Blogging Around

Vedran Svraka:
I also held a negative perception towards philosophy at first. Like you, I thought that I would be bored out of my mind during discussions, but i now find a lot of what we speak about interesting. I believe that philosophy is a tool that one can use to improve their way of life.

Ryan Riordan:
I also have been thinking about the future of our planet. Global warming's effects are starting to show more and more. I agree that we have to be more conservative in the way we live. Smart cars are a smart way to stop pollution. All though I would probably never buy a smart car, because I like to drive fast and I think they look kind of lame, I believe that it is a good foundation for other car manufactures to build off of.

Research: Lebanon

A big part of Sophie's World is Hilde's father fighting in Lebanon. This conflict began in 1975 and lasted for six years. It can be best characterized as a civil war between Muslims and Christians. The fighting was caused by a Christian leader and a Muslim General. Also, many Muslims and Christians were uncivil towards each other. Three major militias were created: the Christians, Sunni, and the Shi'a. 150,000 people were killed and another 200,000 wounded. This information gave me a better idea of how Albert must have felt.







http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/war/lebanon.htm

imedia: David Sides

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9hzHcxRuas

The song "Buy You a Drink" is considered hip hop, but this adaptation of it transforms it into a completely different song. The piano sounds exactly like the actual song. Also, the words are reflected by the melody. Initially I did not like the orignal version of the song. I felt like the singer's voice was altered too much with computers. But this piano cover swayed my opinion of it. I realized just how melodic and smooth the song actually was. I am also really impressed with David Side's ability to figure out the songs he plays. I play a little piano and I know how hard it is to figure out songs by ear.
I believe that this song is culturally relevant because it promotes listening to a wider range of music. Normally kids who listen to hip hop would not listen to solely a piano, but David Side's arrangement has brought two completely different styles of music together. Ulitimately exposing new music to people. I believe that David Side's has discovered a way to get people to listen to a wider range of music.

Blogging Around: Vedran and J.T.

Vedran: I agree with your thoughts on cellphones. People do take their cellphones for granted. Now a days, there are cellphones that are basically computers in your pocket. I have also been saved by a phonecall to one of my friends to find out the homework. Cellphones have seriously revolutionized communication.

J.T.: I had the same experience you had while listening to Maple Leaf Rag. At first I just enjoyed the song a little bit when I listened to the left and right hands. But when I heard Maple Leaf Rag in its entirety i realized just how great it was. The piece also calmed me down and made me feel more relaxed. Over all Maple Leaf Rag was enjoyable.

360 Degrees: Immigration

Immigration is a issue that creates a controversey. A lot of Americans see immigrants as a threat because of their work ethic. But others see them as the backbone of our economy. Do immigrants prevent Americans from getting jobs or do they keep our economy flowing? I think that it works both ways in various degrees of class. Tons of immigrants are taking jobs in companies because of their will to work for less than what an American would expect. So they are essentially taking jobs from Americans. But minimum wage jobs are in abundance, and are flooded with immigrants. Some Americans complain about immigrants taking minimum wage jobs, but these Americans can get these jobs but they chose not to. Should the government not allow more immigrants to come? Isn't America about letting whoever wants to come in? America is the great melting pot, and I believe that we should stand by our reputation.

Metacognition: My Process Thinking

When I write an essay, I usually make an outline. It helps me think clearly and stay focused on my topic. But before that, I put down all of my ideas randomly on paper. I feel that this is the most effective way to get your best ideas out in a concise format. When I brainstorm, I usually try to find connections to my life to the book so I can understand the essay more. I believe my process of writing is effective because I have more information and ideas than I need, so usually I never struggle to put out my ideas. What suprises me about my thinking is how long it sometimes takes me to find a good idea. I estimate how good the idea in my head actually is before I choose it. It is suprising because when I'm writing I am sort of a perfectionist which is not my personality at all. One aspect of the way I think that I like is that I put a lot of ideas into my paper. I could improve my writing if a fully explained each idea. Sometimes I want to put out all the ideas I have which isn't ideal. This is my process of thinking.

Best of Week: Vertical Listening

For me, the best activity in class throughout the week was listening to Maple Leaf Rag. By listening to the song vertically, I believe I enjoyed the song to its full affect. It was hard at first to filter out just the bass from the song, but eventually I was able to hear the song in layers. I play piano so I have always enjoyed listening to good piano pieces, but it has been a while since I heard a song that I enjoyed this much. It was hard to just listen to the bass line or the melody, because I wanted to hear the two parts together. While listening to Maple Leaf Rag, I noticed how different the base line was than most piano pieces. It never stopped entertaining and kept them tempo really upbeat. I am used to playing and hearing piano pieces with slow and long base lines that are boring. But I felt that in Maple Leaf Rag, the base line could hold on its own. To me, it seemed like the song had two medolys playing along together. I enjoyed last week immensely because I was able to listen to such a great song.

Connection: Colonel Sanders and Philo Farnsworth

While reading the article on Philo Farnsworth and the creation of the television, I could not help but thinking about the creator of KFC, Colonel Sanders. Both men spent a lot of time perfecting their craft. For Sanders it was creating his famous original recipe for his chicken, and for Fransworth, it was making the television. Both had to go through trial and error to produce the best effect. After Sanders was done with his recipe, he turned his small diner next to a gas station to one of the most popular stops for truckers. Later on he would franchise KFC and create one of the most popular fast food reastauruants in the United States. It may seem that Sanders and Farnsworth were nothing a like because unlike Farnsworth, Sanders created what some may call a corporation. But Sanders was mistreated by the owners of the restauraunt he created. After selling his business, Sanders became a wealthy man. But he was not content to whither and grow old aimlessly. He loved being called the colonel ans still wanted to be the a part of KFC. He was fortunately their spokesmen, but even that was taken from him. They took the name of colonel away from him. This started a feud between him and the business he created. He filed a law suit for being associated with products that he did not help create or endorse. They sued back for libel after he denounced the products that were being associated with him.
I believe that both Philo Farnsworth and Colonel Sanders hold ill will towards corporations. Farnsworth was run out of business by corporations and his patents were adapted so others could claim them as their own. Both men were mistreated by corporations and were left without what they loved most. Unlike Farnsworth, Sanders might have negotiated with corporations, but he was left feeling bitter. Just like Farnsworth, who disliked corporations from the start.

Change of Mind

Before our discussion in class on the essays that were inspired by September, 11, I pictured the terrorists as nothing more evil men who acted irrationally. To me, they were no more than crazed fanatics who created more catastrophe than even they were expecting. But after reading the article I have come to realize that the men who orchestrated the attack were clever. They successfully got past airport security and with only a few people, took over an entire plane full of passengers. I also came to the conclusion that the men were also very brave. It takes a lot of courage to get on a plane that you know is going to directly hit a tower. The terrorists were willing to give up their own life for their radical religion. Their actions were shamefully impressive and made one feel sick from even thinking of being impressed by such a horrible deed. This is another thing that I changed my attitude on. I now believe that it is all right to be impressed by something that is terrible. Acknowledging the awe-inspiring event does not mean that you believe that the committer of the deed is right in any way. These are the beliefs that I have acquired during our discussion in class.