Amanda

#13 September 11, 2001 My story

I started off my day like any other normal day. On September 11, 2001 I got up at 6:15 and got ready for school. I was a sophomore in high school. I went to my first three classes as usual and then continued to my fourth period Spanish class. We were doing work and my friend got up to go to the bathroom. Two minutes later she came running back to the room saying, “something big happened but I don’t know what.” Another kid in my class asked the teacher if he could find out what happened. He went down the hall to our cafeteria where a whole bunch of kids were standing in front of two televisions he saw them and came running back to the class room. One plane had already hit the world trade center and when he came back he told us that a plane hit the trade center and it was on fire. The class was almost over and I was on my way to lunch. We didn’t think much of it because we thought it was just an accident. When I got into lunch everyone was standing around the TV’s and my friend and I wanted to know what was going on. We didn’t get the full story all we knew was that a plane hit the twin towers and they were on fire. Throughout the rest of the day no one would talk about what was going on all I knew was so many kids were called down to the office. I went through the rest of my day wanting to know what actually went on and the details. At the end of the day my dad was there to pick me up. I thought this was kind of odd because he usually doesn’t get out of work until 6:00. I got in the car and asked “ what are you doing here” he got out of work early because of everything that happened that day. I still didn’t know the whole story but on my way back from school when you go over this one hill you can see the twin towers, that day when I went over that hill all I saw was big thick black smoke coming from the ground where the twin towers usually stand. When I got home I found out what happened and couldn’t keep my eyes off the news for the rest of the night.    

#12 Wall Street

The economic culture of the 1980’s began a trend of greed and illegal business. The movie “Wall Street” accurately portrays the wrongdoings of business people during the 1980’s. Such actions as insider trading and just shady business in general became common during this era. Businesses were doing whatever they could to be a step up on their competitors and if it involved “cheating” in some way to do so, that is what they did. Occurrences such as these did not only happen in this movie and in the 1980’s, but they have happened today and been made public. Scandals such as Enron and Martha Stewart’s latest insider information scandal are perfect examples illegal business in our economy. “Wall Street” and the present day illegal actions taken by business people tie in perfectly to the economic culture of the 1980’s.

“Wall Street” portrays the fast paced and money hungry world of the stock market and unveils a darker side of greed with insider information and shady business. Bud Fox, played by Charlie Sheen, is a young stockbroker trying to climb up in his business. He decides to try and get Gordon Gekko as a client, who is played by Michael Douglas. Gekko takes Fox as his stockbroker and shows him the ropes but Fox later discovers he is a rich and greedy broker making money the easy way through insider information. Gekko tells Fox that, “The most valuable commodity I know of is information” and sends him to learn everything about Gekko’s rival Larry Wildman. Fox learns about Larry’s plan to go after Anacott Steel and informs Gekko who buys into the company before Larry. Gekko explains greed as, “capturing the essence of evolutionary spirit.” This “evolution” is seen in Fox as he begins as a struggling stockbroker and turns into a greedy informant. In the end, it does not pay off for him and he is looking at some serious jail time in the near future.

While "Wall Street" gives us viewers a look at what happened concerning rich business people in the 1980's, occurrences such as these happen frequently today. The first of which was the Enron scandal of a few years ago concerning a small company that blossomed quickly into the seventh largest company in the United States. The only reason it reached such a high plateau was because they lied about their profits and were accused and later charged with a range of shady dealings. More recently was the scandal involving Martha Stewart. This one related much closer to "Wall Street" in that it was a stock trading scandal. She was tipped off to sell about 4,000 shares of ImClone stock and was later caught. These scandals along with the plot of the movie "Wall Street" epitomize what began in the 1980's economy and still occurs in our economy today.

#11 Top 10

Top 10 Songs

10. The Beatles -Long and Winding Road
9. Ray Stevens - Everything is beautiful
8. The Guess Who - American Woman
7. Jackson Five - ABC
6. The Beatles - Let it Be
5. Simon& Garfunkle - Bridge Over Troubled Waters
4. Sly & Family Stove - Thank You For Being My Friend
3. The Shocking Blue - Venus
2. Jackson Five - I Want you Back
1. B.J. Thomas - Raindrops Keep Falling on my Head

Top 10 Movies

10. Joe
9. I Never Sang For My Father
8. Little Big Man
7. Five Easy Pieces
6. Love Story
5. Tora! Tora! Tora!
4. MASH
3. Airport
2. Ryan’s Daughter
1. Patton

We compiled our list and found summaries for our movie list here.

After much research, we were able to develop a top ten list of movies from 1970. In the end, it was the academy awards reference that was used to determine which movies were the most popular. Although each movie had a different plot, they were all dramas. Along with being dramas, the two other types of genres that were most used were war-based and romantic. The top ten songs from 1970 followed a similar pattern to the movies when it comes to their themes. For the most part, they were all either love songs or ones of a positive nature. The movies sought to reflect a darkened society because of war, while songs attempted to uplift society and not remind the people of the war in Vietnam.

On April 30, 1970, Nixon ordered U.S troops to invade Cambodia without seeking congressional approval. Nixon did not anticipate the protest that would follow leaving four dead and nine wounded at Kent State in Ohio, two dead and twelve wounded at Jackson State University in Mississippi, and other demonstrations at about fifty campuses. Many Americans grew dissatisfied with the war in Vietnam. The war continued on for several years with no hope of ending anytime soon with the Americans as victors [1]. This dampened America’s outlook on life and created a clouded, despairing society. Many of the films and movies of the time reflected these conditions. Over half of the movies on the top ten list were dramas involving themes of war, violence, or action. Four of the movies, Patton, Tora! Tora! Tora!, MASH, and Little Big Man, directly dealt with war. Times of war created instability, so the other movies, although, some were love stories, reflected this theme. For example, Ryan’s Daughter was a movie that showed the instability of a marriage eventually leading to betrayal. Joe was a movie about how a father’s insecurities lead to murder of his daughter’s boyfriend and other complications. The themes of these movies and the feelings one gets after watching them, correspond with the events of the time.

In 1970, the themes of the top ten songs on the other hand, were opposite the themes of the top ten movies. The top songs were mostly about love and happiness. The # 10 song, Long and Winding Road, was a love song about someone who lost the love of their life and now thinks about it all the time. The # 9 song, Everything is Beautiful, was a song about how everything that was created no matter what it was, was beautiful. The #8 song, American Woman, was about an old love that someone once had, but now is trying to forget about the girl and relationship. The #7 song, ABC, was the only song that wasn’t about love; it was more of a happy and upbeat song. The #6 song, Let It Be, was religious in nature. It’s about someone who wanted to get advice from a religious figure. The #5 song, Bridge Over Troubled Water was a love song about a lover who promised he would take care of his girlfriend no matter what bridge they crossed. The #4 song, Thank You For Being My Friend was about being oneself and not having to pretend to be someone else. The #3 song, Venus, was a love song about fantasy. The #2 song, I Want You Back, was about a couple breaking up. Then the man realized he needed his girlfriend and now wants her back. The #1 song, Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head, was about people who had bad luck and could do nothing about it. The themes of the 1970 top ten songs reflect love and happiness because they tried to keep people upbeat and not think about the war in Vietnam. Most people listened to the radio or music on a daily basis and did not want to hear about the latest casualties of the war. So music was a positive force that provided a diversion from the horrors of war.

[1] Faragher et all, Out of Many, p. 590.

The commentator for the group was Jaime. We met two times, once before Thanksgiving break and one time after. We met for about an hour each time. During our meetings, we were able to compile a Top 10 Movies list. After that, we divided up the workload evenly for this blog. Alex wrote the introduction, Jaime wrote a body paragraph and Amanda wrote a body paragraph. Margaret and Julian then edited the blog and added in their own ideas.

# 10 Photo Essay

1950's Photo essay!!!!

#9 Comment Post

Meisha Evans- Group #8

Mona Rafi- Individual #7

Beeson Cho- Individual #7

No. 8 A Matter of Perception

The case regarding Edward Rehburg in the 19th century was very complicated. Edward was charged for the beating and eventual death of his daughter, Clara Rehburg. There were several testimonies given by the Rehburg’s family, friends and doctors in the area. Due to the beliefs held and ideas valued, a jury in the nineteenth century would come to a different decision about Edward Rehburg’s innocence than a jury in the twenty-first century.

As a jury in the twenty first century, we would have found Edward Rehburg not guilty. Based on Edward Rehburg’s testimony, the medical evidence presented by the doctors, and Clara’s dying declaration, we clearly believe Edward Rehburg is innocent. Edward Rehburg claims that he was working on the haystacks all day, except when eating breakfast and dinner; his hired workman, Joe Tiebow, confirms his alibi. Emma and Bertha, Rehburg’s daughter, also testified that their father was not even in the house except to eat breakfast and dinner with the family. Louisa was with Clara in the kitchen and house the day the injuries occurred. Dr. Van Holzschuher claims that the “surface of the skin was red and inflamed and looked to me as though there had been hot water thrown upon her.” Burns like these would have most likely been produced in a kitchen, where Clara and her step mom Louisa worked all day together. Even though dying declarations do not hold as much weight in today’s society, Clara, on her deathbed, clearly names the abuser. She does not show signs of being delusional or irrational; she competently and rationally tells the doctor what happened to her and who abused her. In her declaration she states “She whipped me (my step mother) with a stick of wood and with a stove lifter, and then she went to the corral and for a strap, and whipped me with that on the face and all over. She had new shoes on when she came back from town; she took them off, put on wooden shoes, and kicked me
with them”.

As a jury in the nineteenth century, we would have found Edward Rehburg guilty. Even though his alibi of working on the haystacks checks out with Joe Tiebow and his other daughters, the dying declaration of Clara negates everything. Dying declarations in the nineteenth century held more weight than they do today because of the closeness of church and state. Religion was held in higher regards so a person was bound to tell the truth right before they die out of fear they might not go to heaven. Clara names her step mom, Louisa, as the abuser, but this doesn’t hold any value because she does not demonstrate understanding of the concept of oath and she is not very religious at all. When Dr. Steele tells her she is going doing to die, she responds by swearing, which makes Dr. Steele think “Clara did not know anything about a future state.” Dr Steele admits that he does not know if she is telling the truth and adds that he does not believe she shows any” great moral or religious training.” Even though the declaration clearly names the abuser, people’s perception of women at that time as the nurturer and the caretakers are not going to let them believe that a woman is capable of abuse. So even though all the evidence in the trial suggests Louisa is the abuser, it is impossible for a mother to do this to a child. The blame has to be placed on someone, so the only possible alternative is Edward Rehburg.

#7 The Civil War in Florida

Its a photo essay check out my photo album!!!!!
http://adorfman.typepad.com/photos/the_civil_war_in_florida/index.html

#6 Comment Post

Mona Rafi- Individual post #4
Karie Von Fange- Group post #5
Meisha Evans- Individual post #4

#5: Second Coming

The Second Great Awakening in the 19th century was a time of religious revival among Protestant religions. Protestants surrounded their beliefs in the Second Coming of Christ, and felt it was their duty to reform society in order to “hasten the new Kingdom of God.”

Our town, Second Coming, has isolated itself from the outside world to protect it from evil influences other communities may try to inflict upon it. It is self sufficient on agriculture and its government is based on a strict social code that is laid out by the church. The town hall is named after Charles Finney, who played a major role in evangelical reform in the 19th century.Since Charles Finney had a major impact on the founding of our town, the church is Presbyterian and based on protestant beliefs. Protestants believed that “salvation was a matter of individual choice and they needed to repent, confess sins, and accept God’s gift of salvation.” People of the town are expected to adhere to a strict moral code that is based on discipline and self reliance.

The school’s teachings are a product of the religious beliefs of the town. Within the curriculum is the foundation for religious beliefs and salvation that each student must learn. They are also expected to uphold the “basic goodness of human nature” [1] and pass on their teachings to their children, as well as other people.

Since “all reformers believed that the condition of the unfortunate - the poor, the insane, the criminal - would improve in a wholesome environment”[1], insane asylums and prisons were constructed and are located away from the community. Dorothea Dix was at the forefront of this movement, thus our town’s asylum is named after her. “Lazy, sinful, intemperate, or unfit members of society were to be reformed for their own good, whether they wanted to be or not.” [1] Model Prisons built in New York and Philadelphia, were supposed to reform inmates rather than condemn and punish them. Because if this philosophy, prisoners were expected to read the Bible and do work in their own prison cells.[1]

The Second Coming was modeled after self sufficient religious community, whose main goal is to “convert the world and create a perfect moral and religious community on earth.” [1] They did this through social reforms, whose principles are apparent throughout our town.

[1] Faragher et all, Out of Many, p. 242-244.

#4 George Caitlin's Indians

In George Caitlin's painting, "Pigeons Egg Head" you can clearly see the difference in the indian in both before and after he went to washington mostly by the way he is dressed on either side of the painting. George Caitlin viewed the Native Americans as being proud of their heritage but on the other side he views them as weak against the white settlement.

In the painting before the Indian went to washington he was proud of his heritage, he stood tall and dignified. He is dressed with all his Native American clothing on and has his feathers in his hair that makes him look like the chief of his tribe. After comming back from Washington and being influenced by the white settlement he didn't seem like he cared to much about his heritage. He is dressed like the white people, he has bottles of liquor in his back pockets and he is hunched over like he is drunk. He has on a blue coat and blue pants and looks like he is dressed like a soldier, he is also smoking a cigarette and carrying a fan and in thoes days only women carried fans.

George Carlin is saying that Native Americans are easily influenced by any outside sources. If they didn't have any outside sources they would always be proud of their heritage and wouldn't change the way they dress.