness of the nature (wildlife, the elements, ect.). Interact with with the sea life, go snorkeling, ride an ATV across the beach.
You can also go fishing, but for this the prime season is in the summer. The Sea of Cortez is abundant with Marlin, Dorado, Tuna, Roosterfish, and all other types of desirable sporting game. At all times of the year you can hire a boat to take you out to sea to fulfill all the fishing dreams you have. Companies like Awesome Sportfishing are locally staffed and ready to help you catch the best fish out there for prices around $100-$300 per day. Los Barilles is a very small town, yet many people whom I've talked with about our vacations know about the town, and a good portion have been there themselves. They talk about fishing for and catching Marlin, and even my cousin has been there in a way totally unrelated to us (she went with a friend). Every neighbor who fishes (neighbors in the campground) has many stories and pictures about the time they caught eight Dorados in a day, one after another. Anyways, it is a prime location for sport fishing, and it draws a lot of people. I even caught a fish even though I was fishing off-season and from the beach.
 
(Small Needlefish which I caught off the beach)

Baja, and specifically Los Barilles is a great place to experience the natural world, except with less regulations than anywhere in the U.S. ATV rental shops, gift shops, restaurants, kite boarding schools, hotels, and assorted services make Baja a very inviting and welcoming place for tourists. The natural wildlife, overall geography, and Mexican culture do the rest. So come on down, with bar, camera, pole, spear, or board in hand. (But don't tell anyone else about it, we don't want it getting too crowded.)

My View On National Security

Even though I had been flying once a year for the first years of my life for our family's annual vacation, I don't have much recollectionm of pre-9/11 security at airports. It amounts to realizing when I was 6 or 7, "huh, my dad can't come as far into the airport as before (he would drive)", and seeing added scanners and longer lines. So, in general, I haven't been personally affected much at all by beefed-up security, not past the hour earlier we would leave each rare occasion to the airport.
Linda Chavez and Adnan R. Khan both have great points in their essays regarding racial profiling, but I feel I resonate more with Chavez because I prioritize our National Security (I know it's easy to say when it is not my sacrifice). It is a necessary evil for the safety of the whole, and it only makes sense to pay attention to the common attributes of terrorists when checking passengers. To not notice and act on these similarities would be foolish. Then again, if race and skin color are the only similarities, than there is not a strong enough warning sign to stop, question, and frisk the person. Objectiveness should be used at all times.
Zara Gelsey, author of "The FBI is Reading Over your Shoulder" presents a weak case against the USA Patriot act by leaving out facts that detail the act's limitations, and therefore exaggerating the FBI's presence. First of all, if you are innocent of any crimes ( not that the FBI can prosecute you of lesser crimes based solely off the info), then why should you care if you are being examined? It makes me feel safer, it definitely doesn't "inhibit my thinking". Gelsey seems to dramatize the FBI's role as more invasive than it is. You have to ask yourself, "would I rather be safer and have some less privacy or have my privacy but be unprotected by psychos in the library?" I choose safety.