iMedia: Starving Vulture Child

This picture was taken by Keith Carter of a starving Sudanese girl desperately searching for food, and to think of how few people in our society really care about girls and boys starving like her is unfortunately really sad.

It makes me think of our unit on food in my AP Environmental Science class. There is enough food in our world, but it is really unevenly distributed. If somehow everyone was able to work together, and the governments made a huge effort, then no person would starve. To think that there is food for this starving girl, but it isn’t able to get to her because of problems she has no control over sickens me.

Other people’s greed is forcing her to not only starve but also be malnourished and consequently have many health affects later in life.

Then, I look around in my culture and society, and I constantly see people over eating. It’s like when you are little, and you can’t eat all your food, and your mom proceeds to tell you of all the starving people in Africa. You then feel guilt stricken, so you ask her if she could please send your leftovers to the starving children, men, and women. Your mom laughs because she knows the reality of the situation.

Even if people throughout the world really did make an effort to send food to the starving people not only in Africa but throughout the world, it wouldn’t necessarily even get to them. There are extremely corrupt governments that are willing to exploit their people for power and money. The Sudanese, which was committing genocide against the Darfurians, could very easily  take the food and use it to manipulate the people; this would make the situation these people are facing even worse.

Its problems like these that ominously make me feel very hopeless about the world. How could a person do such inhumanity toward another person? Do they really not care? Do they not have a heart?

I know this photo has significant meaning and brings back lots of horrid memories or is reality for billions of people in the world. To think about this starving girl and the billions of others with as skin as thin as hers, and then to look outside and see people over eating SO MUCH FOOD is just ridiculous. Absolutely, REDICULOUS!

It makes me feel so frustrated and helpless. It is situations like these, when people don’t even have enough food to eat, that I wish the United Nations would start doing more to help. I know it is a humungous task, but I think that people throughout the world need to start putting more pressure on the United Nations to make it a top priority that starving girls and boys aren’t searching the grounds to find just a seed to eat.

The food is there. Now people worldwide need to start working together to help make sure it gets to people suffering oppressive dictatorships and government regimes.

Inconvenient Truth: Death Happens to Everyone

Death is something that everyone is going to experience at some point in their lives, hopefully later rather than sooner. However, I feel I always take life for granted. I just assume that all the people that I care so deeply about in my life will always be there. It has become part of my knowledge that certain teachers, friends, and family members will ALWAYS be there. The truth is that they won't. No one is there forever. I mean I guess there are certain people that are really influential in your life and will always reamin in your heart, but not everyone will physically be in your life forever.
A couple of weeks ago in english class, we were talking about how people forget that we die. I realize that one day I will no longer be here, which is why I want to make as big of a difference as I can while I'm here, but my problem is that I forget that other people won't always be here. This assumption is slowly becoming clear to me that I am wrong.
In Hands-of-Peace both years that I was part of it, we always had this wonderful speech by Ron Miller. He talked about accepting different religions and people and most importantly the house of consciousness. He taught us how to get from the basement level to the roof and how to go beyond just tolerating. I heard earlier this week that Ron Miller had died. I never knew him on a personal level. However, I really admired the work he was doing and thoroughly enjoyed his speech he gave us every year. When I learned of his death, it made me realize that I need to stop taking other people's precense in my life for granted.
This incident really forced me to relook at my belief that everyone is going to be in my life forever. In reality, no one will be in my life forever. It has made me realize that I need to enjoy every moment with each person in my life and stop taking things for granted.
Losing people really bothers me, especially loved ones. Why can't everyone special just stay with you forever? Is that really a crime? After exploring this in more depth, I really believe that everyone special DOES stay with you forever. However, a lot of times they stay with you in ways you don't necessarily realize. For example, maybe they changed your beliefs, showed you how to look at something differently or do something differently, and they'll always be in your heart and mind.
On the other hand, I don't want to be some freak always thinking about death, but I want to find a middle ground. A place inbetween thinking everyone is always going to be there and thinking about losing everyone. I just want to enjoy every moment to the fullest, so the next time I hear some dear in my life has passed away, I will be able to look at the good memories and not be taken by surprise by death.
Therefore, I can come to terms with people dying by enjoying every moment in life at the present, not worrying about the future and later not regreting the past.

Blogging Around

The first blog that I commented on was Klaudia's. Klaudia wrote about how stressed she has been, which has resulted in lots of unnecessary worrying. She also talked about how she thinks about what people say in too much depth and finds herself over-analyzing. To sum it up, she wants to enjoy the present moment more and stop worrying about the past and future.
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Klaudia,
I really enjoyed reading your blog, and I can honestly say that I've been feeling very similiar to you now, especially at this time of the year.
I feel like people have always said how easily and stress free senior year is, but I have found it the exact opposite. Senior year has by far been the most stressful year for me, and I constantly find myself worrying not only about concerts, events, people, and problems occuring in my present life. But I too find myself analyzing the past and taking things people said too personally. I also find myself worrying about the future and college.
After reading your blog, it really made me realize how important and necessary it is to just enjoy the present moment. Otherwise, like you said, the moment is going to pass without you ever enjoying it to its fullest.
Hakuna Matata!
-Kara
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The next person's blog that I commented on was on Ashley's blog. Ashley talked about how addicted humans are becoming to technology and the dopamine rushes people are additcted to having. She also talked about how people's patience level is decreasing. It is rare to find a person who isn't constantly checking their phone, their email, or their facebook account.
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Ashley,
I think this addiction to technology that humans are developing is a very, very scary thin. I know I'm addicted to technology, even though I don't want to be because I am constantly checking my email and checking for those red boxes on facebook.
I'm really glad we discussed this in class though because this summer I'm going to make an effort to stop this addiction. I am going to delete my facebook and use my phone minimially. I don't want to be another human addicted to dopamine, just waiting for the next rush.
I want to be a human that is patient and willing to read a book, listen to music, or do an activity that requires a high level of concentration with ease.
-Kara
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Best of Week: Waste Free Restaurant

I believe that the best idea brought up in class this week was by Addy during her TED presentation. She talked about a man who has a waste free restaurant. He filters his own water, has a garden on top of his restaurant where waste decomposes, and he doesn't need any garbage trucks stopping by his restaurant.

He has a waste free restaurant, and I feel especially in this day and age it is extremely to come across anything waste free. I think it is a brilliant idea and even more spectacular to see and hear that he is able to put it in action.

During Addy's presentation, I realized that my family has a garbage disposal, when we could start a our own composting pile in the back yard. The more I thought about this idea, the more eager I became to put this idea into action. I actually proposed it to my parents at dinner the other night, and they said they would ponder starting our own compost pile.

This presentation not only makes me think about what my house would be like garbage disposal free, but it also made me think more importantly what this world would be like if everyone was waste free and took the time and energy to decompose their own wastes at home, the natural way.

I started day dreaming about this idea. The world would be so clean, so energy efficient. I feel that if garbage trucks were eliminated and everyone took responsiblity and care for their waste, people would realize the impact they are having on the environment, and they would also waste less. I hope that in fifty or a hundred years from now everyone is following in his footsteps and is waste free!

I've always believed that living the most natural and not artificial life is the best. I also believe in sustainability and taking responsibility for your own actions. What this man has done by eliminating wastes at his restaurant and taking responsibility of the wastes his restaurant produces has lead to a more sustainable life not only for him but for the environment as well.

I hope that my parents decide to let our family start a compost pile in the backyard, and when I'm older and have my own home I will make it a goal and priority to be waste free. I see myself research how to be waste free and then implementing those tips into my home and life and sharing them with others.

Best of the Week: Fighting Sexism

The best idea from class this week was brought up by Ashley in her presentation on a TED speaker. She brough about the idea that eliminating sexism comes from the man. I always thought it was the women's repsonsibility to help eliminate sexism, but after I heard her speak about her TED presenter, I realized there is a great part of sexism that comes from men. Therefore, in order to combat sexism, men ned to start changing the way they think, act, and speak about women.
This idea makes me think about how different the world would be if men treated women equally. There would be no women suffering from abuse, and women would be more than just cleaning ladies. They would be treated as intelligent, beautiful people.
This idea also made me think about how I can help to eliminate sexism. I came to the conclusion that all I can really do is speak out against it when I encounter it in my daily life, and maybe one day I will be able to help the women that have been mistreated all around the world in some way.
I used to think that to eliminate sexism women needed to start standing up and speaking out, which is true. However, I learned that my beliefs were only half right because a very big part of eliminating sexism is to change the way men everywhere think, feel, and act towards women. Men need to be taught starting at a very young age to respect women, to show emotions. After all, we are all human.
After hearing Ashley's presentation, I acknowledged that I firmly believed in what she was saying about her TED presenter, and if I ever have kids or am with kids, I will teach them that men and women are equal and should therefore be respected equally.
I really liked Ashley's speech because it brougt a different way of thinking about how to eliminate sexism. I'm really glad I heard it as well because I have adapted part of this person's idea of how to combat sexism.

Blogging Around

The first comment I wrote was on Angela P's blog. She wrote about how she was unexpectedly give a solo in the Variety Show, which changed her as a person; it gave her more confidence and strength, which she believes will allow her to go on to accomplish even greater and better things.

My Comment:
Angela,
I couldn't agree with you more about confidence being vital. After hearing how big of an influence getting this solo was in your life, it made me realize how each event has a different effect on different people. As a person stting in the audience, I thought you did a fabulous job, but I didn't even know about this whole story behind it. I'm really glad you posted this as your blog because it makes me even happier that you were given this solo and were so successful with it. I also agree with you about the do you mind questions. I really enjoy learning more about the people in my class in greater depth.
Sincerely,
Kara

The next blog I commented on was Addie's. She wrote about how she was was wondering if people in other countries, specifically in Europe, walk on the opposite side of the sidewalk and hall than we do in America.

My Comment:
Addie,
I really enjoyed reading this post, and I think it's awesome that you and your friend are thinking about how people in other countries walk on the sidewalk. I've thought a lot about people in different countries and around the world, but that thought has never crossed my mind.
I think that this post is challenging the status quo and thinking outside the box, just like the protesters in Egypt and throughout the Middle East. Keep hanging out with your friend and thinking like that; it's awesome!
Sincerely,
Kara

Final Blog: The Post-American World

After reading Kathryn's blog, I've realized that there are many connections between The Post-American World, which is the book I read, and the book Kathryn read, which is The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.

In The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, Skoop goes in depth to talk about how HeLa cells revolutionized the medical world. In The Post-American World, Zakaria went in depth to talk about how the rise of the rest is shaping our modern world and revolutionizing how America diplomatically does things. HeLa cells and the rise of many other nations in our world today have and are revolutionizing the post modern world that we live in today.

Another similarity these two books have in common is the point that ideas are more important than technology. In The Post-American World, Zakaria talked in great lengths of how ideas are what is going to put us ahead of other nations, not necessarily education. Zakaria stressed that as long as America keeps producing creative ideas, then America will be successful. This concept relates to The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks because the idea of taking HeLa cells and revolutionize them for the medical world is a very creative one. It shows that Zakaria is right about how important creative ideas are, especially after one learns the important impact the HeLa cells have had.

In addition, The Post-American World Zakaria talks about how it's the small things that America does that result in its success, and The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks talks about how the small research and steps taken in the medical field can lead to huge breakthroughs. Both of these books showed the important of taking small, little, baby steps to achieving successs, and they both stress the importance of how it takes many peoples hard, dedicated work to becoming successful.

Capturing Thought: Why we live

Earlier this week, our class had a discussion about the meaning of life. I felt like I had a "now I get it" moment when Mr. Allen explained how he lived for the meaningful moments that literature and art bring him.

I realized that he was right. Life would be dull, boring and meaningless if it weren't for those momnts of meaning. I also realized that different people find these meaningful moments in different ways.

I then began to think of why evryone lived. I pondered the idea of living a life without meaning. Do people really do that? I think that people do, but it is by choice. They decide to reject meaning that they could find from a variety of things, and they must feel very sad and empty inside, not having anyhing to live for. It made me sad to think of someone else feeling sad; someone else living for nothing, when there is so much to be living for.

I went on to think about how lots of people are living for the wrong things- cars, phones, houses, and any other innanimate objects. I think it is so sellfish and weird how people go crazy over getting cell phones, cars, and computers because I think there is so much more to live for in life. I mean, millions of people in this world don't own them, but yet they may be happier than the people that do. Therefore, that means that poor people find meaning in their lives too, and the meaning they find may be even more meaningful than the meaning wealthy people find.

Despite the fact that poor and rich people have different ways to find meaning, they both find meaning. Well at least, I hope they do. For a life without meaning isn't a life; without meaning, one isn't living.

By having this discussion in class, it made me realize and appreciate the little and big things in my life that give me meaning. I'm so grateful for the meaning in my life because it is what has, is, and will continue to make my life so wonderful.

Post- American World: Meeting 2 (Pages 65-129)

This part of the book first talked about Christopher Colomubus and how big a mistake westernization and colonization were in parts of North America, as well as Africa and parts of the Middle East and Asia. Then it talked about westernization and modernization and how they affect each other, as well as the affects westernization and modernization have had, are having, and will have on this global world. The rest was spent talking about the rise of the sleeping giant, China, and the role China played, plays, and will continue to play in the world.

"Whatever happens to China internally is likely to complicate life internationally (Zakaria 104)."

Whatever happens to China internally could challenge the status quo of the world. The book talks about how what happens with China will have a huge affect on the international community because it is making lots of allies and doing trade in Africa. In addition, China has one of the biggest populations of poeple and one of the fastest growing economies. So if the peple in China decide to be creative and form mass rallies and protest against their government, they would be challenging the status quo of their country, as well as the world. If China drastically challenges the status quo of their country, then the world will drastically change because of the vital player China is.

Connection: Egyptians and Lady Gaga

A very important idea we have talked and learned a lot about so far this semester is challenging the status quo. People challenge the status quo every day, by going against what is considered normal, by thinking outside the box, and by doing something different.
In fact, in class we talked a lot about how the Egyptians are challenging the status quo this very moment by protesting and overthrowing their government. The Egyptians are going against what is considered normal. They are thinking outside the box, and as a result they have organized together and massive numbers of people have swarmed the street, setting fire, rocking cars, and scaring the police and military away. They are challenging the status quo of being respectful and obeying their government, and they are doing this by protesting in mass numbers.
In addition, they are challenging the status quo by organizing their protests over social networking. Before this wouldn't have even been an option, but as a result of the technological age we live in now, it has become a reality for the Egyptians. The government shut down the internet, but that wasn't until after the protests had erupted after the Friday prayer session.
The Egyptian people are a good example of challenging the status quo. They challenged the dicatorship of Mubarak that they have lived under for thirty years. They challenged their old way of life. A life where they were not happy and pleased with their leaders. A life where they couldn't vote for the president. A life they didn't want to live anymore.
The Egyptian people challenged the status quo, and they aren't the only people doing that. In fact, the famous musician Lady Gaga challenges the status quo every day.
Gaga wear isn't just a joke, it's a reality. Lady Gaga goes above and beyond to designers in France and throughout the world to get the craziest, wildest, and most obscure clothing, so that she can challenge the status quo, so that she is always wearing something new and different. She is doing this by wearing clothes and outfits that aren't considered normal. She is challenging what normal is considered now, by being different and setting a trend.
The Egyptian people and Lady Gaga are both challenging the status quo. They both are thinking of new ways to be creative, the Egyptian people by using social networking to organize their protests and Lady Gaga by getting attention on her wardrobe. In fact, they both can relate to each other because they are both doing things never done before. They are both taking a gamble and being themselves, stating their opinions, whether it be fasion or politics and they are both making a statement that the whole world is hearing.
They relate to each other because they are both making a difference and a change in the world, and they are both informing each other, as well as the world, that it is good to challenge the status quo because what is now isn't necesarily the best way, whether it be the clothes or the government.
As a result of the Egyptian people and Lady Gaga challenging the status quo, it has made me realize that I should challenge the status quo by expressing what I feel inside. Lady Gaga and the Egyptian people both are expressing how they feel inside, and they are also setting an example and paving a trail for others to do just that.
They have made me realize that I should do what I think and express myself how I want to, regardless if I am the only one. They have also gave me an insight that it is the people that express themselves by beating to their own drum and doing something different are the ones making history, like they are and like everyone has the potential to.

Metacognition: First Semester

Wow, it seems like it was just yesterday that I walked into Mr. Allen's humanity class for the first time. Now, it's almost the end of first semester, and I'm stunned how differet I am, yet the same. I still have my curly hair and am the same person on the outside, but my mind has rapidly developed.

After almost completing my first semester in humanities I've realized that I've learned an incredible amount, and all of this information I've learned has changed the way I think and view things. Two examples really stick out at me when I think back on how my mind has changed.

The first difference is I appreciate and can see beauty with more appreciation and deph. The other day we were watching a video that Yo Yo Ma put together with Mark Morms. They designed a dance, a story to go along with Suite #3 by Bach. If I watched that at the beginning of the semester, and then if I watched it at the end, I would have thought it was two different videos. The reason being, now after two quarters, I am able to see and appreciate beauty in a greater light.

Beauty is a word that encompasses a wide variety of things and can be found in literally, anything. However, that is if you have the eye to see it. After watching many videos on products of creative minds, I've realized that creative people, creative minds, and creative thoughts can produce things that are all so engaging and intelligent-they are beautiful.

I've also learnd to appreciate beauty in a greater light, to realize how precious it is. Whether I'm playing my instrument or watching a commercial, beauty is there, and I've learned to be so grateful for this and appreciative.

Beauty isn't the only thing I've learned to appreciate. In fact, I've learned to appreciate creativity. Everyone has the ability to be creative, it's just a matter of finding their creativity within themelves. I know that taking humanities has helped me explore and find my own creativity. The mindbook is a good example of my mind experimenting with creativity.

Mr. Allen has introduced us to a lot of different forms of beautiful art that is extremely creative. By looking at exceptionally creative art, it has allowed me to realize that it's necessary to try to be creative with everything you do. You need to constantly think outside the box, be creative, incorporate and see beauty in everything.

Humanities first semester has made me realize that to be successful you need to be able to create beautiful and creative things in whatever profession you go into. In fact, if you look at all the successful people, they have and are using beauty and creativity to grasp the attention of the human mind. Google, IDEO, Yo Yo Ma, and Marianne Wiggins are just a few examples that we've learned about in humanities that use beauty and creativity in a way that grasps the eye.

To add to all of this, humanities has taught me that it isn't one thing that will lead you to success and happiness, but it is a combination of things. No one way is right or wrong. What is right is what makes you happy inside, within your heart. We've learned about a lot of different paths people have taken to achieve happiness and success. I am really excited for my future, for me to discover what I will do to help change the world. This semester in humanities has given me inspiration to create my own path and not go on the trail already created.

I think all these extremely intellectual people that Mr. Allen has introduced us to have one thing in common, they followed their heart, created beauty, and made this world a more breath-taking and enjoyable place to live in.