Dear Mr. President (Honors History #1)

Dear President Obama,

As you can see, the economy is in a rut, and the citizens of America are quite displeased with the state our country is in. Our unemployment rate is at eleven percent—a mere fourteen percent away from the Great Depression. Before our economy falls any further, we need to take action into our own hands. To do this, I recommend that we first follow by Franklin D. Roosevelt’s (FDR) example. Communication with the people is crucial. I recommend that you hold speeches for everyone to hear when a big change is about to come along. We must settle the people down, and restore their confidence in not only the economy, but you as their president, before you lose your support.

From what I can see, America is in the process of creating new jobs, which should in turn give more people opportunities to work. Perhaps you could give a little encouragement and reassurance just as FDR often did. Make sure you don’t make anything sound prettier than it really is, though. We must be realistic, but optimistic as well, so our citizens don’t lose faith in your leadership, or the country. Many people have bestowed a lot more responsibility on you than they do in most other presidents because America is in quite the rut at this point. Confidence is key. Let everyone know you are here for them, and announce important changes that will be made. Only do this on very important occasions so that when you speak, people listen.

Another big step would be to get out of the war, since we are spending so much on weapons and such, and losing many men and women. This is a large goal, and of course a difficult one, but it should be on our list of priorities, or at least made known that you are putting an effort into making this happen. Whenever we do get out of the war, perhaps by slowly declining if possible, we will save a tremendous amount of money, and this money can be put back into the economy.

One difficulty I notice you have been facing is getting your ideas to pass with The Congress. I can understand this to be stressful, but perhaps you could build a relationship with them so you can gain their trust. They have many different viewpoints, so getting anything to pass by them will be difficult. One thing you can do is see what ideas they have, and try to work them in. This will give you a higher probability of getting your propositions to pass.

This is all the advice I’d like to give you for now. Every step counts. I sincerely hope this helps.

--D’Vaughn McCrae.

Blog #8

Compare and contrast Barack Obama and Franklin Delano Roosevelt as presidents. Be sure to cover topics such as their responses to the economy, their interactions with the American public and their relationships with other elements of the US government (feel free to write about more, too!).
Your writing should come in the form of an editorial in which you take a side—you cannot write "as you can see they are similar and different!"
Your writing should also feature direct primary-source evidence from speeches and/or writings by both BHO & FDR.NOTE: This blog is important...if you choose not to do it, you might find yourself less prepared for the quiz on Friday.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) was the first president to communicate with his public so often, and in so many new ways! For example, FDR created these radio shows called "Fireside Reports", where he would talk about the most recent issues, and reassure citizens all over America. Americans trusted him, especially after their last president, Herbert Hoover, who was much more of a hands-off style leader. Roosevelt's involvement with the community turned out to be much more effective in the depression. This, along with his inspiring words ("We have nothing to fear but fear itself") charmed everyone and earned their trust.
Obama seems to be in a very similer situation to the great FDR. George W. Bush would be, in this situation, the Herbert Hoover. Hoover was a Republican, and FDR was a Democrat. Noticing a pattern? Durring the 2008 election, people were desperate for change, and that was exactly what Obama was offering. He, much like Roosevelt, had a way with words that would charm the audiance (ex: "Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek."). America is currently going through "The Great Recession", which is just a little better than The Great Depression. Everyone is still struggling in one way or another, but nothin is instant. Obama's communication is also substantionally more frequent than recent presidents. So does this mean that Obama is the new FDR? How true can the saying "history repeats itself" be in such situations? Only time will tell.

Blog #7

Predict how companies or industries similar to the one that you worked at during internship would have fared during the Great Depression. Would your company have thrived or sunk? Why?

My internship was a self ran photography company. The only people who work there are Betsy and Jeff, and their married, so their funds would go to them and their needs. I'm not sure how often photography was used back then, but if they often put pictures in Newspapers, and rich families wanted their pictures taken, then I think their company would have easily survived since their wages aren't being split amongst hundreds of people, and photography was still fairly new back then. However, if there wasn't many photography jobs, then I'm sure their company would have flopped, since there wouldn't really be any customers.

Blog #6

Choose one character from The Grapes of Wrath and list four important quotes said by or written by this character. Explain what you believe these quotes reveal about the character.

Jim Casy
"I was a preacher...Got a lot of sinful idears--but they seem sensible" Well, this quote basically tells us that he was a preacher. Very important to his character. Also, it shows that he uses logic.

"I'd take one of them girls out in the grass, an' I'd lay with her." Basically, he got around with the girls he preached to and baptized. This is what got him questioning his beliefs.

Casy looked shyly at him. "If it hits you wrong, don't take no offense at it, will you?" This shows that he's cautious and polite, as many religeous people tend to be (at least in what I've noticed).

I might do a character sketch of Tom Joad instead, but I'm still deciding. It'll probably be Casy, though.

My Internship Photo Essay

Come and see my Internship Photo Essay!

Blog 5

Post three examples of other students' work from this semester that stands out as particularly high quality. Look through mentor interviews, photo essays, DP's and blogs. Post links to the three examples (preferably from three different students) and write a brief explanation for each in which you describe what makes this work stand out to you.

Emilie Colwell did a really nice job of recreating a Madonna picture. The resemblance is clear, but she also puts her own spin on it.

Marcus Alexander's American Icon writing is well written in a way that shows his passion for piano and music, and shows more of his personal side, which makes it unique.

I also liked Madison M.'s Mentor interview, because the title really pulled me in and got me interested in reading the rest of her writing.

Blog #3

Ampersand is coming, Ampersand is coming, Ampersand is coming!!!
Post your personal goals, hopes and ambitions for your class' production & publication of this book.
I hope I come up with a strong piece of creative writing that really means something to me, and has an impact. I'm thinking about writing a poem about being yourself, or reminding yourself that you are someone. Along with this, I hope I can take the picture I have in my mind, and hopefully make that vision better than I imagine it. I want what I create to be something that lasts in my memory, and doesn't just go by like many other assignments.
And finally, when it comes to the production of Ampersand, I really hope I can help people in improving their writing, and taking a leadership position. I hope this helps me bring the leader part of me out.

Mentor Interview

You can check out my mentor interview here.

Blog 2

Betsy McCue
(Still deciding on subtitle)

When Betsy or Jeff (her husband) open the door, the sound of a dog bark is sure to be heard first. Jeff and Betsy have to hold Maze (who is, as they describe him, ‘a cream puff’) back just to make sure he doesn’t kiss you to death. Upon entering their house, a person is sure to feel welcome in a home for visitors, with plenty of their beautiful, lifelike photography hanging on the walls. Their consultation and living room is made for comfort and business, just like their wardrobe of jeans, sweaters, and button-ups. The laid back artists offer food and drinks graciously with friendly smiles. This certainly won’t be the last time you see them smile. Most of their conversations with others are practically made up if smiles and laughter. It’s contagious, too!



-Are there any areas that are worsed oddly that I should consider re-writing?

-What details do you think are unneccisary/don't hold your interest?

-What are some ways I can incorporate Concerts Not Pancakes?

-Anything else

Semester TWO blog 1

Post links to at least two high-quality interviews.

John Lennon Interview

John Mayer Interview

I just started getting into Rolling Stone just last week because I was looking for good photography references, then came across an interview of John Mayer and got caught up in it. It showed the quirky side of this celebrity, and I thought that that was very fun and interesting. This article can't be found on the internset yet, but I put the link for the magazine cover and overview of it.

Post a written reflection in which you describe what makes a great final product when a journalist (or group of writers, editors, etc.) create an interview that is presented in the professional world. We know an interview needs good questions... but what else makes these great? What other elements of writing are used? How does the writer create a final product that is more than a transcript of a conversation? What makes these finished, professional pieces of journalism?

It should give you a new perspective on the person. For example, a person could see an actor as the charactor that actor plays. Reading the interview should show/remind the reader that the actor is human. There has to be the details that you could learn just by getting to know the person a little, and then there also has to be those aspects of the person that digs a little deeper. Things you couldn't/wouldn't know at first.

My favorite interviews are the ones that are written like a story. Not exactly narrative non-fiction, but the kind that show the person's uniqueness. This information can come from simply observing the person. The interview article also has to be structured in a way that flows. If possible, make it have the same flow as the person who is being interviewed. This could be smooth and fluid, or jolty, or more defined.

Basically, there has to be personality put into it. Reading a dialogue is action packed, yes, but there's so much more information when you tie in what you see, and what you don't.