Blog 20

In 1980's corporations start to use the hospital system and other healthcare related businesses start to rise. Overall there is a movement towards privatized businesses. Under President Reagan Medicare shifts to payment by diagnosis instead of payment by treatment and private plans follow. Companies start complaining about exploitation of the fee for service method. Capitation payments start becoming more common.

1990's Healthcare costs rise at double the rate of inflation, but the expansion of managed care helps to offset the rising costs. At the end of the decade 14% of Americans do not have health insurance. In the 2000's Health care costs are on the rise. Some people view Medicare as unsustainable and think it needs reform. Changing demographics in the work place lead some people to believe that the employer based insurance won't last. Direct to consumer advertising is more common for medical devices. The movement to privatized health care is an anti federalist issue but with the pendulum swinging towards anti federalism recent attempts by Obama to socialize health care have been met with adversity.

1.What is your view on privatized health care?

2.What do you think the advantages and disadvantages would be if the government had more control over health care?

3.Are you satisfied with the current system?

4.Would you say politics prevents us from improving this system?

5.Where do you think political pressures and fears are coming from, what are they?

6.How much of these are related to the economy?

7.From what you know, how does health care reform affect our economy?

8.What are your thoughts with giving more of the responsibility of health care to the government or to the states?

Interviewee

1. I think the quality of privatized health care is great but the cost is greater. My brother pays about $1500/mo for himself, his wife and their baby. Their health needs are met just fine but the cost is astronomical.

2. I think that putting more of the responsibility for health care in the hands of the government creates a more even-handed system and allows more people affordable access to health care. I would like to think that the cost of prescription drugs would go down and that people would be able to find health insurance regardless of pre-existing conditions and receive treatment at the time they need it. However, I think many people that currently have no problems with the system are reluctant to change what seems to be working for them.

3. I don't think the current system meets the health care needs of the greater part of the country in any affordable way.

4. I do think politics has prevented us from improving the system.

5. I think political pressure comes from the unending desire to win the next election. Each side has been fighting the other side and maneuvering has prevented much real progress on the issue.

6. I think it's very related to the economy.

7. I honestly can't say I could describe how health care reform affects our economy. I think many people are weary about where there money is going, especially in the current economic climate. People are probably more reluctant to pay into a government run health care system as a result.

http://www.pbs.org/healthcarecrisis/history.htm

Blog 19

1. What are you most proud of in your Life: The Book writing? Try to describe this in detail!

I am most proud of being able to learn how to write in a different style than I have normally written essays and other pieces from before. It enables me to organize my thoughts and gives insight and more creative options.

2. What are some changes or new ideas that you have developed in your writing through the course of this semester?

I've tried to apply the make meaning early and keep concerts and pancakes in mind, in the past I would try to fit in as many words as possible to make my pieces longer. Now I have been trying to say more with less and making my ending and start strong. Just recently with this project I've learned to let the ideas drive the writing instead of using the words to pile up and hopefully formulate an idea.

3. If you had a little more time to work on your writing for LifE: The Book, what would you do differently? What would you change about your writing?

I would have researched more about plantibodies and their effect on 3rd world countries, and as with anything I would have gotten more critiques to further refine my writing.

4. How has the additional element of publication in a book affected the way you approach writing?

It really hasn't in terms of effort, it just meant that I need to have this piece critiqued thoroughly.

Blog 18

What are your character's main goals for the Senate Health Care Hearings?

• Healthcare to be available to more people or less government control of pricing
• Stricter patent rules
• Money for research
• (minor) Tax breaks for shipping

What do you want to accomplish?

My main goal that needs to be accomplished is the stricter patent rules, preferably increasing it to 50 years and at the least 25-30 years. And possibly sneaking in a request for extra funding.

How do you plan to accomplish it?

In my opening statement I will explain why people should care about this, providing relevant facts that backup my statements.

Who are you working with to get this done?

Sierra (Olympia Snowe)

and Lobbyist Maira

Blog 17

I mentioned in my previous blog posts that Bio tech is not cheap, and as Hoven puts it: "So while you might not die, the U.S. health care system does give you the age-old offer of "your money or your life..."" And a lot of the general public cannot afford most of the new technologies that could save their life. Joel Harrison found out that "The United States accounts for 51% of all global spending on medical research, according to a 2006 Global Forum for Health Research report. The report estimated that 60% of this is public funding, 8% comes from nonprofit institutions, and only 32% comes from the private sector." Funding for research to progress Cancer vaccines is lacking, since a working vaccine for tumors announced in 2000 and 10 years later it still hasn't made major news worthy progress. George F. Will made the analogy "In the auto industry, if the steering-wheel maker charges an exorbitant price, the car company finds a more competitive supplier. In health care, if the medical equipment supplier charges an exorbitant price, none of the other medical participants care." The biotech industry can price its products whatever it wants, sometimes the price really does encompass all the costs put into its research and development. And other times its priced to make a large profit margin, either way there is no price regulation for these vaccines.

"The president’s grandiose government-takeover-and-control strategies are going to make things worse and worse — that is, unless members of that tiny band known as the Republican party can stand on their hind legs and just say no." I totally disagree with Larry Kudlow’s statement here. I believe our health care system requires change, In Joel Harrison’s article the US pays the most for healthcare, yet other countries’ systems are far more efficient. According to Harrison “more than 60% of the $2 trillion annual U.S. health care bill is paid through taxes, according to a 2002 analysis published in Health Affairs by Harvard Medical School.” And if we already have been paying for a universal healthcare system, why not expand it to benefit ourselves too? When we pay for health insurance most of that money doesn’t even get used on us, plus our providers can deny coverage for what we need even if it is not the best choice for us. So I think our new healthcare system should be a pool of what we’ve been paying but it actually gets spent on us. But it should be justified when it gives out the money, for example, if somebody gets a cold, they can pay out of their pocket for some over the counter cold medicine, but if somebody breaks a leg or gets cancer, they should get a stronger coverage. So money is not spent unless it is completely necessary and the chances for putting our country in debt are slimmer, unless everybody breaks their legs at the same time of course.

Blog 16

Even though there are a lot of vaccines readily available for cancer patients, most people either cannot afford it, or their insurance does not cover it. "Our current private health insurance system is the most costly, wasteful, complicated and bureaucratic in the world. Its function is not to provide quality health care for all, but to make huge profits for those who own the companies.” A lot of these products are priced to make a large profit for the company. Then again these technologies take a lot of money to fund the research and development. But as Iain Murray puts it: "Because rights entail claims on other people, they are necessarily negative in their construction and limited in their definition." This could hinder the development and research of new technology if they have to give out their products for free, they won't be able to keep themselves in business.

For every problem there is a solution. And I think that having some form of universal healthcare will overall increase the quality of life in the US. I also believe that healthcare is a right in the sense that without it, we would consistently have citizens dying. We all have a right to life, and I'm pretty sure that means helping somebody who is on the verge of death. Jacob Sullum states "They represent a legally enforceable claim on other people’s resources. Taxpayers must cover the cost of subsidies; insurers and medical professionals must provide their services on terms dictated by the government." While that might be true, what we will be paying will be just as much as we pay normally for healthcare. And if the system works the healthcare we receive will be sufficient and we will have no need to pay any more premiums or out of pocket expenses. Or it could be that the more dire the disease/injury is the more coverage we get, and minor afflictions that can be paid out of the pocket should be that way.

Blog #15

Describe the types of health care problems Americans face, and the government's role in seeking solutions.

Not everybody has it, in 2004 1/6th of Americans did not have healthcare, they ran up a a bill around the same cost of the war in Iraq and the war on terror operations. We don't pay doctors according to the quality of their work.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/healthreform/healthcare-overview#healthcare-menu

The government is implementing small portions of the reform, but whats already taking place is that they are removing the life time limit on insurance so people with serious or chronic diseases will have healthcare when they need it the most. In order to stop unnecessary out of pocket costs insurance companies must: cover recommended preventive services without charging out of pocket costs, provide an opportunity to appeal coverage decisions, and guarantee enrollees their choice of primary care provider. Other measures will also be implemented to reduce the cost of healthcare in the future.

What specific steps do authors take to write non-jargon-based scientific writing?

• They don’t use profession-exclusive words
• Break down everything to language anyone can understand.
• Describe different things clearly.
• If there are abbreviations they first state what they mean or are explained somewhere on the paper
• Instead of putting out the name of a very complex concept, they summarize it.
• They use comparisons and examples.
• They make the context clear.
• The sentence doesn’t sacrifice information for simplicity.

Blog #14

1. Adulthood, and I am interested in DNA vaccinations. The direct injection of naked plasmid DNA is much more effective than inserting a weakened or killed bacteria or virus. And with DNA vaccines you can produce an immune response to viruses and even cancer cells.

2. The NIH funds a lot of research projects and they provide funding to the University of Texas. http://report.nih.gov/recovery/ARRAGrants.cfm

http://www.latimes.com/health/ky3-story-brain-cancer-vaccine-10042010,0,4699074.story

3. DNA vaccination has shown the promise to treat almost any disease, and it also creates a very attractive market with an explosive growth rate http://www.wealthdaily.com/articles/cancer-vaccine-stocks-and-the-race-for-a-cure/2759 "Shares of Celldex Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ :CLDX) are up 48% over the last four weeks after the company announced patients who received their CDX-110 lived twice as long as those who only received chemotherapy and radiation." And a definite cure for cancer is estimated to be 50 trillion for the US alone. This is huge news for our economy, with the biotech industry growing this will affect us.

The Avian Flu caused a world wide scare, but thanks to bio tech and advances in DNA vaccination survival rates can be increased. http://www.virologyj.com/content/7/1/197 A study using lab mice have shown that being exposed to H1N1 and the H5N1 vaccine have an increased survival rate when injected with a lethal dose of H5N1.

Another thing I can focus on would be plant-based vaccinations, this could fit into adolescence or childhood.

I would think the NIH would also be involved with funding research related to this but I can't find any definite sources.

http://www.globalissues.org/article/218/diseases-ignored-global-killers In 2008 there were 2 million deaths from AIDS, tuberculosis kill 1.3 million a year with 9.3 million new cases a year. With plant-based vaccines we would be able to more effectively prevent and immunize many diseases. And without the need for a medical professional and syringe it is extremely cost effective. http://news.healingwell.com/index.php?p=news1&id=523946 Arntzen produced a potato that immunizes against Hepatitis B, showing it is possible to immunize people through genetically altered plants.

Blog #13

Post three (3) ideas for potential articles you might contribute to Life—The Book. For each idea, include the following:
1. The Big Idea—the science, the humanities & the relevant stage of life.
2. A picture that represents the big idea
3. A quick description of the genetic sc

ience involved.
4. A more substantial explanation of the relevant cultural, historical, geogr

aphical, economic and/or governmental context and his

tory.

1.The potential market for DNA vaccinations, how it works, how would it change our society, affects, all ages, maybe beyond.

2.

3. Scientists are able to make micro organisms produce proteins that fight HIV and AIDS and even cancer. These DNA vaccinations can be absorbed through hair follicles and also inhaled.

4. After we are able to cure all diseases, how will our political topics change, what will pop culture focus on? How will this affect the economy and how pharmaceutical companies will benefit and how it changes the economy.

Idea 2

1. Heart Disease and its affects on economics and ethics

2.

3. I could talk about the gene therapy that strengthen the arteries and explain other therapies and the details. And how mitochondria's life could be lengthened.

4. I could talk about how this would affect culture if people were able to live a lot longer and how that affects the medical industry.

Idea 3

1. Plantibodies and the 3rd world, all ages

2.

3. I'll describe the process of how they get potatoes to produce proteins that cure or prevent diseases.

4. I would do research on how the 3rd world will be impacted by this technology and what that means for medicine and agriculture today, and look into the FDA.

Blog #12

Idea #1 should be the type of environment in which you'd like to work.

I'd like to work in a lab, since I want to find an internship in the medical field as a biotech, bio chemist, bio engineer, or a pharmacist. I don't mind working alone or with others

, but working alone may not be a good idea.

Idea # 2 should be the type of skills you'd like to use at work.

I can efficiently work with computers, entering data commands, etc. whatever is required of me, just as long as it gives me work experience. I thoroughly enjoy stoichiometry so I wouldn't mind measuring out chemical reactions needed. Or just simply following procedures of an experiment or lab.

Idea #3 should be the types of things you'd like to learn at internship.

I want to learn what this field of work entails, I want to learn about what the company does and how. I want to walk out of this knowing what I will be working towards within the next 5 years of school and know I can achieve it. I want to learn all that can possibly be offered by my mentor. And even if I do not get the internship I wanted, I want to at least have learned one thing that will help me be successful in life.

Blog #11

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/07/opinion/07thu1.html?_r=1&src=tptw

The article talked about the court case of Snyder vs. Phelps, or more popularly known as the case against a soldier's family vs West Boro. Phelps was found guilty because the "First Amendment protected the protest as opinion about subjects of public concern." This raised questions about how the internet plays a role, if they hadn't advertised the funeral, would the protest deserve the protection? I think the judges made the right verdict by awarding the marine's family, using the 1st amendment to hurt others is not constitutional. To make it worse the West Boro church has been staining and misrepresenting Christianity to the point where people now associate them with Christians.

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1191826-1,00.html

This article talks about how Christians have been misrepresented through politics and evangelists alike. West Boro is not the only one straying from the very teachings they claim to adhere to. Politicians use Christianity as a moral mask behind their intentions whether or not they follow or believe in Christ themselves. And in turn their views warp the public image of Christianity and cause stereotypes to emerge from that.

Blog 10 - Before the Storm

Are you ready?

For the most part yes... and no. I'm ready to answer the questions asked, but I am not ready to act. I am not a good actor, even though I had drama in middle school it was mostly comical improvisation.

How do you know?

As a witness I'll be following a set script, I read over it and I'll be able to practice even more tomorrow.

What are you doing as your last minute prep?

Reading over my script, and looking at possible facts I can use in my answers during the defense's cross examination. And making last minute changes on my script while communicating with my lawyers.

Blog #9

http://www.suite101.com/content/effects-of-the-american-civil-war-a90114

"The American Civil War created relationships between government and business concerns that continued after the war and sparked Gilded Age industrialization."

In the article it tells how the North was able to win the war through the growth of their industrial sectors combined with immigration and population growth.

From what I observe, I mostly pay attention to the economic affects the civil war has had on America. The major construction of railroads was a catalyst for the coming industrial boom, without it industrialism wouldn't have been as powerful as it is.

Blog #8

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE68Q4AS20100927

The Obama administration asked to allow federal funding for embryonic stem cell research to continue.Deputy Assistant Attorney General Beth Brinkmann said that if they ceased funding it would be a ""setback for the field" and that biological material would be destroyed" at a cost of tens of millions of dollars.""

Some of the arguments the panel of judges made was that the funding would put scientists working with adult stem cells at a disadvantage and it goes against the constitution.

2. Explain what Constitutional concepts are relevant. Some may be obvious, but others maybe more subtly related. Explain the Constitutional connection in your own words, but also reference the specific Article & Section or Amendment(s).

Under amendment 14: "...nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due processof law" continuing the funding of embryonic research would deprive embryos the right to life, and would deprive scientists working with adult stem cells the right to property.

"The injunction on the funding came after a challenge by two researchers who work with adult stem cells and opposed embryonic stem cell work -- Dr. James Sherley, a biological engineer at Boston Biomedical Research Institute, and Theresa Deisher, of Washington-based AVM Biotechnology."

3. Explain what interests you about this article and/or the Constitutional connections you found.

I am personally interested in the bio-tech industry and I believe this research should be carried out as it can save and cure many diseases and disorders. But I also believe that it should be carried out without the intentional destruction of life. And I also wonder if an embryo has these rights if it is not a citizen until it is born.

Blog 7

What stands out to you in your learning?

What really stands out for me is the fact that a lot of our work will be displayed to possibly important people in our community and not just random parents of students. And the fact that we will be creating work that will be sold just adds to the level of professionalism needed (even though it isn't thoroughly exercised.) Another thing that came up when I was reading the syllabus was that we were going to study industrialization. I am very interested in that specific topic and studied it before.

What is working well in this class?

I am definitely seeing an improvement in my writing while using the writing tips; normally I have a bad habit of not starting the action early and that made my writing weak. I also appreciate the blog system, it eliminates the printer factor, no more paper jams or lack of ink.

What can you do to build upon your successes?

Besides listening to instructions, doing some challenge agreements wouldn't be a bad idea for the future projects.

What very specific, concrete & manageable steps can you take to make the most of your opportunities to learn in this class?

Although I barely do it myself, asking questions and participating in class is a very constructive thing to do. Getting more sleep could counter-act the lunch time crash. As I said before taking on challenge agreements.

What are your goals for the next few weeks in class?

My first goal would have to be getting more sleep so I can improve my performance in class. Another one would be to participate more in class but lately I haven't been too confident in my speech patterns, which could be blamed on my lack of sleep. I also plan to take on challenge agreements, and just follow instructions in class.

Blog 6

I’m not a Doctor!
By Jeffrey Acera

Lights dimmed, the screen shrunk to a widescreen format. Popcorn bags rustled with anticipation. But instead of seeing the familiar movie trailers, an underwear model appears on screen, and you hear: “Hey, do you wanna see my d**k?” “What the f*ck are you wearing?” “Mark your spot” “You want some f*cken more?” And with that the commercial ended. I overheard giggling in the back, I turn around and see for every adult there were around 1-2 kids under the age of 12. I did not see or hear any parent attempting to prevent the children from witnessing that commercial. The bleeps were so short; you could clearly hear the obscenities. Suddenly it hit me, why in the world were kids this age in a movie rated R? And why were there so many? Throughout the movie every time someone’s head got blown off or was killed in some gored demise, I would hear a child’s chuckle. I walked out of the theater and thought to myself, where the hell is this generation going?

Since 1960 over a 30 year period there has been a 560% increase in violent crime, a 419% increase in illegitimate births, a quadrupling in divorce rates, a tripling of the percentage of children living in single-parent homes, and more than a 200% increase in the teenage suicide rate. If I said these statistics came from a war torn country would you believe me? What if I told you that it came from the U.S.? If you’re un-phased, I would count you as part of the population that provides opportunities for these things to happen; for indifference is the final form of hate. I on the other hand intend to try to help in any way possible for me. Often people judge based on race and this stops from others reaching out a helping hand. In some ways, I feel a lot like the cartoon Asian boy, known as Dr.Tran. He becomes plagued by a narrator who refers to him as “An international superstar and America’s number one commodity.”Stereotypes are but a small part of a poison called relative truth. Ours is a generation that does not care to find the line that separates the black and white, but is content in decaying in the gray. How am I supposed to even begin to help stop this generation from such decay?
That very thought echoed in my head, and as I passed by a group of young kids in front of a computer watching Dr.Tran. I recognized a tiny voice yell “EVERYTHING’S F******* WONDERFUL!!” I walked up to the group. Asked if I could show them something cool, I proceeded to put on an episode of the original Pokemon. The children watched intently. I walked away thinking Pokemon wasn’t the answer to America’s problems, but it’s a start.

.

Blog 5

1. What aspect of the American Icons artist statement has been most successful for you? Why?

I haven't really done an artist statement this way, where the statement was done before the actual art. And I haven't really used most of the writing tips that we had to implement in this piece before. So I would have to say the learning process would have to be the most successful part of the artist statement.

2. What writing tip(s) have been the most helpful? Why?

Make meaning early has been the most helpful because I tend to make sentences too complicated to the point where they lose meaning. So I feel that helped me to become a better writer through that. Another strategy to merge 2 similar sentences and save space also really helped me along with the writing process.

3. What aspect of the artist statement has been most challenging? Why?

The one page limit has been the most challenging for me because I wanted to fit in not just my connection to my icon, but the moral degradation of America along with stereotypes and connect this to another icon. But I never got it to the point where I accomplished that. (yet)

4. What writing tip is most challenging? Why?

So far it has to be watch your adverbs. Since we didn't go over it the day it was supposed to be presented but from what I saw I do that a lot. Where I use an adverb that takes away the impact of the verb. I adopted a writing style where I expound by going over details and then expound on those details, and I tend to use a lot of adverbs to accomplish that.

5. Post a section of your writing that you are currently working on. List at least three questions that, if answered, would help you improve your work.

That very thought echoed in my head, and as I passed by a group of young kids in front of a computer watching Dr.Tran. I recognized his tiny voice yell “EVERYTHING’S F******* WONDERFUL!!” I walked up to the group. Asked if I could show them something cool, I proceeded to put on an episode of the original Pokemon. The children watched intently. I walked away thinking Pokemon wasn’t the answer to America’s problems, but it’s a start.

1. What aspect of this paragraph takes away from the rest of the piece?

2. How can I keep the shotgun rule while keeping it relevant and still make an impact?

3. Should I keep the small anecdote and change it or make a literal statement?

Blog #4

Post your opening & closing paragraphs of your Icons Artist Statement. Then....

Opening:

Lights dimmed, the screen shrunk to a widescreen format. Popcorn bags rustled with anticipation. But instead of seeing the familiar movie trailers, an underwear model appears on screen, and you hear: “Hey, do you wanna see my d**k?” “What the f*ck are you wearing?” “Mark your spot” “You want some f*cken more?” And with that the commercial ended. I overheard giggling in the back, I turn around and see for every adult there were around 1-2 kids under the age of 14. I did not see or hear any parent attempting to prevent the children from witnessing that commercial. The bleeps were so short; you could clearly hear the obscenities. It hit me suddenly, why in the world were kids this age in a movie rated R? And why were there so many? Throughout the movie every time someone’s head got blown off or was killed in some gored demise, I would hear a child’s chuckle. These kids weren’t scared, they found this funny! I walked out of the theater thinking to myself, where the hell is this generation going?

Closing:

That very thought echoed in my head, and as I passed by a group of young kids in front of a computer watching Dr.Tran. I recognized s tiny voice yell “EVERYTHING’S F******* WONDERFUL!!” I walked up to the group. Asked if I could show them something cool, I proceeded to put on an episode of the original Pokemon. The children watched intently. Now everything’s wonderful.

1. Explain why you chose this opening/closing combo.

To complete the loop of talking about moral degradation in America I closed with myself doing the small action of showing some kids that it doesn't need to be stupid or crude to be entertaining.

2. How does it tie together your big ideas?

I mention stereotypes in the middle paragraph but it just ties in with moral degradation. The conflict was what can I do to reverse moral decay, and the resolution is taking a small step to help by replacing something "bad" with "good"

3. Explain the types of thoughts that you hope your reader has when they are done reading your work.

At the least I want them to start thinking about how the moral integrity of what they watch listen and see affects society. Or leave them with the thought of "they showed THAT to kids??" or "Kids actually are exposed to this??"

Blog #3: American Icons & Resources

Dr.Tran - represents how asians are stereotyped today, and the moral degradation of America. And I can relate to Tran because I go through the same stereotypes.

Calvin Klein Underwear - Directly correlates with the moral degradation of America but in a more metaphorical sense represents that america still has some moral fiber somewhere but it isn't firm, it's stretchy... like a waistband. But most of the comedy is immature and sexual and dirty, I really shouldn't have to explain how that relates to underwear.

Statistic for evidence in moral decline

http://www.columbia.edu/cu/augustine/arch/usadecline.html#table

Dr.Tran Wikipedia Page

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dr._Tran

includes synopsis of the entire series

Calvin Klein Underwear X commercial

I quoted it to show an example in degradation of American values and standards.

Dr. Tran MAIL (S1, Ep04) "Hotel Soap"

Dr. Tran MAIL (S1, Ep04) "Hotel Soap"

I also quoted a phrase from Hotel Soap in this video. It also furthers America's degradation in humor.

My journal

This contains valuable writing tips that can be used to revise and enhance my writing.

Possible Icons

Dr.Tran

How did this Icon become important to you?

Dr.Tran started out as a nonsensical cartoon with a stereotypical asian child being bothered by a stereotypical commercial narrator. But as crass, rude, and nonsensical the humor is, I remembered this came from the internet, therefore it is internet humor. And eventually I warmed up to it and showed it to my friends, we then instantly started to quote the cartoon endlessly. As ironic and hypocritical as it is, looking past everything I still find this funny.

What does this Icon represent to you? Why?

As my friends and I recited the lines from Dr.Tran, I started to realize: has this generation's sense of humor become so tasteless that we have to quote lines from something that doesn't make the slightest effort to be clever; but instead throws stupidity at your psyche until you laugh from the numbness of your brain cell loss? And in a way this series makes fun of the American dream; where having endless material possessions while living with a constant bombardment of corporate advertising is the idea of happiness. He also embodies the stereotypical pressures of being Asian, having everybody expect you to be insanely smart and good at everything. (except driving)

What or who are the other icons related to this one?

One of them would have to be cartoon network. But instead of just a degradation in the sense of humor they also have degradation pf a sense of moral ethic. I remember shows like "Hey Arnold!" and remember they taught pretty important moral lessons through entertainment; nowadays its just about entertainment for entertainment's sake. Since Dr.Tran draws from the stereotypes placed on Asian children, people like Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee can be connected. Both of those actors made way for Asian culture in America, even though they helped enforce certain stereotypes they still showed that a small-time person of Asian descent can still do great things. To be literal, actual Asian doctors in Britain saved their National Health Service program http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/3239540.stm . If I wanted to be more figurative I could connect him to commercialism and the manipulation of consumers.

Here is the video that started it all *warning, contains offensive American humor as well as American sexual jokes and cursing*



Bruce Lee


Who and what did this Icon inspire?

Bruce Lee helped make way for Asians to be accepted onto the big screen, and helped to erase social stereotypes and inspire other Asians to pursue careers of a higher social status. He also made martial arts movies popular and inspired future martial arts movie stars; and in turn made martial arts popular.



What does this Icon represent to you? Why?

Not only Bruce Lee, but people like Michael Jackson helped to break down racial barriers in the entertainment industry. So you could say Bruce Lee embodies the hope that with determination and the right planning you can achieve great things.




How did this Icon become important to you?

Bruce Lee was the inspiration for me to get into martial arts, but instead of just learning how to open a can of whoop-arse, I also learned valuable principles like respect and control.

The Stage

What does this Icon represent to you? Why?

The stage represents the world, and is a constant reminder that every action will affect how a scene is played out. Almost like a divine comedy, but with a twist, everybody has the freedom to choose their role. And like a story each person's life will tell a of song and dance, drifting in and out of the sweet and breaking down into the bitter, having a dance of joy then collapsing into a slump. And like a play, characters eventually meet others and so it goes from there.

How did this Icon become important to you?

I like to dance various styles of hard dance and like all arts, it's meant to be shared with others. But the floor just became a travelling stage, as long as there was ground, and some music. And even if a person does not dance or sing or paint, their personal plays intermingle and become woven with all they choose to share it with. I feel that the most when I think of my future career in the medical field, whichever discipline I choose I will be on the world's stage. Whether I fail or succeed is up to me. Asides from this, the stage is the birthplace of entertainment, and the tool which Shakespeare used to bring his creations to life.

How did this Icon become important in American culture?


As early as the first pilgrims who brought along musical instruments and song during colonization to vaudeville acts that traveled to entertain American pioneers who expanded into the west.

Blog Entry 1

1. Please outline your hopes for your upcoming junior year. What are your overall hopes, dreams, wishes and goals for the year?

Some of the things I hope to achieve this year includes completing my classes without memorization and have a deeper understanding of the material, and landing an internship that will really help refine what I want to study in college. Also this year I'm really hoping that there will be a lot more interesting and meaningful field trips.

2. Let's get a little more specific. Tell us about what you hope to accomplish or learn from your experiences in this Humanities class.

I believe as long as I do my work and listen to instructions, I'll learn what I need to, the alternative to that is day dreaming about rabid unicorns and distraught elves... I'd rather stick to my first suggestion. But besides listening to what I'm told, attending office hours and study outside of school doesn't sound like a bad idea.

3. What is something that you do in your life that naturally try to do well (Are you seriously good at video games? cooking? Are you an athlete?)? How do you naturally develop this talent within yourself?

Shuffling, it takes a lot of practice but ones the basic steps are down it's up to you where you want to take it. It's a form of self expression and an art if you will. How you represent yourself tells a lot, and I still have a long ways to go

my goal: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vY4Zq9vNdgs

where I'm at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLldEqg3fis