Honors Blog #4:

I am glad that I chose to be an honors student for the 2010-2011 school year first semester because I really gained some important skills and opportunities from being in honors. I have noticed lately that my writing has improved greatly since the beginning of the school year and I believe that a large portion of the reason for that is because of all of the Honors reading and Honors writing that I have been completing.

The reading I have been completing has been of all classic and historical novels which has expanded my knowledge on not only Humanities related topics, but other topics as well and the reading has also (most likely) improved my writing just because I was absorbing and unconsciously learning new vocabulary and writing techniques/styles that was being used throughout the books that I read.

The Honors writing I had to complete was not that much extra, but it was an additional amount of writing that I had to do. This writing helped me because it provided additional practice for applying the writing skills that I learned in class and it also usually required some additional research to be done on the certain topic that the Honors Blog was about for that particular night.

If I were to do this past Honors semester over again I would probably access after school extra help from Randy more often for topics that didn't make sense to my that we were learning about or assignment that were particularly challenging for me. This is because while I did access the office hours that were available to me on occasion I still feel like I would have had a less stressful time completing my work for English Honors and would have completed a better quality of work had I gone in on my own time more frequently.

My goals for English Honors in the second semester would be that first of all I hope to keep a solid A in my honors class by ensuring that I always turn my assignments in and to go in for office hours more often.

My grade for the first semester started out strong but then as the semester continued on my grade dropped from and A+ to a B-, but luckily I have been able to pull my grade up from a B- to a B+ so far, but I would have still much have rathered an A. I think that the reason for this was that I would not stay completely on top of my assignments and writer them down every second that I heard something additional that I had to do. I would also just forget or not double check with my teacher that he saw my homework and marked me as having it complete and on time.

As I said previously I came to office hours a few times for English but I still did not fully take advantage of the office hours being available to me. If I had gone in for office hours more often I think that my work would have turned out better and I would have improved my understanding of all the topics slightly as well.

The history that I am interested in is any kind of Art History and I also like learning about Philosophy and philosophers and their beliefs. I also enjoy learning about the history of religions, but considering this year the main focus is on American History I would say that I would like to learn about the different cultural groups or cults in America like the Klu Klux Klan because I am interested also in anything culture related. I feel that this past first semester in Honors English has relatively been a success and I am looking forward to continuing on and raising my standard in the coming semester.

Honors Blog #3:

One of the programs that were created as part of The New Deal was the start of Social Security. This program is still a part of the United States today, but I would also like to make a few adjustments to it in order to modernize it a little more to how today's society works. The changes I would like to make to it is that I think it should no longer include the Unemployment Insurance.

Social Security is a social insurance program that is funded through "dedicated payroll taxes" and is the federal Old Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance (OASDI) program. It was started in 1935 and the president at that time was Franklin D. Roosevelt who was a relatively well-liked president in our history partly because he did so much better at making a difference in solving America's problems at the time that the prior president who was McKinley. Social Security was started in a difficult period of time when we were in the Great Depression and it was a part of The New Deal and its new set of programs that it started.

The way that we should modernize social security for today society is that I think that it would be better if we dropped the Unemployment Insurance that is provided as a part of Social Security. This is because while in 1935 there were many people who were unemployed due to the depression, now although there are people who are unemployed from the current economy, there are still a lot less people who have a legitimate excuse for why they are unemployed so the Unemployment Insurance that we are spending our money on as a part of Social Security just doesn't seem to be as necessary as it was during the Great Depression.

Honors Blog#2

Dear Mr. President Barack Obama,

I write to you bearing but a few resourceful references or facts that I have collected throughout my research that I have conducted on how to improve the economy of our great nation. I have spent some time reading over what the "final straw" was to boost our country out of a very deep depression between the years, 1933 and 1936 and what I have come up with stems from the New Deal act created by Theodore Delano Roosevelt. First I suggest that we follow suit and close all of the banks in the country so that then one all of the necessary legislation has been passed billions of dollars can flood back into the banks therefore stabilizing Americas banking system.

Now allow me to explain my reasoning thus far. As you know, the Great Depression began with President Herbert Hoover in charge. Because of his lack of ability to handle the situation at hand when the next election came around and the Great Depression was still in full swing, it was not surprising that the senates view swung strongly to the democratic side, the vote for the new president along with it. This resulted in President Theodore Roosevelt becoming elected.

Roosevelt was greatly liked by almost all citizens of the US. He took some great, even debatably risky steps in order to get to the root of the problems in our country back then as to then be able to cure it. He even had his own radio station titled, "Fireside Chats", where he would turn to the people in hopes of having his agenda passed. The word "chat" was even used because it indicated that the President was confident that the US could survive and defeat the Great Depression. They instilled confidence in the government under his leadership.

Since times have indeed changed since the presidency of Theodore Roosevelt, and my proposition of closing the banks for a while and then reopening them to have cash flood through and revive them all may not work, My main advice to you would be to simply get creative like President Roosevelt did. From his radio talk show where he communicated directly with the people, to his closing of all the banks in our country, there were no shortages of risks taking place yet maybe that is all our economy needs today, a leap of faith that just might solve everything.

Sincerely,

Malia Bence

"Climbing Out of the Great Depression." Brad DeLong's Website Home Page. Web. 12 Dec. 2010. .

"Franklin Delano Roosevelt: Great Depression." Lycos. Web. 12 Dec. 2010. .

Erickson, Arthur. "The New Deal: Franklin D. Roosevelt's Solution to the Great Depression."Associated Content from Yahoo! - Associatedcontent.com. Web. 12 Dec. 2010. .

"Fireside Chats." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 12 Dec. 2010. .

"The Test : The New Yorker." National and World News, Profiles, Culture, Reviews, Fiction, Poetry : The New Yorker. Web. 12 Dec. 2010. .

"Obama, the Economic Crisis, and the Democrats : The New Yorker." National and World News, Profiles, Culture, Reviews, Fiction, Poetry : The New Yorker. Web. 12 Dec. 2010. .

Honors Blog #1

Medicare is a system that was first started by President Lyndon Johnson that was set up in 1965. President Johnson felt that "it was the government's duty to provide medical insurance to its elderly residents." This plans purpose was originally to provide a hospital insurance program for the elderly under the Social Security Act with a "supplementary medical benefits program and an extended program of medical assistance", to better the benefits under the Old Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance System, to improve the Federal-State public assistance programs, and for other purposes. This plan did not just develop over night. There was 20 years of debate that lead up to the passing of Medicare, but Lyndon Johnson lead the way until the end.

The Medicare system is made up of two parts. The first part is Part A and the second part it Part B. Part A Medicare covers all hospital expenses such as diagnostic tests, doctors' fees, inpatient stays and meals. The Part B plan then offers standard medical coverage for expenses such as outpatient surgery, medical equipment and "primary care". Today, the Medicare system has additional parts to it such as Part C and Part D. These parts allow the Medicare costumers to choose between an HMO or PPO plan to customize an insurance policy that fits their needs, and for prescriptions, the Part D plan uses private insurance companies to help the Medicare customers to pay for their medications. All citizens of the United States that are or over 65 or have a disability can have Medicare.

One thing that people commonly think about Medicare is that Medicare is a free health care program. In reality, the technical truth is that all US citizens are paying to have Medicare available because the tax money that the government receives pays for Medicare and that total amount that they receive each year is about two hundred and seventy seven dollars in total. While Medicare does not come cheap technically, it is still something that every US citizen should care about having around because eventually, it will affect us all.

Blog #20:

Should the government have control over "personal" issues such as violent video games, marijuana, gay marriage, etc.? Questions like these have been surfacing for many years now. A main topic of interest in whether the government should control whether or not it happens is, the issue of gay marriage/rights. The period of granting licenses for marriage and such to gays first began on June 16, 2008, due to a ruling by the Supreme Court of California that was based on an equal protection argument and ended November 5, 2008, because of the passage ofProposition 8. Today another "gay" topic that has been surfacing is whether the rule of "don't ask don't tell" should be continued or to be shut down or gotten rid of. In fact senator John McCain has taken on a position of trying to prevent the "don't ask don't tell" rule to be eliminated.

I interviewed a fellow student at High Tech High Media Arts about her opinions on what the government has control over and if it should be warranted. I asked her about video games, gay marriage, etc. When asked about violent video games being controlled by the government she responded with, "the government should control things such as video games and movies just so there is control and young people aren't exposed to violence or sexuality."

Although she was alright with the government having control over violent media, when ask about the government being able to control gay marriage and/or don't ask don't tell, she said that the difference is, "gay marriage is a choice that an adult makes and obviously if they want to get married and have strong feelings, then the government has no right to make laws that interfere with love." Finally, further asked about her opinions on the governments involvement with "gay" laws or restrictions she said, "I feel like the topic of "gay" shouldn't be discussed or debated by anyone in the government especially anyone who is strait. They have no right trying to make a law on something that I see as a right to happiness which comes from love." While in some places I may have a slight variation of opinion about these topics being controlled by the government, I pretty much share a common opinion with my interviewee.

1. I am VERY proud of everything about how I completed this project. I am proud of how although I had a really hard time starting out the project, I was able to push through my hardship and actually come out with my best piece of writing so far in this class. I am proud that I was able to fumble around with and figure out Adobe Illustrator enough to be able to create an impressive art component that followed all of the guidelines, and as I said before I am proud of the piece of writing I came out with in the end.

2. A way that my writing has changed from at the beginning of the semester is that I have begun to include many of the Writing Tips that we have learned in class in my writing. Some main writing tips that I incorporate in my writing are, MME (make meaning early), concerts not pancakes, the loop, and more.

3. Honestly I am pretty proud of the piece of writing that I came out with in the end and I don't think that I would change anything about it, but if I absolutely HAD to change something I would probably just continue to critique it and go over it and I would probably end up including more advanced vocabulary or more uses of the writing tips.

4. I now realize how important the element of peer critiquing and having other people read over your writing several times because a lot of times you will have things that you may have read over several times and thought was perfectly fine, but everyone else sees it as being awkwardly worded or something which you can the change if you want to after reading over it again with a new fresh perspective.

1. My main goal for the Senate Health Care Hearings is mainly for Austins bill to get passed since the bill he is proposing would save me money as a small business owner when I am paying and providing quality health care to all of my employees.

2. Ultimately I just hope to come away from the Senate Health Care Hearing with some more money in my pockets as a result of a government-controlled "private" health care system that would have been hopefully put into place after the Hearings.

3. I plan on including how what I am trying to accomplish also has a positive effect for all of the rest of the country instead of only me. This will hopefully then prove to all of those who will be voting on the bills that approving Austins bill would be worthwhile.

4. So far I have been working with Austin mostly because he is my senator that will be questioning me, but in addition to Austin I have also been working with Louis, and Ally who have both been assisting me in finally understanding what my role is and really just everything that is going on around me.

Blog #17:

Since my topic is not one that is often something that is "treated", these two articles applied less to my article but still, these articles really just impact any kind of health issues in general because they simply describe the pros and cons of just one certain topic... health care which applies to any form of health topic. The reason why it applies to all of the health topics is because almost every health topic should have some form of a cure, process of diagnosing, or even some form of relief efforts for the patient.

My opinion on the topic would side more towards what Joel A Harrison was saying about how, "Recognizing the hidden costs that U.S. households pay for health care today makes it far easier to see how a universal single-payer system—with all of its obvious advantages—can cost most Americans less than the one we have today." I did not agree with Larry Kudlow especially since his style of stating his opinion was so smug and almost rude like the way he started out his article by saying, "Does anybody really believe that adding 50 million people to the public health-care rolls will not cost the government more money?" Even just his picture alone offendedd me when I looked at it. At least the way that George Will phrased his opinion (which was similar to Kudlows) he did not phrase it in such a rude and up-front way. For example in his article he said as though stateing a fact, "As is said, if you think health care is expensive now, just wait until it is free."

These articles really just impact any kind of health issues in general because they simply describe the pros and cons of just one certain topic... health care which applies to any form of health topic. The reason why it applies to all of the health topics is because almost every health topic should have some form of a cure, process of diagnosing, or even some form of relief efforts for the patient.

While my opinion on the topic may be a bit biased towards my personal situation I strongly believe in universal health care and that the situations being described in the article, "We are not free: health care is a human right" by: Helen Redmond are so terrible for me to hear because that is exactly what I wish our country to have the opposite of. Personally, one of my main priorities in life is my health and the fact that people are having to sacrifice wither their monetary security for their health or their health for their monetary security is horrifying to me. These articles honestly made me sad and angry all at the same time for everyone in our nation.

The history of Americas health care providence has gotten much better now that Obama has passed the health care reform law which provides universal health care to all. Originally, at around 1900 to 1920, health insurance was nonexistent because health care technologies had not yet really advanced which meant that there was really not much that a "health expert" could do for a patient in order to cure their illness no matter how small. In fact, back then you would not even go to a doctors office, but instead the doctor would come to your home for any kind of procedures. The rise of medical care did not begin until the 1920's, when the treatment of illnesses shifted from being performed inside the home to hospitals. There was also an increase in the role that medicine played in peoples lives. These two main factors caused the cost of medical care to rise and also doctors began to have a higher expectation of merit. In 1929, a new payment innovation that was developed revolutionized the health care industry. This was when Blue Cross was started. Blue Cross Designed to Reduce Price Competition among Hospitals and it provided insurance for physitional services. From 1940 to 1960 there was roughly a rise of 120,000 people enrolled in health insurance. By the 1960's, Medicare and Medicaid began to form. The AMA realized that the only way to "enact government-sponsored health insurance would be to do so incrementally" and so they began by focusing on the elderly. "Focusing on the elderly allowed proponents to counter charges that nationalized health insurance would provide health care to individuals who were generally able to pay for it themselves." Since 1966, both Medicare and Medicaid have grown a rough 0.1% compared to the current day. In 1934, President Roosevelt "announced his intention to provide a program for Social Security." Its purpose was to assist the elderly, fight unemployment and poverty, and provide benefits for surviving family members during the Great Depression. Today, Obama finally achieved passing an "Affordable Care Act" in March 2010 which will stop insurance companies from limiting the care people need and remove insurance company barriers between people and their doctors.

The way that my topic for Life: The Book ties into all of this information is that any time that people find out they have some sort of a serious or even life-threatening disease, a lot of times they then turn to faith in order to give them some sort of comfort or assurance in order to carry on with their lives and not be afraid. In my article I will research and describe a supposed "god gene" which is apparently present in some people and not in others and what that "god gene" effects is if the person has a tendency to place trust and love into this God that they believe in.

Sources:

http://eh.net/encyclopedia/article/thomasson.insurance.health.us

http://www.ehow.com/about_4586912_what-purpose-social-security.html

http://www.withylaw.com/history.htm

http://www.ontheissues.org/barack_obama.htm

http://faculty1.coloradocollege.edu/~bloevy/CivilRightsActOf1964/

http://www.healthreform.gov/newsroom/new_patients_bill_of_rights.html

1. Someone who the reader would be able to connect with and someone who has some sort of conflict in their life. This way the reader will then care about what happens to the character. A character should also have personal traits that the reader would admire and who can apply those traits to their specific conflicts in their life.

2. The main thing that makes for a good plot is that it has subtle twists and turns that the reader would most llikely not see coming but enjoys to try and figure out what would come next. Also, when something dire happens to the favorite character they can come out of, but it's touch and go for awhile. Finally it makes for a better plot when you use precise words to create suspense or tension.

3. They use punctuation in order to include small tidbits of essential scientific information.

4. They provide characters with which the reader can easily connect with and/or respect which will in turn involve the reader more deeply in your plot.

Blog #14: Life: The Book

1. I plan on writing my article on the "adulthood" stage of life for my article because of my personal connection and curiosity to the fatal disease ALS (or Lou Gehrig's disease). The genetic connection I plan on presenting and learning about in my article is if ALS is genetic or not and the information behind this hypothesis.

2. One relevant government agency is the National Institute of Health. This government agency is relevant to ALS because a branch of them has recently taken an interest in the research and development of the cure for ALS.

Some current news on my topic is actually what I will be writing about possibility explains the genetics behind how ALS is (or most likely is) passed down from one generation to the next. Researchers have found that since when a child is conceived they receive one chromosome from their mom and one chromosome from their dad, someone who has ALS would have one gene with a mutation and one without a mutation. This means that a child of someone with ALS has a 50% chance to inherit the ALS gene mutation however this in no way means the child will have ALS.

Articles:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/08/100825131441.htm

http://www.alsa.org/als/genetics.cfm

3. The Humanities aspect I would like to bring to this project would be about religion and its powers to keep a person going on their faith even through such a horrific disease like ALS after seeing my father go through the disease for five years has made me wonder at time how he kept going despite the definite result of death. Although he personally was not the most religious person, there must be many other people who are in fact religious and faith and trust in god is a primary factor in carrying them through difficult and torturous experiences or diseases. For example, Psalm 34:18 reads: "The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit." and this is what Karl, Walt, and Terry followed in order to come through their personal ordeals almost even better a person than before. This is what I would like to further research and look into for to humanities aspect of my article.

Articles:

http://www.cleveland.com/religion/index.ssf/2010/04/carrying_anothers_cross_can_ch.html

http://pinker.wjh.harvard.edu/articles/media/2004_10_29_religion.htm

1. A second connection to biology that my article could have would be related to a different article that I found. The second article that I found was about how recent studies have found that in the immediate future, stem cells may be vehicles that can be sent to the damaged area and provide missing factors to help remaining cells survive. These stem cells could potentially be harvested from not only infants, but also adult have stem cells themselves that would be able to be used too.

2. One relevant government agency is the National Institute of Health. This government agency is relevant to ALS because a branch of them has recently taken an interest in the research and development of the cure for ALS.

Again some current news on my topic would be the news presented in the article I am referencing for this aspect of ALS genetic technology.

Articles:

http://www.alsa.org/research/article.cfm?id=715#adult

http://www.alsa.org/research/article.cfm?id=715#challenges

3. Again, religion can be tied into the humanities aspect of this topic as well because anything regarding the use of stem cell research and or usage is always bound to be in some way connected to religious views as well. The debate on the use of stem cells involves the religious view that, "if you think of doctrines like creation or even human sinfulness and the fall, it really encourages us to put the way we treat life against a bigger horizon and to be cautious about our own activity." (professor Lisa Sowle Cahill of Boston College).

Articles:

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/5454938/als_stem_cell_breakthroughs.html?cat=5

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/week448/perspectives.html

Blog #13: Life- The Book!

Idea #1: Conception

If I were to write my article on the conception stage of life I am not entirely sure if this would be conception, or infancy but I would like to write my article about the ability people of this generation are beginning to have to "build their baby." This means that they are able to choose their baby's gender, certain traits their baby would have (i.e. eye color, height, hair color), and/or even what diseases they would be immune to.

Idea #2: Adulthood

If I got assigned the time of life, adulthood, I would like to write my article about the news that a new genetic risk factor for Lou Gehrig's disease has been identified. I would like to write my article on this topic for adulthood because I am able to relate to it and it actually is a very personal topic for me as well and I am genuinely interested in learning about it in order to write an article on it.

Idea #3: Old Age

Finally if I were to be assigned to the category, old age, I would want to write my article on how after years of unsuccessful research on how to cure Alzheimer's Disease, researchers are finally finding new ways to interrupt the memory-robbing disease just in time for an anticipated explosion in cases.

Blog #12: Beginning The Internship Brainstorm

Let me just start out by saying I technically have an internship already in place with my friend, Tessa's dad who owns his own marketing company.

My ideal workplace would be a creative place with a lot going on at all times like the way that fashion magazine headquarters are portrayed on TV all of the time minus the rude boss/people. (it would also be cool if I could have my own desk)

I hope to be able to put my creative design abilities to work at my "ideal internship" such as putting forth my input on the style aspects of whatever we are working on.

i would mostly just like to learn if I would enjoy this job as a career or not and if the answer is yes then I would like to learn what kind of education is required or what steps they suggest I take in order to achieve a career in the field.

Blog #11: Twitter!

Although you would think for most people their reaction would be shock or horror or some other form of almost false emotions for the topic, my result from reading the article, "The Crisis of the Humanities Officially Arrives" was rather inspiration. I was reading the article and then right away like fireworks went off in my brain I felt inspired to pursue my humanities passions and not just one passion or interest... but all of them. To learn at least two more new languages, to have my own blog which I write on frequently not because I have to, but because I want to. To continue writing in my personal Journal like I did over the summer and then perhaps, who knows, publish my poems in a book Anonymously. Suddenly anything seemed possible and I also felt pride for my passion for humanities that holds a pat of my own personal identity. I could say that I am sorry or am not happy with this particular Blog Response, but I would be lying because honestly this is probably my favorite blog response yet.

http://www.justfrance.org/france/france-history.asp

This site just extends on my inspiration because currently I am signing up for a beginners French course at City College not because I have to for some reason but purely because I enjoy learning about the french history and am interested in the language and want to learn and be able to speak it because I find it to be a beautiful language.

Blog #10- "Dying for Dixie"
The root cause of Michael Westerman's death was all of the racial hate and ignorance that had been building in Guthrie for the years before. That hate created "racial tension" or "racial friction". The intense hate that the two side had for each other was very obviously shown at the beginning of the article when the reporter described the scene in the "white bar" where there were various adornments reading offencive statements and phrase such as, "I've Got A Nigger In My Family Tree".

Proportionally, this created hatred in the black community on the issue as well. So when Westerman flew the confederate flag, which by now had become a symbol of hate in the black areas of Guthrie, that was simply a catalyst for the mayhem that followed.
A very clear example of the ignorance in the situation was the fact that the white population (in this case) saw themselves as a minority and an underdog which was clearly not the case. One clue from the text that this issue is obvious in are all of the quotes from the white klu klux klan member who has been quoted as saying things like, "we shall overcome" referring to the white population of Guthrie.

The conflict between races in America has always been something people attempt to mend however no matter how long it takes or how hard we as a society try, the racial tension and conflicts will never fully be erased.

This example shows how since "Union generals at times contracted directly with businesses for arms and supplies. Without government regulatory policies, businesses grew through a self-policing financial community, failing when greed overtook prudence as in the Panic of 1873. Congressional leaders curried favor with big businesses, accepting loans that were never repaid, shares of stocks, and seats on corporate boards", that to some effect has an effect on our economy today. The Civil War had many effects on the people who lived at the time of it and no matter how many years it has been since then, it still shows itself through little ways in our lives today in 2010.

Blog #8

http://ww2.cox.com/myconnection/sandiego/today/news/national/article.cox?moduleType=apNews&articleId=D9IGUMD00

1. This article was about how the president would like to and is pushing to extend both the average school day and the average school year to better educate the American students. This article also included various important quotes which showed opinions from both sides of the argument such as, "Kids wanted to go swimming. Their families wanted to go on vacation." (Parent Irene Facciolo in Montpelier, Vt.) and, "The idea of a longer school year, I think, makes sense" (President Barack Obama).

2. This article in a way shows the extent of the executives branches power yet it also shows how the system of checks and balances comes into play or else Obama would not have to be going out and rallying up support. The topic of the "separation of powers" is stated in both Article 1 Section 1, Article 2 Section 1, and Article 3 Section 1 of the American Constitution when it discusses the different branches of government and how they keep each other balanced at all times.

3. In being a fellow student who is not yet in college, this issue definitely has me confused on what my opinion would be on it. The obvious answer for me when I first saw this article was "I hope this doesn't get passed!!!" This is because what high school student wants their precious summer time cut even shorter in order to "fully develop their minds"? Then as i thought about it more, my opinion began to sway because I began to think about how academically advanced other countries are becoming because of their longer school years which is why now I am perfectly caught exactly in the middle between the two different sides of the argument.

http://ww2.cox.com/myconnection/sandiego/today/news/national/article.cox?moduleType=apNews&articleId=D9IH9RAO2

1. This article was about how a 19 year old college student at the University of Texas climbed a campus tower and started shooting at the other people below. He then walked to the library where he then fatally shot himself. Just years before, another shooting occured at the same campus at the top of the same tower except the only difference was the shooter then shot and killed 16 innocent people and wounded nearly 3 dozen others before the police shot him. Luckily some bi standers of the crime were able to tell the police the direction in which the suspect went. On witness said, "I'm not scared, but I was scared for the people around me". Another witness who had made eye contact with the shooter said "I saw in his eyes he didn't care" as he was making his way to the library where he would later kill himself.

2. This article relates to the part of the Constitution that states that "the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed." This is the second amendment of the American Constitution. This story is definitely related to the debate over the 2nd amendment in our constitution because some may argue that if had only had tighter gun control laws (which would go against our second amendment) then this whole situation would have never happened.

3. I am not sure why this article in particular caught my eye but I think it was because of my love of crime shows and the brief description of the article just sounded interesting.

Blog #6: American Icons!

Artist Statement:

Imagine: Your modeling career you have worked so hard on starting has just hit its peak when you are struck in a serious car crash resulting in the loss of most of your left eyelid. This quickly crushes all of your fantastic dreams to "ma

ke it big as a model." This unfortunate event ended your career as a model and for most people, would have resulted in the beginning of a continuous spiral downward and a lack of persistence to continue on with their lives. This, however, did not apply to Grace Coddington. She applied great r

esilience to the situation she was in and managed to pick herself back up again and land a job at New York's number one fashion magazine, Vogue.

As an inspiring fashion industry member, I was immediately drawn to fashion icons that you would think of first. People such as Twiggy, Anna W

intour, Audrey Hepburn, and even Lady Gaga. Then, as the time was quickly passing me by, I was frantically skimming through my Vogue magazine searching for anyone who I could relate to enough to be my icon. I finally saw the name, Grace Coddington. She is the head creative direct

or of Vogue Magazine.

I have always been intrigued by fashion my whole life, but I especially enjoy the fashion ads in magazines. Whenever I would get a fashion magazine in the mail, I would spend the majority of my time looking at the first section of the magazine

s, slowly going over and identifying my favorite ads. It was a different fairytale on each page for me to inspect. I would even try my hand at making my own ads by cutting out a dress and pasting it on a white piece of paper and drawing the rest of the shoot.

I have had many "speed bumps" (as I like to call

them) in my life, where I have had to pick myself up, and continue on even stronger with my life like Grace. Finally, although I am not completely certain of my career path, as of right now, Grace Coddington's career position is my dream job. I hope to one day follow in the footsteps of all the well-k

nown fashion icons from Twiggy, to Grace, to hopefully me one day. Though it is no fatal crash, I encounter speed bumps that may slow me down, but it’s not the end of the road for me.

Picture:

Blog #5

1. I have found the editing process so far to be the most successful and helpful for me because before, my other teachers would not give us the structure we needed in order to be a good editor of our peers papers.
2. I think that the writing tip that told us not to use "repeating adverbs" because I had never really noticed it before, but it was totally right! Some adverbs really are very repetitive and I know I have used these "repetitive adverbs" many times before, myself.
3. It was most challenging for me to apply the writing tips correctly to my own writing once they were taught to us.
4. Probably the most challenging writing tip for me is applying the loop structure to my writing because I was not really sure how it worked for a while at first, but then I think I got the hang of it with some help from my peers as well, but I am still a little iffy on it.
5. "This job, however, was not, and has not been smooth sailing for Grace Coddington. Her boss/coworker is Anna Wintour who has been nicknamed as, "Nuclear Wintour" and it has been said was the inspiration behind the film, The Devil Wears Prada for her reportedly aloof and demanding personality. Luckily, Anna has been a friend of Grace's for a while, but is still someone who is difficult to work with. This situation requires Grace to demonstrate leadership skills and apply them when working with her stubborn boss in order to be able to get any kind of progress accomplished in the work space while still incorporating her own creative views and opinions. I have always been intrigued by fashion my whole life, but I especially enjoy the fashion ads in magazines. Whenever I would get a fashion magazine in the mail, I would spend the majority of my time looking at the first section of the magazines, slowly going over and flagging my favorite ads. It was a different fairytale on each page for me to inspect. I would even try my hand at making my own ads by cutting out a dress and pasting it on a white piece of paper and drawing the rest of the shoot. I have had many "speed bumps" (as I like to call them) in my life, where I have had to pick myself up, and continue on even stronger with my life like Grace. Finally, I have always been a leader my whole life and enjoy taking on leadership roles. Additionally, although I am not completely certain of my career path, as of right now, Grace Coddington's career position is my dream job and I hope to one day follow in the footsteps of all the well-known fashion icons from Twiggy to Grace to hopefully me one day."

• How can I condense this section as much as possible?
• How can I get rid of anything that is unnecessary?
• Did I miss any adverbs that are still repetitive?

Draft #1: Photo

Original:

My Photo:

Blog #4: Icons Loop

Intro:

Imagine: Your modeling career you have worked so hard on starting has just hit its peak when you are struck in a serious car crash resulting in the loss of most of your left eyelid. This quickly crushes all of your fantastic dreams to "make it big as a model. This unfortunate event ended her career as a model and for most people, would have resulted in the beginning of a continuous spiral downward and a lack of persistence to continue on with their lives. This, however, did not apply to Grace Coddington for she applied great resilience to the situation and managed to pick herself back up and land a job as the creative director of New York's number one fashion magazine, Vogue.

Outro:

Though its no fatal crash, I encounter speed bumps that may slow me down, but it’s not the end of the road for me.

1. The anecdote option for an intro made the most sense to me and then (although it went against Randy's advice) I started with the intro and then created the outro (with the help of Austin Clapp) based off of my intro that I wrote.

2. It not only incorporates who Grace Coddington is and a reason why I admire her, but it also makes many connections between her and I.

3. I hope my reader will think,

"Wow they really do have a lot in common."

and....

"I would like to learn more about this Grace Coddington lady."

Blog #3: American Icons & Resources
Part 1: Icons

Two of the people who are part of my continuem are Twiggy and Audrey Hepburn. These two people are fashion icons from the past. They relate to Grace Coddington because Grace Coddington is a fashion icon from the present. The other icon that I included in my paper who is from the present is Anna Wintour. Finally these icons will relate to me in the future when hopefully I myself am a fashion icon.

Part 2: Resources

1. "Anna Wintour." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 06 Sept. 2010. .

2. "Fall Fashion Grace Coddington." New York Magazine -- NYC Guide to Restaurants, Fashion, Nightlife, Shopping, Politics, Movies. Web. 06 Sept. 2010. .

American Icons Artist Statement

Draft #4: Grace Coddington

Imagine: Your modeling career you have worked so hard on starting has just hit its peak when

you are struck in a serious car crash resulting in the loss of most of your left eyelid. This quickly

crushes all of your fantastic dreams to "make it big as a model. This unfortunate event ended

her career as a model and for most people, would have resulted in the beginning of a continuous

spiral downward and a lack of persistence to continue on with their lives. This, however, did

not apply to Grace Coddington for she applied great resilience to the situation and managed to

pick herself back up and land a job as the creative director of New York's number one fashion

magazine, Vogue.

As an inspiring fashion industry member, I was immediately drawn to fashion icons that you

would think of first. People such as Twiggy, Anna Wintour, Audrey Hepburn, and even Lady

Gaga as a more modern choice. Then, as the time was quickly passing me by, I was frantically

skimming through my Vogue magazine searching for anyone who I could relate to enough to

be my icon. I finally tripped over the name, Grace Coddington. Grace Coddington is the head

creative director of Vogue Magazine. This means that she is the one who oversees the photo

shoots making sure that everything goes as planned and that the picture comes out perfectly.

This job, however, was not, and has not been smooth sailing for Grace Coddington. Her boss/

coworker is Anna Wintour who has been nicknamed as, "Nuclear Wintour" and it has been

said was the inspiration behind the film, The Devil Wears Prada for her reportedly aloof and

demanding personality. Luckily, Anna has been a friend of Grace's for a while, but is still

someone who is difficult to work with. This requires Grace to demonstrate leadership

skills and apply them when working with her stubborn boss in order to be able to get

any kind of progress accomplished in the work space while still incorporating her own

creative views and opinions.

I have always been intrigued by fashion my whole life, but I especially enjoy the fashion

ads in magazines. Whenever I would get a fashion magazine in the mail, I would spend

the majority of my time reading the first section of the magazines, slowly going over and

flagging my favorite ads. It was a different fairytale on each page for me to inspect. I

would try my hand at making my own ads by cutting out a dress and pasting it on a white

piece of paper and drawing the rest of the shoot. I have had many "speed bumps" (as I

like to call them) in my life, which I have had to pick myself up from and continue on

even stronger with my life like Grace. Finally, I have always been a leader my whole life and

enjoy taking on leadership roles. Although I am not completely certain of my career path, as of

right now, Grace Coddington's career position is my dream job and I hope to one day follow in

the footsteps of all the well-known fashion icons from Twiggy to Grace to hopefully me one day.

Though its no fatal crash, I encounter speed bumps that may slow me down, but it’s not

the end of the road for me.

1. "Anna Wintour." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 06 Sept. 2010. .

2. "Fall Fashion Grace Coddington." New York Magazine -- NYC Guide to Restaurants, Fashion, Nightlife,

Shopping, Politics, Movies. Web. 06 Sept. 2010. .

American Icons Artist Statement

Draft #3: Grace Coddington

Imagine: Your modeling career you have worked so hard on starting has just hit its peek when you are struck in a serious car crash resulting in the loss of most of your left eyelid. This quickly crushes all of your fantastic dreams to "make it big as a model. This unfortunate event ended her career as a model and for most people, would have resulted in the beginning of a continuous spiral downward and a lack of persistence to continue on with their lives. This, however, did not apply to Grace for she applied great resilience to the situation and managed to pick herself back up and land a job as the creative director of New York's number one fashion magazine, Vogue.

As an inspiring fashion industry member, I was immediately drawn to fashion icons that you would think of first. People such as Twiggy, Anna Wintour, Audrey Hepburn, and even Lady Gaga as a more modern choice. Then, as the time was quickly passing me by, I was frantically skimming through my Vogue magazine searching for anyone who I could relate to enough to be my icon. I finally tripped over the name, Grace Coddington. Grace Coddington is the head creative director of Vogue Magazine. This means that she is the one who oversees the photo shoots making sure that everything goes as planned and that the picture comes out perfectly.

This job, however, was not, and has not been smooth sailing for Grace Coddington. Her boss/coworker is Anna Wintour who has been nicknamed as, "Nuclear Wintour" and it has been said was the inspiration behind the film, The Devil Wears Prada for her reportedly aloof and demanding personality. Luckily, Anna has been a friend of Grace's for a while, but is still someone who is difficult to work with. This requires Grace to demonstrate leadership skills and apply them when working with her stubborn boss in order to be able to get any kind of progress accomplished in the work space while still incorporating her own creative views and opinions.

I have always been intrigued by fashion my whole life, but I especially enjoy the fashion ads in magazines. Whenever I would get a fashion magazine in the mail, I would spend the majority of my time reading the first section of the magazines, slowly going over and flagging my favorite ads. It was a different fairytale on each page for me to inspect. I would try my hand at making my own ads by cutting out a dress and pasting it on a white piece of paper and drawing the rest of the shoot. I have had many "speed bumps" (as I like to call them) in my life, which I have had to pick myself up from and continue on even stronger with my life like Grace. Finally, I have always been a leader my whole life and enjoy taking on leadership roles. Although I am not completely certain of my career path, as of right now, Grace Coddington's career position is my dream job and I hope to one day follow in the footsteps of all the well-known fashion icons from Twiggy to Grace to hopefully me one day.

Now envision yourself as one of the most successful fashion icons in the world influencing many people across the globe despite everything you have been through.

1. "Anna Wintour." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 06 Sept. 2010. .

2. "Fall Fashion Grace Coddington." New York Magazine -- NYC Guide to Restaurants, Fashion, Nightlife, Shopping, Politics, Movies. Web. 06 Sept. 2010. .

American Icons Artist Statement

Draft #2: Grace Coddington

As an inspiring fashion industry member, I was immediately drawn to fashion icons who you would think of first. People such as Twiggy, Anna Wintour, Audrey Hepburn, and even Lady Gaga as a more modern choice. Then, as the time was quickly passing me by, I was frantically skimming through my Vogue magazine searching for anyone who I could relate to enough to be my icon. I finally tripped over the name, Grace Coddington. Grace Coddington is the head creative director of Vogue Magazine. This means that she is the one who oversees the photo shoots making sure that everything goes as planned and that the picture comes out perfectly.

Not only was her job a perfect fit, but as I read about her and her life/career, I found that she was also in a car accident when she was only 20 years old. This resulted in the loss of her eyelid which had to be surgically replaced with skin from another area of her body. This unfortunate event ended her career as a model and for most people, would have resulted in the beginning of a continuous spiral downward and a lack of persistence to continue on with their lives. This, however, did not apply to Grace for she applied great resilience to the situation and managed to pick herself back up and land a job as the creative director of New York's number one fashion magazine, Vogue.

This job, however, was not, and has not been smooth sailing for Grace Coddington. Her boss/coworker is Anna Wintour who has been nicknamed as, "Nuclear Wintour" and it has been said was the inspiration behind the film, The Devil Wears Prada for her reportedly aloof and demanding personality. Luckily, Anna has been a friend of Grace's for a while, but is still someone who is difficult to work with. This requires Grace to demonstrate leadership skills and apply them when working with her stubborn boss in order to be able to get any kind of progress accomplished in the work space while still incorporating her own creative views and opinions.

I have always been intrigued by fashion my whole life, but I especially enjoy the fashion ads in magazines. Whenever I would get a fashion magazine in the mail, I would spend the majority of my time reading the first section of the magazines, slowly going over and flagging my favorite ads. It was a different fairytale on each page for me to inspect. I would try my hand at making my own ads by cutting out a dress and pasting it on a white piece of paper and drawing the rest of the shoot. I have had many "speed bumps" (as I like to call them) in my life, which I have had to pick myself up from and continue on even stronger with my life like Grace. Finally, I have always been a leader my whole life and enjoy taking on leadership roles. Although I am not completely certain of my career path, as of right now, Grace Coddington's career position is my dream job and I hope to one day follow in the footsteps of all the well known fashion icons from Twiggy to Grace to hopefully me one day.

1. "Anna Wintour." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 06 Sept. 2010. .

2. "Fall Fashion Grace Coddington." New York Magazine -- NYC Guide to Restaurants, Fashion, Nightlife, Shopping, Politics, Movies. Web. 06 Sept. 2010. .

American Icons Artist Statement

Draft #1: Grace Coddington

As an inspiring fashion industry member, I was immediately drawn to fashion icons who you would think of first. People such as Twiggy, Anna Wintour, even Lady Gaga as a more modern choice. Then, as the time was quickly passing me by, I was frantically skimming through my Vogue magazine searching for anyone who I could relate to enough to be my icon. I finally tripped over the name, Grace Coddington. Grace Coddington is the head creative director of Vogue Magazine. This means that she is the one who oversees the photo shoots making sure that everything goes as planned and that the picture comes out perfectly.

Not only was her job a perfect fit, but as I read about her and her life/career, I found that she was also in a car accident when she was only 20 years old. This resulted in the loss of her eyelid which had to be surgically replaced with skin from another area of her body. This unfortunate event ended her career as a model and for most people, would have resulted in the beginning of a continuous spiral downward and a lack of persistence to continue on with their lives. This, however, did not apply to Grace for she applied great resilience to the situation and managed to pick herself back up and land a job as the creative director of New York's number one fashion magazine, Vogue.

This job, however, was not, and has not been smooth sailing for Grace Coddington. Her boss/coworker is Anna Wintour who has been nicknamed as, "Nuclear Wintour" and it has been said was the inspiration behind the film, The Devil Wears Prada for her reportedly aloof and demanding personality. Luckily, Anna has been a friend of Grace's for a while, but is still someone who is difficult to work with. This requires Grace to demonstrate leadership skills and apply them when working with her stubborn boss in order to be able to get any kind of progress accomplished in the work space while still incorporating her own creative views and opinions.

I have always been intrigued by fashion my whole life, but I especially enjoy the fashion ads in magazines. As a younger girl, my favorite part of the month was always getting my Vogue or Teen Vogue magazine in the mail. I would spend the majority of my time reading the first section of the magazines, slowly going over and flagging my favorite ads. It was a different fairytale on each page for me to inspect and I would try my hand at making my own ads by cutting out a dress and pasting it on a white piece of paper and drawing the rest of the shoot. I have also had many "speed bumps" (as I like to call them) in my life, which I have had to pick myself up from and continue on even stronger with my life like Grace. Finally, I have always been a leader my whole life and enjoy taking on leadership roles. Although I am not completely certain of my career path, as of right now, Grace Coddington's career position is my dream job and I hope to one day follow in her footsteps.

1. "Anna Wintour." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 06 Sept. 2010. .

2. "Fall Fashion Grace Coddington." New York Magazine -- NYC Guide to Restaurants, Fashion, Nightlife, Shopping, Politics, Movies. Web. 06 Sept. 2010. .