Stewarts Presentation response

I've always overlooked cities I've passed through, not realizing that these big industrialized towns were once fields of nature. Through Stewart's presentation, I realized that there are pros and cons to the development of big cities. I never really thought of it as a big deal to have urbanization but it actually has a major impact on nature and the population. One of the slides that i saw to be most interesting is the one that talks about how the cost of getting rid of pollution is more expensive than just letting pollution happen. The government decided that hurting our environment is a better way to save money? I understand, from an economic standpoint, why the government would want to spend the money on other things that could further the advancements of technology, but they are failing to realize that if pollution furthers, there will be more expensive problems later on. On a global stand point, the video that Stewart made a great display on how pollution is not only affected out country but others aroudn the world. In the video it stated that 33% of Chinese population breathe in pollution so much that it is equivalent to smoking to packs of cigarettes a day. I found this absolutely disgusting. I never realized how polution can affect people. If we don't take care of the pollution in our own country, we will wing up with illness and greater health problems that could threaten our economy and our population as a whole. I think that Stewart's presentation was very good in that it was very inforamtive and easy to follow and udnerstand. It gave me much better insight on what the pros and cons were for expanding our big cities. His presentation made me think about how life would be different if we continued urbanization and also what it would be like if there never was any urbanization.

Work Cited

"American music." American History. ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 22 Feb. 2010. http://www.americanhistory.abc-clio.com/.



"jazz." American History. ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 22 Feb. 2010. http://www.americanhistory.abc-clio.com/.



"Grammy Awards." American History. ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 22 Feb. 2010. http://www.americanhistory.abc-clio.com/.



Fischoff, Stuart. "No Link Between Media Violence and Youth Violence Has Been Established." Opposing Viewpoints: Media Violence. Ed. Louise I. Gerdes. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2004. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Gale. Deerfield High School. 23 Feb. 2010 http://find.galegroup.com/ovrc/infomark.do?&contentSet=GSRC&type=retrieve&tabID=T010&prodId=OVRC&docId=EJ3010153234&source=gale&srcprod=OVRC&userGroupName=deer63488&version=1.0.



Deggans, Eric. "WORDS CAN HURT." The St. Petersburg Times (St. Petersburg, FL). (Feb 20, 2007): 1E. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Gale. Deerfield High School. 23 Feb. 2010 http://find.galegroup.com/ovrc/infomark.do?&contentSet=IAC-Documents&type=retrieve&tabID=T004&prodId=OVRC&docId=CJ161659441&source=gale&srcprod=OVRC&userGroupName=deer63488&version=1.0.



Pelley, Debbie. "Violent Song Lyrics Encourage Aggressive Behavior in Children." At Issue: Violent Children. Ed. Bryan J. Grapes. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2000. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Gale. Deerfield High School. 23 Feb. 2010 http://find.galegroup.com/ovrc/infomark.do?&contentSet=GSRC&type=retrieve&tabID=T010&prodId=OVRC&docId=EJ3010032204&source=gale&srcprod=OVRC&userGroupName=deer63488&version=1.0.

http://leadership.uoregon.edu/upload/images/music.jpg

http://www.irvmusic.com/music%20note5.jpg

http://media.photobucket.com/image/sun%20over%20ocean/michaela981/sun-over-the-ocean.jpg

http://www.city-data.com/forum/members/pastorbill-390395-albums-pueblo-family-church-growing-faith-family-service-pic18394-unity.jpg

http://www.brentcunningham.org/wp-content/uploads/Police%20line%20--%20reporter_12_8_06_10.jpg

http://myfivebest.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/american-flag.jpg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adQRz1Ixh1g

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Glny4jSciVI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31v0RrIljj4

Tony's Blog Response: Native Americans in the 21st Century

Tony’s presentation is about the Native Americans and how they survive in the 21st century. It is said in the YouTube video on the third slide that most Native Americans live in poverty on the reservations that are given to them because of the promises from the government. In order to make money in the reservation, they have a casino, which brings in some income to the reservation but the money coming in fluctuates because the population is so small. The amount of Native Americans in poverty is the highest of all the ethnic groups. One thing that I found saddening was the fact that many people live in such a remote area, that there is no electricity and many people have no choice but to pick between buying milk to feed the children or buying toothpaste to keep up hygiene. In his fourth slide, I thought of how many people do think of the Native Americans and where they should stand in society, but I also feel like people say more than they do. I have only heard of one organization that helps our native people. I find it very interesting how, even though the Natives were on this land first, Americans have the right to kick them out. They are called Native Americans for a reason: they are native to the country, meaning they’ve been here before anyone else settled in, and they are Americans. If they are Americans, they have a right to property that is given to other Americans. The Native Americans, as seen in the YouTube video, have increased into a downward spiral in alcohol and suicide. They are convinced that the USA is trying to keep then in poverty forever. I understand how they could think that but they are also trying to live independently away from the American way of life. I don’t think it is all necessarily the American’s fault. Also, Tony pointed out that many Native Americans feel stereotyped as people who believe in spirits and are extremists in being one with nature. This is not true for most. This stereotype is portrayed in the movie Pocahontas and the song, Colors of the Wind. Another example of how Americans offended the Natives was the Illiniwek. In all, Native Americans and the Americans have decreasing trust in each other and in order to stay united, things have to change in regards to the stereotypes and discrimination of other ethnicities. I found Tony's presentation to be very informative and easy to follow. I really liked the pictures and videos he used, it helped me understand how the Native Americans are feeling in regards to this issue between them and the Americans.

Danielle's Blog Response

I found Danielle’s blog very informative and interesting. I am very interested in looking at the different views of other religions. I am a Catholic and I hadn’t realized how religious diversity has affected our communities because our own community is not as diverse as others. Religious tolerance is needed everywhere. I find it interesting that religious discrimination exists, but it's not surprising. A picture Danielle used in her project said, “Each new religion that arrives within America faces intolerance by those religions that have established themselves and their supporters in America. These established religions feel that new religions threaten their beliefs and way of life.” I think that this is very true because this intolerance for the minority is not only happening in the areas of religion but also in race, gender, or even if a new person coming into a high school who is different from the normal standards. The main topic of Danielle’s presentation is the religious intolerance for Atheism. According to Danielle, “Religion is the belief of an unseen, powerful entity made everything in the universe…without a single shred of evidence,” while Atheism doesn’t believe that there is another world or greater entity that made life. She expresses that the reason why there is religious intolerance is because neither religion will accept the other and they argue about which belief is true instead of just accepting. In correlation to my presentation, when there is religious intolerance, there is a separation of unity in the country. Religion can be expressed in many different ways and it’s our job as Americans to accept one another to create a united nation. With any problem of discrimination, the religious majority will always have the larger influence on the ideas of the American society, well expressed by Danielle’s presentation. At the end of the presentation, Danielle expresses that there religious tolerance is increasing little by little by showing the clip of Character USA. Once people realize that religion is only an aspect of what defines one’s character, religious tolerance will become easier to increase. I really like how Danielle potrayed this issue in her presentation. It helped me understand alot more about the world in regards to religion which is bigger than us all.

link between rap and violence? ( analytic)

The issue up for discussion is about if rap and violence have any direct links between them. One study done, which was found in the book called, a review of the Literature and Issues for Future Research, concluded that there was no correlation between music and the increasing crime rates. The study takes its course by first looking that the listeners of each type of rap, which include hardcore and soft rap. The researchers also look at the listeners to heavy metal, which has the many of the same characteristics as rap. The researchers found that there was a difference between the listeners and the music. The people who listened to heavy metal were mostly working class white youths, while rap was listened to by the urban black youth. The collection of data collected from researchers concluded that there was a connection between the races and the type of music that was listened to but that there was no link between rap and violence. The researcher’s opinion on the issue was that even though heavy metal and rap are mostly the same, the races make it easier to put blame of the influence of violence on one type. They concluded that, “assaults on rap music are part of a long-standing sociologically based discourse that positions black influences as a cultural threat to American society,” This quote expresses that, because of the old prejudices against blacks in our society, it is easier to point the fingers at the them because of what has been done and said about them in the civil rights era. They believe that the lyrics of rap are not necessarily the reason why crime increased but that it is easier to blame the black race because of the prejudices from past generations.
The other half of the argument expresses that there is a direct distinction between rap and violence in the communities. An example that was shown in this argument had to do with a school shooting. A teacher named Debbie Pelley, who taught the shooter, did research for the investigation that had to do with what influenced the killer. The killer’s peers told investigators that the shooter changed when he started listening to Tupac and Bones ~N~ Thugs. These hardcore rappers have some of the most explicit lyrics. While looking at the lyrics, many adults were shocked at the vulgar things said in the lyrics. When Pelley asked the students what they thought the music was about, they all agreed, “the theme and message of this music (rap) is that killing and being on death row is cool”. This shows that the black population express messages directly in their music and because music has impacted the listener’s minds, the society worries that the listeners who don’t understand the urban black lifestyle, will think that violence and certain negative experiences are okay to have. Although the rapper’s aren’t trying to send this message but to express their life and make it relative to how they lived, those who don’t know the reality behind the music might take the messages This side of the argument believes that, because music is so impactful to its listeners, the glamorization of violence would negatively affect the listeners and that is what has caused the rise in crime rate.

Music in Literature (analytic)

Like all arts, music is used as expression of one’s true feelings. The feelings show through the lyrics and rhythm of the song. Also, music is used as an escape for those who want to shed some light on their lives that are filled with darkness for one reason or another. It is a way for artists to focus on something that makes them happy. When people is passionate about something, gaining knowledge of that certain thing or just engaging in it will bring joy to the person and ultimately help bring inner peace. It is a way to release negative feelings, especially if one is a very private person, writing music releases the negative energy without having to talk to someone else directly to get it out. Just being able to write down lyrics or play a song will help calm down a situation. In Sonny’s Blues by James Baldwin, Sonny uses his passion for jazz to release negative energy from himself. He escapes from the darkness of being African American by focusing on something that he loves. Sonny’s brother, the narrator, did not understand Sonny and his love for music. He just let Sonny do what he wanted without asking because it made him stay sane. When Sonny had to live with Isabel, the narrator’s girlfriend, Sonny became uneasy. The narrator reassured him, “They got a piano at Isabel’s. You can practice on it.” And then he said that sonny replied, “That’s right. I forgot that.” And “his face relaxed a little,”(124). The fact that Sonny even relaxed at all having an instrument or some form of music in his new home showed how music has affected his life. Even in times of struggle or nervousness, the music having an appearance, made things a little easier for Sonny. Also, by the end of the story, the narrator was taken to a blues concert with Sonny because Sonny really wanted him to go and the narrator wanted to be a good brother. At this concert the artists began to play the blues, their original pieces of the blues. The narrator began to realize, “the tale of how we suffer, and how we are delighted, and how we may triumph… it’s the only light we’ve got in all this darkness. And this tale, according to that face ( of Creole’s, the musician at the concert), that body, those strong hands on those strings, has another aspect to every country, and a new depth in every generation. Listen, Creole seemed to say, Listen,”(139). This quote really confronts the point that music is an ongoing phenomenon that brings hope and light to those who are filled with darkness. That darkness could be anything from emotional drama to physical violence. That light that is given from the music is the message that the song sends to its listeners. In this story, the music gives hope to the listeners that black triumph will happen and they will be free of prejudice and hate someday. The narrator also states that the music gets deeper with every generation because, the stories in these songs are being retold at a different level of complexity, along with new stories depending on the experiences people in a certain generation have in the recent society. The passionate people are the ones who use music as a tool to get away from society’s evils and focuses on releasing negative energies to create a fantastic song. Music is also used as a tool to retell stories and creatively bring history to the listeners as well as creating new history by writing songs for future generations.

Music Background ( analytic)

American music was founded in the early 1600s. It originated in Europe, but over time, other influences, including African-American ethnicity, assumed more importance. There are two different types of music. There is Classical and Popular music. Over time, these types intertwined to make the modern music we have today. The first type of music was the classical music of the church. The psalms from the Bay Psalm Book were among the first pieces brought to American and were the beginning of the classical music. As time went by the musical knowledge of the Americans declined because there was only a few tunes set from psalms that were not published. Many congregations, which are religious communities, started to add their own twists to the songs. This caused a larger audience to see the creative process of music making, since church was part of the communities. From the church, there became two sects of music: the religious sect and secular sect. Religious music revolved around god and his gospel, while secular music was considered the nonreligious music. Secular music was more about the livelihood of the local people in the communities. When the songs were published, many lacked rhythm and pitch. Thomas Walter, a musician of the time, decided to write the first instruction manual for music called, The Grounds and Rules of Musik Explained. As more people started to learn music’s structure, more secular music became popular, eventually forming the second type of music, popular music. The first set of popular music was called The Seven Songs for the Harpsichord. This book of secular songs was the first completely American book of secular songs. It was composed by Frances Hopkinson and was dedicated to George Washington in 1788. After the American Revolution, more Europeans dominated the music world, spreading the love for music among the states. When slaves were brought into America, their music began to influence many of the American musicians because of the unique sound. The music sung by the black slaves was used to express their life to those who didn’t understand and to get feelings of anger and depression out of their systems. They used music as a cry for help. Even though the messages didn’t get across to the Europeans, they adopted the different rhythms and pitches to put a new twist on the already structured American music. After the civil war, more music from the African Americans was discovered. The new feelings and emotions of the songs of the African Americans were called jazz. Jazz became the origin of all popular music. The blues branched from jazz and other genres of music branched out of the blues, causing multiple genres of expression to grow into the American society, such as pop, rock, country, hip-hop, and rap. Music was first made as an expression of love towards god. Later, this expression became more nonreligiously connected to people’s lives and eventually music became one of the most dominant ways to express one’s self and show how they feel through authentic rhythms and pitches that are shared all over the world. The music also provides a sense of unity throughout the nation. Music also plays a big role in retelling history. For example, the songs from the black slaves show their lives in song and their beliefs in God, while modern day music shows what goes on in the mind of the new generations of people. Music, such as rap and inspirational, express artists' day to day experiences that others might not face. Music brings a sense of reality to those who don’t see it every day while also providing entertainment that others can relate to and have interest in.