Remembering the Past

With President Barack Obama, an African American, in the White House, there has been much talk on NPR and talk shows about abolishing Black History month and banning books such as Huckleberry Finn. I found this top very interesting as we just finished reading and analyzing Huckleberry Finn, and it relates to a number of class discussions. In this week’s edition of Newsweek, Allison Samuels refutes these ideas in her article, Rethinking Race in the Classroom. Those in favor of the banning of the books want to remove the “N—” word from history and any negative connotations regarding African Americans. While I am against the prejudices revealed in these books, I feel they should remain in the curriculum. We should not shut them away in the closet and ignore history. This topic is an important part of our country’s history. The atrocities of the past should not be forgotten, while at the same time our current progress should be applauded. Black History month and these controversial books help us remember the past and work for a better tomorrow.
~Check out the link to the article. It is really interesting.~

Do you think Huckleberry Finn should be banned?
What are your thoughts on continuing Black History month?

Should Dora Grow Up?

Throughout the weekend, I spent much of my time with my younger four year-old cousin. Her favorite cartoon icon is Dora the Explorer. Tons of her toys, clothing, and materials have Dora the Explorer on them. She was wearing a shirt with Dora and Boots on it and even her tennis racket had a picture of Dora painted on the side. This morning I was looking at the Chicago Tribune newspaper at a funny illustration called "Recessionista Barbies." Below this, the title, “Just what is new Dore exploring,” caught my eye. The author discusses how the spunky shorts, backpack, and purple t-shirt wearing “childhood fixture for millions” is being transformed into a “tweenage Dora” that wears short skirts and pointy shoes. A mother of two young girls, Stephanie Raleigh states that, “Dora ‘growing up’ in the stereotypical way just reinforces the issues that young girls face today.” Personally, I really liked this doll because she didn’t follow the typical long hair, stick thin, mature doll motif that is so common today. This doll is such a large part of many children’s lives, such as my cousin, that it will change the way they see their role model. I would rather have my cousin look up to the nature loving explorer than this “tweenage Dora” model that can push kids towards the wrong path. James Oliphant closes the article asking, “And what’s in store for Dora’s animal loving cousin, Diego? Perhaps he becomes a hip-hop star with plenty of bling and an appetite for gunplay? Or a rough-around-the edges street-racer?”

What do you think about this topic? Should Dora follow through with this transformation?

The Hidden Messages New Trier Portrays to the Public

Today in class we discussed the numbers of different signs posted around the school and the meanings that they hold. From this discussion and observations I have made throughout the day, I came to the conclusion that New Trier’s goal is to portray its success to the public. It seems that a large portion of this goal involves sharing our achievements. I have found that the greatest of our achievements have been placed in very public places throughout the school. For example, there are signs, banners, and posters that support our sports teams and our academic success. In the gymnasium we have flags that list all of the years that our sports teams have made it to state. In the front of the school we post HUGE banners that say, “Good Luck at State” where a welcome sign should be placed. Also, when you walk through the halls many teams post flyers on lockers wishing their teammates good luck at their upcoming game and every saying relates to winning. Next, we show our academics in the lists of important people that have graduated from our school, and in many of our showcases placed around the school (for example, science Olympia). Finally, we display our positive students’ behavior with posters showing the drinking and smoking rates. Our school focuses on the successes that we have had in the past and the successes that we hope to have in the future.

Do you agree that we portray our success and achievements to the public? If so, where else do you find examples of this in our school?

What’s Next?

Recently I was reading an article from the Chicago Tribune titled “Obama sets Iraq timeline.” Julian E. Barnes, the author discussed President Barack Obama’s plans for the future. Obama has stated the procedures that he wants to take to retrieve the U.S. troops from Iraq. He has created a timeline that expects the number of U.S. troops to decrease from currently 142,000 to 35,000-50,000 by August 31, 2010. He also confirmed that all the U.S. forces are scheduled to be out of Iraq by December 31, 2011. There have been many mixed feelings about Obama’s troop timeline. Many are expressing that they believe that 35,000-50,000 is too large of a group to remain in Iraq. Furthermore, many of the Sunni lawmakers are upset over the departure of the forces, who are seen as “a buffer against Shiite persecution.”

Do you think that it is a good idea to leave troops in Iraq to “advise Iraqis, protect civilians and conduct counterterrorism missions?”
Do you believe that August 31, 2010 is a reasonable date for the Iraq combat mission to end? And is December 31, 2011 a reasonable date to have all forces out of Iraq?

Audacity of Hope or Audacity of Greed

My thoughts stem from an ad in the Chicago Tribune from February 2nd which asks:

“Why is Senator Max Baucus (D-MT) proposing to use your money to bail out Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. (KKR), Carlyle, Blackstone and other private equity firms?”

The concern is that Obama’s stimulus plan may provide money or tax cuts to these private equity firms and companies with CEOs receiving HUGE salaries and massive bonuses.

Shouldn’t the stimulus plan be helping main stream America, as the candidates reiterated in the presidential debate?

Will Obama’s stimulus plan be successful or has greed and mis management gone too far to be turned around?

The Perils of Nature

From the time of the Wright Brothers, in 1903, to NASA’s trip to the moon, man has mastered the art of flying. Despite the advances in technology, there are numerous risks with every takeoff and landing. Continental Flight 3407 took off from Buffalo Niagara Airport on Februrary 12th. Along the way the pilots noted ice on the wings. The crash ended in a fireball(link to video of plane an fireball), with a loss of 49 lives. Earlier this year, another flight, US Airways flight 1549, was scheduled to land in Charlotte, N.C., on January 15th, encountered a flock of birds which caused the engines to fail. Miraculously, Captain Sullenberger managed to glide the plane into the Hudson River, saving everyone on board. It seems that most of us take for granted such technological advances and our safety. In both of these instances it seems that nature stepped in with disastrous consequences.
How can we come to terms with the loss of lives in Flight 3407? What can we learn from these events? What other perils has nature created for us?

What's Next After the Cowboy President?

Recently I read an article in the February 8th Chicago Tribune, “State of the uniform,” discussing Obama’s clothing choices. The article stated that, “Few presidents’ fashion choices have attracted as much attention as Barack Obama’s, yet each has left an impression in the annals of style.” The author, Constance White, goes on to discuss six presidents’ clothing choices. I found her analysis of George W. Bush the most interesting. White commented, “Evoking oil and swagger, George W. Bush’s cowboy boots and belts now seem emblematic of the Wild West Mentality.” This directly relates to our in-class discussion dealing with cowboys and furthermore the post similarly dealing with the “Myth of the West” and how several presidents have capitalized on this myth to give themselves and their administration an air of strength and purpose. White states that Obama’s “uniform” can be described as dapper, modern, classic, big-city polish, and confident. However, there is currently no theme like the “Wild West” associated with him as of yet.
What do you think Obama’s style will evolve into? What do you think his style will be called?