The Civil War... Today? Response

Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNu-WZdHzaA&p=A9A0505376CBCE35&playnext=1&index=16

Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HIVgMvuCM_k&feature=related

I chose these two clips in my video to demonstrate modern day racism. These clips show how the media and history has altered our view on the color of someone's skin. This to me shows how racism still plays a key role in everyone's daily life, this isn't just something that was affect people during the civil war this is still affecting us now. I chose these specific clips because they were candid camera clips. The first test the ABC group did was have three white boys vandalizing a car in a public parking lot, they were only confronted a couple of times and only two people threatened to do something about the crime. Then they did the same test only with three African American boys. Before the test even started the boys feel asleep in a car and someone called the cops on them saying "that they looked like they were going to rob something and that they want them to keep a close eye on them." Then once the boys started vandalizing the car every person who was walking by stropped them. This showed me that even though we all are made equal many people still do judge someone off of the color of their skin, their race, ethnicity and many other things that Lincoln had tried to eliminate by freeing slaves towards the end of the civil war. This is why I chose these two video clips to back up my statement.

The Constitution, The News & You Response

1. Summarize the article, and include relevant quotes.
The story I chose is a fairly famous story that is now being made into a movie, I chose the Tillman case. Patrick Tillman was a pro-football star that decided to become an Army Ranger in 2002. He served multiple tours in Afghanistan until April 22, 2004. He was in the mountains of Afghanistan when he was shot and killed; the government reported that Tillman had been killed by enemy fire. The U.S. government attempted a cover-up the truth, which was that he was killed by “friendly fire”. Which is when someone who is on the same side as you doesn’t know you are apart of the same army and shoots at you. The government waited days to tell the family the truth about Tillman’s death, even though many soldiers new the truth. The family was out raged and Tillman’s mother said, “After it happened, all the people in positions of authority went out of their way to script this. They purposely interfered with the investigation; they covered it up. I think they thought they could control it, and they realized that their recruiting efforts were going to go to hell in a hand basket if the truth about his death got out. They blew up their poster boy.”

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).
This story to me relates to the Freedom of Speech because it showed how many government officials lied to cover up their appearance to America and how they didn’t want to be perceived differently in the eyes of the public. All of those generals had the freedom of speech to say as they wanted even though it was later proven wrong they still had the right to say those things, even if it wasn’t morally right. Another important thing to know is that was that after Tillman died, within--instantly, within 24 hours certainly, everybody on the ground, everyone intimately involved knew it was friendly fire. There's never any doubt it was friendly fire and none of the soldiers used their right of freedom of speech to speak up for Tillman.

3. Explain what interests you about this article and/or the Constitutional connections you found.
What interests me about this article is how I have just heard about this now and it surprised me that those men could lie like that just to keep up a good image. Another thing that surprised me was that after Tillman died, everybody on the ground, everyone intimately involved knew he died from friendly fire. There's never any doubt it was friendly fire and they didn’t use the freedom of speech to speak up.

What Stands Out So Far??

What stands out to you in your learning?
Well something that has stood out to me personally in my learning is that I realized I can do most work quickly and more efficiently than last year. If you just place me in front of a computer and I know what is due and when it is due by I can get my work done and do it to my best ability. Another thing that has stood out to me was how much my writing has improved from just these first weeks of school. I have learned so many helpful tips that have improved my writing skills and ability to produce my best work.

What is working well in this class?
Something that worked well for me is when you tell us what is due in-depth than you give us the time to work on anything that is due. Whenever we have this I realize what I need to get done and when its due by and I prioritize my work better.

What can you do to build upon your successes?
I feel that I can keep up my writing tips and also I can take better notes in class to make sure that I grasp the content to my best ability. If I do this I will be able to look back upon them and reflect on what we learned and help put it into practice.

What very specific, concrete & manageable steps can you take to make the most of your opportunities to learn in this class?
Well like I said before I can take better notes on the content we are learning. When I do this it helps me understand what we are learning, what needs to be done with our work, and it helps me understand what is expected of me as a student.

What are your goals for the next few weeks in class?
One main goal I have is learning how to prioritize my work better, because I find that now I have more work over all as an eleventh grader, I need to be more organized and I need to meet the requirements that are expected of me. Another goal I have is to ask more questions if I don’t understand the content of what we are learning. These are just some of my many goals for next week.

Final Artist Statement and Picture

Changing the World One Story at a Time
By Maira Vierheller
On July 12th 1993, four journalists were killed. The young journalists raced across Mogadishu, Africa to cover the bombing of what was thought to be General Aideed’s headquarters. The U.N. forces bombed the house but Aideed was not there, instead nearly 90 men, women and children were killed in the bombing. When the journalists were taking pictures of the aftermath, a horrible event took place. All four men were beaten, clubbed and stoned to death by an angry mob; furious about the death of their friends, fathers, and brothers at the hands of U.S. and U.N. soldiers. One of the massacred men was named Dan Eldon.
When Dan Eldon was just seven years old he moved to Africa with his family. Eldon loved joining his mother, a journalist in Kenya at the time, as she was assigned to stories in the local area. He witnessed and experienced firsthand the events of the war and corrupt government. Soon Eldon was taking pictures, with his mom and they were used in the local newspapers. This was when Eldon decicded that he wanted to make a career out of journalism and use it to help better the world.
Eldon had said “The journey is the destination.” This helped me realize that no matter how big my dream is; I can achieve it. If I try and succeed long enough and have passion behind what I’m doing, I can do anything. He also taught me that no matter what your age is you can help out in your own way. He made me realize that everyone can make a difference, no matter what you are doing or how old you are.
Dan Eldon was also was a huge inspiration for one of my favorite companies and charities, Invisible Children. The two creators Jason Russell and Laren Poole went to Africa to create a movie and came back with the truth. Dan Eldon was the one to inspire them to create this company and tell the world about the horrible events taking place in Africa. After some time Invisible Children made the decision to raise awareness to a younger audience, that’s when they decided to go to different schools. This is when they came to High Tech High Media Arts, and where I first learned about the company and cause.
Learning about this war changed my life; I am always trying to help in as many ways as I can, even if it is telling someone about it. It helped me become more involved in a community and try to help make a change in the world. I feel that Dan Eldon and his story have changed my life. He has made me think about living in the moment and never letting anything hold you back. He has changed the world as his inspired continuum does and will for years to come.

Questions About Our Writing...

1. What aspect of the American Icons artist statement has been most successful for you? Why?
The most successful part of my writing for me is my first paragraph. I think it was successful because I tried something new and decided to start the story out with an anecdote about Dan Eldon's death. By doing this I expanded my writing technique and my story.

2. What writing tip(s) have been the most helpful? Why?
Going back and going over all of my sentences individually. Also when we read "The New Yorker" magazines, those were great examples for me and helped inspire my first paragraph. They also helped show me what I want my writing to strive to become.

And...

3. What aspect of the artist statement has been most challenging? Why?
What has been most challenging for me while writing my artist statement has been trying to get the point I want across in as little words as possible. I have a lot of thoughts and all of them mean something to me so when I write them down on paper of mine its always been difficult to try and simplify them.

4. What writing tip is most challenging? Why?
Well one the hardest tips was "Concerts not Pancakes" because my ending paragraph was hardest for me to end strong with. I was also struggling with leaving the reader thinking about what is next or about my writing and who Dan Eldon is.

And....

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.

Sample Of Writing (Last Paragraph):
Learning about this war has changed my life I am always trying to help stop this war as many ways as I can, even if it is just telling someone about it. I feel that Dan Eldon has changed my life. As his inspired continuum does and will for years to come.

1) How does this leave the reader thinking about your icon or what your icon stood for?
2) What else have you done to help inform people about the war?
3) How else will his continuum live on?

Icons Loop Response

Opening Paragraph:

On July 12th 1993 four journalists were killed. The four young men raced across Mogadishu, Africa to cover the bombing of what was thought to be General Aideed’s headquarters. The U.N. forces bombed the house but Aideed was not there, and instead nearly 90 men, women and children were killed in the bombing. When the journalists were taking pictures of the aftermath a horrible thing happened. All four young men were beaten, clubbed and stoned to death by an angry mob furious about the death of their friends, fathers, and brothers at the hands of U.S. and U.N. soldiers. One of these men who was massacred was Dan Eldon.

Closing Paragraph:

Learning about this war has changed my life I am always trying to help stop this war in as many ways as I can, even if it is telling someone about it. I feel that Dan Eldon has changed my life. As his inspired continuum does and will for years to come.

1. Explain why you chose this opening/closing combo.
Well I chose to write about his death in the first paragraph because it is an anecdote and it takes place in the past and it was one thing that made him famous besides his pictures and journals. The reason I wrote this as my closing paragraph is because it sums up how Dan Eldon has changed my life and how he has helped me change others lives.

2. How does it tie together your big ideas?
Well as I explained in the last question I decided to write about his past and the biggest event that happened to him first and then I wanted to end it on something positive and how he has directly affected my life and many others.

3. Explain the types of thoughts that you hope your reader has when they are done reading your work.
Well I would love for people to go and look up Invisible Children after reading my writing, another thing I would love is if they went home and researched more about Dan Eldon. These are things I feel that more people need to be aware of and I hope my essay can help raise some awareness. And some thoughts I want people to walk away with is mainly "How could I have not known about his death and who this man is?" or even "How could I have no known so much about what is going on now and what did happen in Africa?"

American Icons & Resources Response

Part 1: Icons
The two things I chose to link to my icon were Africa and Jason Russell and Laren Poole. The reason I chose these two things is because they both play a strong role in my artist statement. These are both connected by the African war; the two men are the creators of Invisible Children while Africa is the actual location Dan Eldon lived. The only way these two topics are different is that Jason Russell and Laren Poole don’t live in Africa where they are trying to help stop the war.

Part 2: Resources
Websites I used to help me:

http://www.invisiblechildren.com/home.php
Resource: Website and an article on website
Description/Explanation: This website was helpful to me because it helped teach me more about what Dan Eldon inspired, it also was where I first heard about him and how I learned more about Jason Russell and Laren Poole.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dan_Eldon
Resource: Website
Description/Explanation: This website was helpful to me because this is where I got most of my information on Dan Eldon and who he really is.

http://www.daneldon.org/site/
Resource: Website
Description/ Explanation: This website was helpful for me because it was all about Dan Eldon, it had a lot of information on him. It is also where I got to see videos on him and some of his actual footage.

American Icons Responce

1. Dan Eldon

1. What does this Icon represent to you? Why?

Dan Eldon was an amazing man who moved to Africa when he was just seven years old. He witnessed firsthand the events surrounding the coup and was around to experience its aftermath. Eldon joined his mother, a journalist in Kenya at the time, as she was assigned to stories in the local area. Soon Eldon was taking pictures, which were used in the local newspapers. He then wanted to make a career out of it and when he was just fourteen, Eldon started a fund-raising campaign for open-heart surgery to save the life of Atieno, a young Kenyan girl. His sister and he raised $5,000 for the surgery but sadly Atieno died from hospitals neglect. Later when he was fifteen he started journalism and photography with his friends, he then started keeping a journal of his life. This man never stopped trying to uncover the truth and he wasn’t afraid to prove something right, this is sadly what killed him. But he helped raise awareness to people and he also was the man to help inspire Jason Russell and Laren Poole, the creators of Invisible Children just as he inspires me to try and help change the world.

5. Who and what did this Icon inspire?

Dan Eldon helped inspire many of his classmates to get into journalism and try to help make a change in the world. He also was the one to inspire Jason Russell and Laren Poole to go over to Africa and make a documentary which helped start Invisible Children and helped spread awareness all around the world about the wars in Africa.

4. How did this Icon become important to you?

Well the war in Africa has been something that I feel strongly about stopping for a while now, another thing that I have been trying to be as involved as possible with is the company Invisible Children. So to find the man who helped inspire those people who now are inspiring so many is amazing.

2. Jason Russell and Laren Poole

3. Who and what was important to this Icon? Why

Both of these men are the creators of Invisible Children and they are very passionate about helping everyone who is tortured by the corrupt government and Joseph Kony in Africa. They first went over to Africa to film a documentary called “Rough Cut”. What started out as a filmmaking adventure transformed into much more when these boys from Southern California discovered a tragedy that disgusted and inspired them, a tragedy where children are both the weapons and the victims. So they started the company Invisible Children to raise awareness about it in the United States.

4. How did this Icon become important to you?

Well in ninth grade when I found out about this twelve year long war I wanted to help try and make a difference. So when I found this company it really inspired me and helps me make the change I want to.

5. Who and what did this Icon inspire?

These two men inspired many people to join in on the cause; they now have a big staff all around the world. The find it very important to try and inform as many people as possible about this unfair war. They have even come to our school and many others to raise awareness to younger adults, these men inspire change in our world.

5. Bob Fosse

4. How did this Icon become important to you?
Bob Fosse completely changed dance for today, he created and taught a style so different from anything anyone had seen that it inspired many different styles like modern, lyrical and jazz. This affects me directly considering that I dance these styles all the time and it also inspires me to think outside of the box while I’m dancing and try to think about doing different moves no one has done before. He completely changed my viewing on dance and how it now is even more creative to me.

1. What does this Icon represent to you? Why?
Bob Fosse was an amazing dancer; teacher and I loved how he proved one person could change how people view something. But Bob Fosse was not just a dancer he was also an actor musical theater choreographer, director, screenplay, film editor and film director. Bob Fosse made a huge impact on the arts and he inspires me every day.

2. Who and what was important to this Icon? Why?
Something that was always important to Bob Fosse was that his dances be perfect. He had a long line of drug abuse and he was quite the player but he would leave all of that alone and work on his dances to make sure they were new and creative. He would use everything as inspiration and turn it into a dance number or even plays. Another thing that was very important to him was his daughter, she was the one person he loved the most in the world and she helped inspire him and helped a lot with his work.