Magazine Reflection

Through the magazine project, I learned more than I had ever imagined I would. The project covered so many different topics. It gave us creative freedom to focus on what suited us best and what fit our own experiences. As far as the writing for my article goes, I focused on the economy, recession and losing my internship. This was something that interested me and it was a way I could share my internship experience and relate it to current American affairs. All year, we’ve been having class discussions and learning about the economy and the recession. This was a chance for me to translate that new knowledge into an experience-derived article for the magazine. I tried to incorporate facts that readers would relate to, like comparing California’s unemployment rate to the rate of this semester’s interns.

I learned so much about the publishing industry in these few short weeks. Though I was often worried about the lack of extra time we had to complete this project, I see now that it was an accurate representation of what the printing and publishing world is like. The fast pace of this project and the printing deadlines that were absolutely crucial provided a sense of real world professionalism. This project wasn’t like other projects—we couldn’t ask for extensions or change due dates. Since we were working with our printers and knew we had such a short amount of time, the deadlines were set in stone. I’m glad that I was able to experience this because if I ever choose to enter a career field similar to this, I have had the experience of working towards fast-approaching deadlines.

Layout and design were so important in this project. To be honest, I was worried about this when we first started to collaborate ideas for the magazine. I was worried that our class of nearly 50 students wouldn’t be able to agree on one style, ideas would clash, the pages would appear cluttered or busy and our final product wouldn’t be cohesive. My worries were completely gone once we started the project and set specific style guides and jobs. We had a writing style guide for everyone to follow so grammar was consistent throughout the magazine. We also had a style guide with the fonts that everyone was to use and the correct formatting. I’m so glad we started the project off this way because it completely avoided any clash of ideas and gave everyone solid examples and expectations for their spreads, while still leaving room for creativity. I’m so proud of our final product because it is professional and cohesive and has nearly 50 authors.

I personally saw my writing skills develop throughout the course of this project. The skill that I was happiest to attempt and eager to continue developing was condensing my writing to send a clear message to the intended audience. I was able to practice this so much when I was writing my article. In the early drafts, I neglected to mention the actual message of the story until one of the last paragraphs. I had thought that I was building up to a climatic ending, but I had done it wrong and the paper really had no meaning. After critiques and new drafts, I had a final article that was drastically different from my first. I cut out a lot of unnecessary paragraphs along the way. I focused and expanded on the important parts and finished with a much stronger and more meaningful article. This quality of learning to send a clear message is very important, or else your reader will be lost in a mess of words. I want to work on this a lot more because it is difficult to find a balance of being simple, clear and understandable, yet still using literary tools and diction to make it a high-quality piece of writing.

I've learned that critiques are probably the most important and essential aspect of creating a piece of writing, at least in my experience. Through critiques and advice, I made changes that I never would have recognized or thought of. I now understand that, as a writer, it's important that I seek out critiques and constantly write new drafts. I’ve learned that I need to work on a piece of writing every single day from when it is assigned to when it is due. I learned that having a fresh draft every day, ready to make more changes, is the way I work best. In order for my writing to develop further, I need to establish good habits that work for me, like the ones mentioned above, and make them routine. I know that when I dedicate myself to a piece of writing and work on it every single day, it will gradually develop and become stronger, which is exactly what I saw in the magazine project.

Magazine Reflection: Part Two

Overall, when you think about the big picture of your writing, what improved? How did it get better? Why?

In the early drafts of my article, I neglected to mention the actual point of the story until one of the last paragraphs. I had thought that I was building up to a climatic ending, but I had done it terribly and the paper really had no meaning. It was really difficult for me to decide how to rewrite a powerful introduction. I wanted it to catch the reader's attention, yet leave enough hidden information to discuss throughout the rest of the article. After many critiques and revised drafts, I had a rewritten introduction. I cut out a lot of paragraphs from my first draft that proved to be unnessecary. I focused and expanded on the important parts and finished with a much stronger and more meaninful article.

Overall, when you think about the big picture of your writing, what still needs work? What do you think will help you improve? Why?

I'm generally happy with my completed article. Comparing my first and final drafts show me how much I improved and how dedicated I was to creating a good piece of writing. I feel like I still could have improved on clarity throughout the article and ending strongly. Reading it again, I noticed areas that probably could have been rewritten so that the sentences were simple and easy to understand. Line-by-line editing would solve this. I would also have a few different people read over it so that it wasn't being critiqued by eyes that have already seen it before.

Specifically, show us something that improved and describe the path it took to get better. You can quote your article, your drafts, link to evidence, etc.

My writing improved when I zoned in on particular details and wrote specifically and personally. I learned to to take a general statement and rewrite it to make it more specific. Through the process of writing this article, I learned that each paragraph can become stronger if specific sentences bring some sort of detail that the reader can relate to. I know that if I look at a sentence and think of the ways I can bring detail to it, it strengthens my writing. It's easier for me to get all of my thoughts down on paper in the first draft and, later on, go through each paragraph and find ways to add details. For example, in the early drafts of my article, I had a boring paragraph explaining the well-known fact that companies are struggling and closing down--"Unfortunately, today's working Americans know the story of unemployment far too well. Companies are finding it harder to stay profitable and are being left with no choice but to regretfully downsize or even close down." After realizing how general and boring this statement was, I incorporated sentences that would make sense to the reader and my general audience and make it much more personal and easy to relate to--"...I began to better understand recession because I was witnessing it firsthand. I started noticing the local effects of recession everyday. Stores are closing and boarding up their windows. New stores are replacing others to suit the needs of consumers--See's Candy at Fashion Valley Mall recently reopened as a Cash4Gold store. Starbucks, undoubtedly one of the most famous corporations in America, closed over 600 stores in 2008." The paragraph continued with more specific examples that readers will relate to much more than the original.

Describe something specific (or a few things!) that you learned about writing.

I learned that a piece of writing can always be improved. One of the techniques that I enjoyed the most was concerts, not pancakes. It really helped me to consider each sentence individually and make each one powerful on its own. I also liked the loop-writing structure because it's challenging. It is difficult to do, but it makes writing stronger. I hope to continue to practice the loop-structure and use it in other pieces of writing. Keeping these in mind will help me with my writing in the future.

Magazine Reflection

What went well for you during the process of creating this magazine?

I feel that everything went as well as possible and the class as a whole did a great job. What I liked about making a magazine was the fact that the standards of completion and perfection were automatically raised tremendously. For example, the Media Saves the Beach project was put online, where it can still be altered or changed if needed. This magazine can't be changed once its printed, which made me want to make it absolutely perfect. I liked having that high-level of expectation and it worked well for me because it made me want to make everything as perfect as possible.

I feel like I did a good job at helping my classmates in what they needed. I would offer to copy-edit or critique anyone's article, helped my editing group with their layouts one-on-one before I started my own, and I was able to step in on other editor projects in addition to the ones I signed up for.

What challenges did you face as you moved from an early draft or idea to a final product?

When writing my article, I didn't struggle in the beginning stages of getting my ideas organized, but I did struggle in later drafts, trying to perfect it. I had trouble with the structure as my ideas started to separate and I needed to include more. I also included a lot of unnessesary sentences that I never really noticed as I read it, but learned that they weren't needed when others pointed them out to me. I sought critiques from a lot of different people and ended up with at least 10-12 drafts, if not a few more. As far as layouts go, I learned a lot about dotted lines.

What other examples of work—student and professional—stood out as exemplary and served as a good model for your own work?

For writing, I took advice from critiques from anyone that I got them from. For layouts, I looked at a lot of magazines. I had never really taken the time to look at a magazine spread and decide hoe it was made, but it helps alot. I've always liked simple, yet different and interesting magazines or advertisements and now I see why they really work. When we did in-class layout critiques, I got a chance to look at everyones layouts and some that I really liked were Wyatt's, Rodrigo's, and Kaory's.

Lit Groups

What worked?

Our game that we played when we all finished the book was very successful and our whole group really liked it. I'm glad that I put a lot of work into that because it was very successful. I think the idea of reading along with a group is a good idea, but it doesn't work when half the group reaches the due dates, and some don't. It would have been easier to talk and discuss the book if everyone was on the same page when we checked in.

What would you like to change?

I'm a slow reader so I have to change my own reading habits so that I am not stuck reading an excessive amount the night before it is due. Other than that, I wish there was a way to make Lit Groups more even and make the work that people put into the activities a little more balanced.

What was your book about?

The book that my group read for the first Lit Group session was The Grapes of Wrath. The story followed the Joad family as they travelled from Oklahoma to California during the Dust Bowl/Great Depression in hopes of finding a better life. The book describes deaths in their family, difficulty finding work, and other tragic hardships they had to face.

Obama Socialism

Since the early beginning of the 2008 Election, there have been speculations, accusations, and comments made about Obama being socialist. By Googling “Obama Socialism”, about 5,370,000 article results and 6,927 news articles will appear on your screen. Articles like, “The Rush Toward Socialism—and How to Stop It”, or “Obama Socialism will Wreck the Nation”. Personally, I see many of Obama's plans as plans of redistribution. I think that, if implemented correctly, redistribution could be the remedy that America's economy is in desperate need of. The controversy of Obama's recent raise in tax rates on the richest Americans can be interpreted in many different ways. Transferring money from the rich to the poor, redistributing wealth, or taxing according to one's ability to pay. As seen from a McCain spokesman's point of view, "Barack Obama wants to increase taxes on small business, the one current bright spot in the economy," said Tucker Bounds, "only to issue handouts to Americans who don't pay income taxes in the first place." Socialism seems to be seen in a negative light, but it's important to think about what would happen if there were no ideas even remotely related to the concept of socialism. A successful government with certain socialistic ideas doesn't have to be completely controlled by the government. If there were no policies that supported the ideas of rehabilitating low-income communities or creating jobs for people in need, what would America be like?

Many past presidents had ideas similar to President Obama's. Both Obama and Ronald Reagan were sworn in as president during an economic recession. By February 1981, less than one month after being sworn in, Reagan unveiled his "Program for Economic Recovery". Similarly, in February of 2009, President Obama announced that he had put a limit on the amount of bailout money large companies can receive. A few days later, Obama created the President's Economic Recovery Advisory Board. Both Reagan and Obama worked quickly to implement new ideas in hopes to fix the broken economy. In a 2004 article, Paul Krugman explained, "Ronald Reagan does hold a special place in the annals of tax policy, and not just as the patron saint of tax cuts. To his credit, he was more pragmatic and responsible than that; he followed his huge 1981 tax cut with two large tax increases. In fact, no peacetime president has raised taxes so much on so many people."

Sources Cited:

• Dave Michaels and Todd J. Gillman, Dallas Morning News, McCain Remarks on Obama 'Socialism' Viewed as a Stretch, 19 October 2008, Link, Accessed 21 April 2009.
• PBS, The American Experience, "Timeline of Ronald Reagan's Life", Link, Accessed 22 April 2009.
• Paul Krugman, The New York Times, "The Great Taxer", Published 8 June 2004, Link, Accessed 23 April 2009.
  

Honors Blog

The Grapes of Wrath; by John Steinbeck

Tom Joad.

What physical presence does the character have? Include height, weight, size, physical fitness, posture, etc. Tom Joad is of average height and average weight. He gained a more muscular build from working during his four years in prison. He stands tall and confidently. He may be intimidating to some, mostly people who know his past.

Describe the character's further visual details. Include hair, eyes, face, teeth, scars, tattoos, etc. Tom has shaggy, messy brown hair. He isn't clean shaven because of all the traveling he has been doing. His skin has been tanned to brown because he is constantly in the sun. He has no noticeable scars and no tattoos.

What distinguishing items does the character wear? Include clothes, jewelery, shoes, and any other physical item the character keeps with him/her. When Tom left prison, they gave him new clothes to wear. In the beginning of the book, when he reunited with his family, he was wearing a nice suit and brand new shoes. Later in the book, when they were traveling, his clothes were dirty and messy; for all the families traveling West, wearing dirty clothes was inevitable.

What distinguishing behavior does the character have? Include habits, preferences (music, food, literature, etc.), speech (sayings, stalling words, etc), and demeanor. The entire Joad family talked the same way. Their speech was a little difficult to understand and they had heavy southern accents.

What is the character's role in society? Include his/her job, hobbies, and uses of time. Tom, like many others, didn't have a job for the majority of the story. He was able to get some work when they got to the government camp. Just like everyone else, he tried his best to find work, that was the ultimate goal.

What is the character's religion or philosophy? What beliefs does he/she hold? How does this create or mitigate internal conflict within his/her psyche? Tom wasn't specifically religious throughout the book. His family was religious, especially his grandma. Tom did write the note for grandpa's grave, but I don't think that is specifically religious. I think he had a philosophy of doing what is best for his family. He made choices that he thought would help his whole family in the long run.

What do others in the book say about the character? Tom's family loves him and was ecstatic when he came home from prison. His whole family was shocked and happy, especially his mom and dad. Since he is the oldest Joad son, he is seen as the leader, after Pa. His younger brother Al obviously looks up to him and wants to impress him. People outside of his family often talk about Tom and how he killed a man. Sometimes, its indirectly, like to his brother, "That's Al Joad. His brother killed a man." People seem to be interested in him because they know what he did. When he meets new people, they usually take an immediate liking to him because of his kind personality to strangers.

What connections does this character have to history, established religion or the world beyond the book? Tom is connected to history, of course, because of his involvement in the story itself and traveling to California. He was one of the many, many people who made the journey and his character is a specific story that we can follow.

What does the character's name suggest? Authors rarely (if ever) name characters at random. What could the name symbolize? What evidence do you have for this? Tom has his father's name. I'm not sure it represents anything other than the fact that he is the oldest son. He does take a role of responsibility at certain times throughout the course of the story.

How does the character develop during the plot? How does he/she change? I see Tom as the character who developed and changed the most by the end of the story. The main thing that I noticed is that he went from caring mostly about himself and his well being, to caring more about his family and others. I saw him gain a larger sense of maturity and he started to worry about others more and do what was best for the other people in his life.

Rose of Sharon.

What physical presence does the character have? Include height, weight, size, physical fitness, posture, etc. Rose of Sharon was about six months pregnant in the beginning of the book. Other than that, she is average height and size.

Describe the character's further visual details. Include hair, eyes, face, teeth, scars, tattoos, etc. Rose of Sharon has long hair that is messy when not braided back. She has a round face and no scars or tattoos.


What distinguishing items does the character wear? Include clothes, jewelery, shoes, and any other physical item the character keeps with him/her. Rose of Sharon usually wears a dress. She has no specific jewelery that she wears, but may have had some packed away while they were traveling.

What distinguishing behavior does the character have? Include habits, preferences (music, food, literature, etc.), speech (sayings, stalling words, etc), and demeanor. The entire Joad family talked the same way. Their speech was a little difficult to understand and they had heavy southern accents. Rose of Sharon spent much of her time dreaming about her life with Connie. She also had a tendency to complain and cry when things weren't in her favor.

What is the character's role in society? Include his/her job, hobbies, and uses of time. She didn't have a job. On the trip, she spent most of her time with her husband Connie. After he left her, she spent her time in self-pity and trying to make her whole family feel sorry for her. She thought that every bad thing that happened during the trip would have an effect on her unborn baby. People quickly became annoyed with all of her complaining.

What is the character's religion or philosophy? What beliefs does he/she hold? How does this create or mitigate internal conflict within his/her psyche? Rose of Sharon was very superstitious about her baby. She was constantly worried and fearful that something would happen. When her grandma died, she thought it would have a negative effect on her baby. In the government camp, an extremely religious and strange woman told her that dancing and acting were sins and would send you to hell. Rose of Sharon was terrified and thought that she had hurt her unborn baby by dancing. All of this messed with her head and made her live in fear throughout the book, until the tragic birth of her baby.

What do others in the book say about the character? Her family loved her, but they were often annoyed of her constant whining and complaining. Ma was the one who would tell her she needed to stop having pity on herself and that she needed to help instead of crying and feeling sorry for herself.

What connections does this character have to history, established religion or the world beyond the book? Just like all the other characters, Rose of Sharon is connected to history because she traveled to California. She was one of the many people who made the journey. Rose of Sharon could also represent pregnant women going through difficult times or women who have had to deal with the pain of having a still born child.

What does the character's name suggest? Authors rarely (if ever) name characters at random. What could the name symbolize? What evidence do you have for this? Rose of Sharon is a really interesting name. Throughout the book, she was referred to as "Rosasharn". Ma loved her name, "'When you're young, Rosasharn, ever'thing that happens is a thing all by itself. It's a lonely thing. I know, I 'member, Rosasharn.' Her mouth loved the name of her daughter." (Page 209). I think her mom chose her name because she loved the way it sounded.

How does the character develop during the plot? How does he/she change? For most of the story, Rose of Sharon was only concerned with herself, Connie, and her unborn child. She was self-pitying and and had an overwhelming sense of self-importance. However, after the birth of her stillborn child, Rose of Sharon developed a sense of maturity and selflessness, even feeding a starving man.

Al Joad.

What physical presence does the character have? Include height, weight, size, physical fitness, posture, etc. Al is of average height and weight. He is physically fit, but not extremely muscular. His posture and walk is very confident.

Describe the character's further visual details. Include hair, eyes, face, teeth, scars, tattoos, etc. Like his brother Tom, Al has similar hair and eyes. His facial structure is defined and he is usually dirty with car oil. He does not have any scars or tattoos.

What distinguishing items does the character wear? Include clothes, jewelery, shoes, and any other physical item the character keeps with him/her. Al tries to dress really cool and fashionable. He rolls up his jeans and and his t-shirts walks confidently. His shirts tend to be dirty with dirt and car oil, since he is always under a hood fixing cars.

What distinguishing behavior does the character have? Include habits, preferences (music, food, literature, etc.), speech (sayings, stalling words, etc), and demeanor. Al's main interests in life are cars and girls. He loves cars and he wanted to work as a mechanic. He was also in love with any cute girl he saw. And like the rest of his family, his speech was the same rough, heavy speech.

What is the character's role in society? Include his/her job, hobbies, and uses of time. Al was responsible for the truck. He picked it out and kept it running. He helped out his family a lot by handling the mechanics of the trip.

What is the character's religion or philosophy? What beliefs does he/she hold? How does this create or mitigate internal conflict within his/her psyche? Al never really showed any sense of religion or philosophy.

What do others in the book say about the character? Tom seemed to be impressed with how quickly Al had grown up while he had been in prison. Everyone was thankful for Al, especially since without him, the truck wouldn't have run so well.

What connections does this character have to history, established religion or the world beyond the book? Just like every other character, Al is connected to history because of his involvement in the story itself and traveling to California. He was one of the many people who made the journey and his character is a specific story that we can follow.

What does the character's name suggest? Authors rarely (if ever) name characters at random. What could the name symbolize? What evidence do you have for this? I cannot think of anything that Al's name could suggest. Maybe Steinbeck just liked the name? ;)

How does the character develop during the plot? How does he/she change? Al matures throughout the story, but he still has his moments of immaturity, like when he could only think of finding girls when there were larger problems within the family. He still grew a lot throughout the course of the book.

Internship Photo Essay

One of our assignments during our two-week internship immersion was to photograph around our internship site and create a photo essay. The purpose of the photo essay was to convey a story or theme related to our internship experience.

The California Center for Sustainable Energy, or CCSE, is a non-profit organization dedicated to creating a sustainable future for the world we live in. They aim to advance public policies and provide programs, services, information and forums that make clean, reliable, renewable, and a sustainable environment a feasible mission. When I first started as an intern, I thought I knew about clean and efficient energy. I was under the impression that I knew all there was to know and that I was as “Green” as I could be because I felt I knew enough. However, after watching videos, researching and writing, spending time in the facility with “Average Joe” (pictured), looking at solar panels and light bulbs, being taught by others, and teaching my new knowledge to others, I learned so much more than I ever thought I could. I wrote papers about alternative energy, found the carbon footprints of packaged foods and water bottles, and used biodegradable spoons and forks for the first time. Looking back on it now, I can see, almost in slow motion, the steps that I took and the constant progress and growth that I made in a few months’ time.

Some people wouldn’t enjoy it simply because it seems boring and tiresome, but volunteer coordinating was one of my favorite responsibilities as an intern. It amazed me as I read applications and saw how passionate people were about volunteering their time. Coordinating the meetings was new to me and I overcame my fear of making business phone calls. As I was jotting down notes at the first volunteer meeting, a woman asked me for my e-mail address so she could send her résumé. She wanted to “be sure that it got to me directly”. Such a small thing has never made me feel so important. I felt noticed and not overlooked as a high school student. After this, I saw that internship is a catalyst in the process of preparing for college. Small experiences like the volunteer meetings gave me a larger sense of maturity and made me feel much more self-reliant. But of course, a seventeen year old can’t always act like an adult.

For two weeks, I spent my time with Leo and Chandler working in the small “closet”, or Intern Workroom. At one point, the office got so crowded, messy, and packed with all of our stuff that we couldn’t even move. With stacks of boxes filled with our project supplies, three chairs, two bookcases, two desks and computers, all of our clothes, and an endless supply of food, the office started to look less like a workspace and more like our rooms at home. Employees would walk by and joke that they’ve never seen the room so messy. My mentor, Kimberly, walked and joked, “At least you have the excuse of being teenagers.” Though it was a funny, on-going joke, a day of epiphany finally came and we cleaned the room until it was habitable again.

On my very first day of internship, my mentor told me that I could always go into the Break Room and take whatever I wanted to eat. I didn’t go for the first couple of weeks; for some reason, I felt like I was stealing! It was awkward for me to walk in and talk to the employees. By the end of immersion, I was walking in there, eating the food, and I would almost always end up in a conversation with someone. Everyone always seemed to be so interested in what we had been working on and how we enjoyed internship. One afternoon in the Break Room, I was talking with Anna, the Marketing Assistant, “It sounds like you guys are doing an awesome job.” She said, “We’re all really proud of you guys. We’re so happy you’re here!” Small conversations like that help days go by smoothly and made me feel appreciated and like I had proven myself. Completing many HR projects and volunteering to help with the Climate Change Program shows me that I’m capable of anything and I’ve become more self-reliant.

Around 12 o’clock, every day during immersion, we would leave our cluttered desks and walk to get our lunch. In n’ Out, Taco Bell, and Quizno’s were our favorite places. Walking down Balboa Avenue turned into a joke when Leo and Chandler would try to cross the street when I wasn’t looking and leave me stranded on the corner (they succeeded most times, and I’d have to run to catch up). Everyone at the office joked because we would say we were going out to exercise, just to eat our fast food. Leo and Chandler tried every day to get me to run with them, but I turned them down constantly. They finally convinced me to run with them once and I was so proud that I kept up with them. But I should’ve known they would steal my glory and tell me that they were jogging as slow as they could to stay with me.

The High Tech Fair was completely about science and technology; the three of us interns represented CCSE at our booth. The fair was filled with different organizations and companies, with exhibitors ranging from experts on aerospace, agriculture, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, computers, electronics, environmental science, and green energy technology. I taught and high school students about carbon footprints, energy efficiency, and renewable resources. The lessons were interactive and interesting and run solely by the interns. The success of the fair and the feeling of accomplishment that followed made the perfect ending to immersion. It was the culmination of the efforts we put into learning and presenting the topics. I couldn’t have asked for it to have gone any better. We were even in the newspaper!

Internship Magazine

What article(s) would you like to write for the magazine? What photography could you contribute? Art? List three different ideas for your major contribution. I don't really know what type of article I'd like to write. Maybe something about what the actual students think of internship and immersion. Something that sums up the good and the bad and includes many different points of view (interview classmates) and the overall thoughts of the class as a whole. As far as photography goes, I'm not really happy with my pictures but I could include one.

Suggest at least one (or more) possible title for the magazine. This could be a title with or without a subtitle. For example, I work for UnBoxed: a Journal of Adult Learning in Schools. I'm terrible at coming up with titles. The best thing I could think of would be, Internship: Career Experience for a High School Student.

Suggest a topic for an article that you were personally like to read in a magazine inspired by the internship semester. If I were looking through this magazine, I'd like to see an article about how internship changed a student as a person. I'd want to read a personal account of how internship impacted someone in some way and how it changed them.

Economic Advice for CCSE

There's no denying the fact that America is facing difficult and troubling economic times. Everyone is affected in one way or another; there is no choice but to be conscious of each of your economic decisions.

With CCSE being a "Green" company, parts of Obama's new stimulus plan speaks directly to you. My advice would be to review his plan carefully and take advantage of it. Maximize funding opportunities as they become available and seek brand new opportunities. Obama has shown his interest and dedication to instilling a green future, even on the day the stimulus deal was signed, "The signing ceremony was heavily loaded with solar symbolism: Mr. Obama signed the bill after touring the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, which has solar panels on its roof." There is obviously a lot of new attention surrounding the idea of a sustainable and green future, which is exactly what CCSE has been trying to do since the day it was opened.

“It’s an investment that will double the amount of renewable energy produced over the next three years” -- Obama, on the stimulus package

Another piece of advice that I believe will help CCSE stay ahead in tough economic times is to increase marketing and PR efforts to take advantage of the public's heightened interest in alternative energy, renewable resources, and conservation. The public interest is there, they just need to know who to go to. Creating more of a social stir will only help to advance your company to its ultimate goal, creating a sustainable future. There are so many ways to draw attention to CCSE. Using social networking sites and social media opportunities as a low-cost marketing tool will help maximize exposure at little to no cost. More and more companies are beginning to use sites such as Twitter to draw more attention to the company itself and bring a larger crowd to events and fundraisers.

In the past few months of interning at CCSE, I've heard interviewees and volunteers say many times that they want to work here because they hope for a green future and they know that "California is the front runner in green energy". "Not coincidentally, three-quarters of the nation’s demand for solar comes from residents and companies in California. California is poised to be both the world’s next big solar market and its entrepreneurial center." You should take advantage of this and put your name out there even more. Let people know that California is the leader of greening America, and CCSE is the leader of California. While many people do know of your company and what it offers, not enough people do. Position yourselves as the authority of clean energy by continuing to offer the public free resources, supplies, education, etc.

One final way to increase productivity while lowering operating costs is by utilizing AMAZING student interns who will work for school credit and no benefits.

Kate Galbraith, The New York Times, Obama Signs Stimulus Packed With Clean Energy Provisions, Accessed 22 March 2009.

Matt Richtel & John Markoff, The New York Times, A Green Industry Takes Root In California, Accessed 22 March 2009.

Post-Internship Immersion

What is one thing you learned during internship immersion?

I learned more than I could have imagined during immersion. One thing that I know will definately help me in the years to come is that I learned how to take initiative. Many times during immersion and internship in general, I took it upon myself to find more work to do. If I knew I could handle it, I volunteered myself to help more and take care of different tasks. Sometimes, the tasks would be small, office work; other times, they would be larger scale projects. For instance, at the start of immersion, I asked if I could be a part of Leo and Chandler's project. They were going to be working at the High Tech Fair in Del Mar, teaching middle and high school students about carbon footprints and energy efficiency. Even though I'm the HR intern, I thought what they were doing sounded like interesting and something that I would enjoy doing. I was interested in learning everything that they were learning about. I also had a feeling that my mentor would start to run out of HR things for me to do during immersion, so I thought the fair was a good opportunity for me. I talked to my mentor who completely agreed with me and wanted me to do it. After that, I talked to Leo and Chandler's mentor who allowed me to be a part of the project. This completely changed my immersion experience because I was able to do something a little different and learn much more than I had thought I would previously. I was proud of myself because I was able to complete all this, while still completing all of my HR tasks. Coming into the project as the HR intern and with Leo and Chandler being the Climate Change interns, I was a little nervous that I would be far behind before I even started. However, I did my research and did just as much work as both Leo and Chandler and was able to teach people new things at the High Tech Fair. We had so much fun at the fair and it was overall a great experience. I was able to talk to professionals and representatives from all kinds of companies like the San Onofre Nuclear Power Plant and the San Diego Zoo Conservation and Research Program. I think that people were impressed with us at the fair. From what I saw, we were the only booth run by high school students and I think people enjoyed listening to what we had to say.

Union Tribune Article on the High Tech Fair.

Honors Blog

Cannery Row; By John Steinbeck

Rather than telling one continuous story, Cannery Row is more of a collection of short vignettes that flow together to describe the lives of people living on Cannery Row. Cannery Row is a street filled with sardine fisheries in Monterrey, California. John Steinbeck uses the setting to tell short stories and develop character personalities of people living there during the Great Depression.

Doc;

1. What physical presence does the character have? Include height, weight, size, physical fitness, posture, etc. --Doc is a tall and has an athletic build. He is not overweight and stands confidently. His clothing shows that he may have more money than many others living on Cannery Row.
   
2. Describe the characters further visual details. Include hair, eyes, face, teeth, scars, tattoos, etc. --He has short, brown, and well kept hair. His face is always clean shaven. He has normal teeth, no scars, no tattoos.
   
3. What distinguishing items does the character wear? Include clothes, jewelery, shoes, and any other physical item the character keeps with him/her. --Doc is usually wearing a hat to keep the sun out of his eyes. Since he is a marine biologist, he's often out collecting samples to experiment.
   
4. What distinguishing behavior does the character have? Include habits, preferences (music, food, literature, etc.), speech (sayings, stalling words, etc), and demeanor. --When he is at home, his phonograph is almost always playing records. He is always reading a book, most about marine biology studies. He usually has a calm demeanor, except when he punched Mack for ruining his house with a party. His speech is nothing unusual.
   
5. What is the characters role in society? Include his/her job, hobbies, and uses of time. --Doc is well-known in Cannery Row. His house is filled with different animals and things that he uses to study, which everyone finds interesting. His job also allows openings for other people to have jobs. He would pay people 5 cents for every frog that they caught for him to study. People like Mack made a lot of money by helping Doc.
   
6. What is the character's religion or philosophy? What beliefs does he/she hold? How does this create or mitigate internal conflict within his/her psyche? --He's not religious. It doesn't really affect his life, as far as the book tells.
   
7. What do others in the book say about the character? --Everyone in Cannery Row loves Doc, which is why they chose to throw him a huge party as a thank you. They say he is always working hard, generous to others, and very smart.
   
8. What connections does this character have to history, established religion or the world beyond the book? --He is connected to the world of marine biology.
   
9. What does the character's name suggest? Authors rarely (if ever) name characters at random. What could the name symbolize? What evidence do you have for this? --To me, Doc is a name that evokes wisdom and knowledge, which is exactly the kind of character that Doc was. I think Steinbeck may have used similar reasoning when naming this character.
   
10. How does the character develop during the plot? How does he/she change? --He doesn't grow too much throughout the course of the book. His attitude changes a little and he becomes less of a pushover. For instance, when he punches Mack near the end of the book. I don't think he would have done that in the beginning, but it shows how his patience with him deteriorated over time.
    

Lee Chong;

1. What physical presence does the character have? Include height, weight, size, physical fitness, posture, etc. --Lee Chong is on the shorter side and not very muscular. His clothing is modest and shows niether upper nor lower class. He is not intimidating at all to others and most only see him standing behind the counter at his store.
   
2. Describe the characters further visual details. Include hair, eyes, face, teeth, scars, tattoos, etc. --He often wears glasses and has his hair combed back. He had a round face, no scars, no tattoos.
   
3. What distinguishing items does the character wear? Include clothes, jewelery, shoes, and any other physical item the character keeps with him/her. --Lee doesn't have any distinguishing items. He dresses modestly, his job doesn't require him to wear any particular clothing. One item that would come to mind when thinking about Lee would be the abacus that he always uses to calculate cost when people purchace something at his store.
   
4. What distinguishing behavior does the character have? Include habits, preferences (music, food, literature, etc.), speech (sayings, stalling words, etc.), and demeanor. --The beginning of the book describes Lee Chong's speech--"He spoke a stately English without ever using the letter R." His demeanor is not intimidating at all and he's very laid-back. His attitude is never rushed nor angry and he is calm.
   
5. What is the characters role in society? Include his/her job, hobbies, and uses of time. --Lee Chong's grocery store is the store that basically everyone in Cannery Row goes to when they need anything. The store carries everything that anyone could possibly need and his prices are always reasonable. He is almost always at the store. In small ways, he helps out everyone in the community. For instance, he gave Mack and his brothers a house to live in and he always gives people discounts or loans out food.
   
6. What is the character's religion or philosophy? What beliefs does he/she hold? How does this create or mitigate internal conflict within his/her psyche? --No religion is described in the book, but Lee's attitude is always calm and content. He seems to always be happy and okay with the way things are, even if someone cheats him on his money.
   
7. What do others in the book say about the character? --Almost everyone on Cannery Row owes Lee money. "No one is really sure whether Lee ever receives any of the money he is owed or if his wealth consisted entirely of unpaid debts, but he lives comfortably and does legitimate business in the Row." Everyone likes Lee because he is always helping them out.
8. What connections does this character have to history, established religion or the world beyond the book? --Lee Chong is connected to immigrants that came to America, especially during the Great Depression.
   
9. What does the character's name suggest? Authors rarely (if ever) name characters at random. What could the name symbolize? What evidence do you have for this? --In a way, his name describes his culture and shows that he is one of the only people living on Cannery Row that recently moved there and was not born there.
   
10. How does the character develop during the plot? How does he/she change? --Throughout the entirety of the book, Lee had always been kind, yet cautious of others. Yet this was always overruled by kindness and he gave people more than he got in return. However, near the end of the book, he became a little more self-advocating and he raised prices in the store.
    

Mack;

1. What physical presence does the character have? Include height, weight, size, physical fitness, posture, etc. --Mack is a little on the taller side, not muscular, and slender. He doesn't have great posture, and is not at all intimidating.
   
2. Describe the characters further visual details. Include hair, eyes, face, teeth, scars, tattoos, etc. --Though his hair wasn't described in the book, I don't picture it being very well kept. I see it more messy and not very well groomed. I see his face as strong bone-structure and his teeth are probably crooked since I don't think he had money for dental care. No tattoos, no noticable scars.
3. What distinguishing items does the character wear? Include clothes, jewelery, shoes, and any other physical item the character keeps with him/her. --He dressed very modestly and didn't have much money to buy nice clothes. He didn't care if they were dirty, so they were probably often torn and dirty. The only distinctive item that comes to mind would be a bottle of whiskey, since he loved to drink. He was always drinking and its what he bought the second he had money in his pocket.
4. What distinguishing behavior does the character have? Include habits, preferences (music, food, literature, etc.), speech (sayings, stalling words, etc), and demeanor. --I don't think he was educataed, at least not very extensively, so his speech and vocabulary were both limited. He was often drunk, which was usually the cause of his outlandish ideas like throwing Doc a party, which trashed his house.
5. What is the characters role in society? Include his/her job, hobbies, and uses of time. --He didn't have a job, he just helped Doc by getting frogs whenever he needed money. His hobbies consisted of lying and persuading people into helping himself. Though most of his intentions were good, his lying usually ended up getting him into deeper trouble.
6. What is the character's religion or philosophy? What beliefs does he/she hold? How does this create or mitigate internal conflict within his/her psyche? --No religion, and no beliefs described in the book.
7. What do others in the book say about the character? --His close group of friends saw him as the leader and said that he could be president if he wanted to. However, other characters like Doc and Lee Chong were always catious of Mack and saw him as slightly childish. They knew he would lie to get his way and often times, his intentions went awry and caused damage. Since he had no money, he usually got out easy and the others had to pay for it.
8. What connections does this character have to history, established religion or the world beyond the book? --His connection is shown to me by accounts of other people living during perios such as the Great Depression who didn't have much money, yet still wanted to have a good time.
9. What does the character's name suggest? Authors rarely (if ever) name characters at random. What could the name symbolize? What evidence do you have for this? --Mack was a very charismatic character and could be seen as a trouble-maker. In a way, I think the name Mack fits his personality and is a good choice.
10. How does the character develop during the plot? How does he/she change? --Mack tried so hard to throw a good party for Doc and he wanted to feel like he contributed and did something good. I saw his development in the book because he learned and realized that his actions could be seen good by him and bad by others. Near the end of the book, he told Doc about how his wife had left him and everything he tried to do for her always went wrong somehow--"I had a wife. Same thing. Ever'thing I done turned sour. She couldn't stand it any more. If I done a good thing it got poisened up some way."

Internship Immersion

1. What are you most excited about in regards to your immersion experience? Why do you feel this way? I think the thing that I am most excited about for immersion is the chance to become more of a part of the office and do more important tasks that will make a difference. I want to help the company and do more long-term projects. I think it will be fun and I hope I get the opportunity to plan an event or fundraiser.
2. What are you most concerned about (what causes the most stress) regarding immersion? Why do you feel this way? I'm a little concerned about having enough to do each day. I'll try to take initiative every day and propose tasks for myself if they don't have anything. I'm still excited though because I like my internship and I don't think immersion will be that bad. It should be fun and hopefully I'll come back with a good photo essay as well.
   

How Progressive was the Progressive Era?

→ How it was progressive.

Minimum Wage Regulations. During the Progressive Era, certain states initiated providing minimum wage laws for women workers. This ensured reasonable pay for women in the work force.

Advancements in Technology. The Progressive Era provided the access to brand new technologies for Americans. These new technologies changed the home environment, the work industry, and daily life. These advancements are important because we still see them today. New inventions, like automobiles, drastically changed the years following the invention.

Transportation. Railroads and Pullman Cars were widely common and were a main source of transportation.

Accessable Information. Newspapers and advertising grew, causing a huge increase in the number of people who knew the news and how quickly they heard it. New means of communication were introduced, like the telegraph and the radio.

→ How it was not progressive.

Child Labor. The 1890 census revealed that more than one million children, ten to fifteen years old, worked in America. That number increased to two million by 1910. Children as young as five or six were employed to work as many as eighteen to twenty hours a day.

Poor Working Conditions. Men, women and children worked long hours in unsafe factories. Incidents like the Triangle-Shirtwaist Factory Fire are proof of poor working conditions. 148 workers, mostly women, died in the fire. It was caused by the hazardous building with no decent fire escape route and illegally locked doors.

Farmers lost jobs. Many farmers lost their jobs and income, due to a decrease in demand for their services. Machinery took over many of their jobs and they were no longer needed.

→ My stand on it.

The Progressive Era definitely had its share of pros and cons. In some cases, they went hand in hand, meaning that a good thing was also a bad thing. For instance, technology advanced and brought new innovations and ideas, yet it put farmers out of work and replaced humans with machines. I see the Progressive Era as something that was necessary to our nation. It had to happen because it made our country move forward and it did solve many problems. However, it had its share of trials and tribulations that of course, stand out in our minds. In my opinion, the Progressive Era was great because it moved our society forward, yet I think it could have gone more smoothly if it had been taken slower. Maybe then, incidents like the Shirtwaist Fire and child labor would have been noticed and addressed, because America wouldn’t have been so fast-paced and aimed for quick success.

Yay Blogs

I looked through the blogs that my classmates have written and chose the ones that stood out to me the most in terms of economic advice to Obama, literary analysis, and historical writing.

Economic advice to Barack Obama; From Diana Barlow's Blog

So in the declaration, it is made clear that all humans have the civil liberties to learn, so that they can prosper and become the future of America, as it has been meant to be. But how can that be achieved if something so little as money can stand in the way? According to the biennial report from the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education, with the rising cost of tuition, even before the the recession, many Americans can't afford college. The college tuition fees have increased an enormous amount of 439 percent from 1982 to 2007, while the median family income only raised 147 percent. College loans has more then doubled in the last 10 years, and students from lower class families usually get smaller grants from the colleges they attend then more prosperous families.

What stood out to me about Diana's blog was how her thoughts were so organized and she referenced history and current statistics. She proposed the problem with a question and everything was in logical order.

Literary Analysis; From Jacob Harris' Blog

The last literary device in this book is symbolism. I think that the biggest symbol in the book is the rabbit. It shows up in every chapter that I can remember, and is usually symbolic of the ideal lifestyle that they, or maybe just Lennie wanted. Towards the end of the book though, it turns to a more sinister symbol, telling Lennie about how bad of a person he is and how George doesn't need him. I see it as a symbol of what the title of the book was derived from. I see the rabbit as the great plan all laid out, then going awry like every great plan does. Also, in my experience at least, the rabbit has always been the thing to escape anyones grasp, which supports the theory of what it symbolizes.

I really like how Jacob explained the use of symbolism in Of Mice and Men. He thoroughly described how it is used as a literary device and what it meant to him.

Historical Writing; From Evan Lott's Blog

Military ventures played a big role in the 1896 election because both candidates were involved. William Jennings Bryan was an active member of the Anti-Imperialist League. This was Americas first citizen organization that challenged the governments foreign policies. The anti imperialist believed that "nations that sought to control colonial empires inevitably ended up embroiled in bloody wars far from their homes--wars that would eventually lead to the collapse of the empire." Bryan, a representative on behalf of the anti-imperialist argues the point that"imperialist actions are counterproductive for the success and health of the United States". He then goes on to make a very good point that "the extension of American power to foreign lands does not make sense financially, is illegal under American law and will inevitably lead to war".

What I liked about Evan's Blog was how his writing was so understandable and to-the-point. He incorporated quotes and evidence, and avoided it becoming too confusing. It was easy to read and gain a lot from.

Anything else that makes blogs great; From Sydney Lampe's Blog

March 4, 1933, Franklin Delano Roosevelt delivered his first inaugural speech to the citizens of America. Within his speech, he spoke to Americans with a sense of hope and encouragement. In 1933, America was in a time of need; “Taxes have risen; our ability to pay has fallen… the means of exchange are frozen in the currents of trade; farmers find no markets for their produce; the savings of many years in thousands of families are gone.” Citizens were unaware of where to turn, and with America hitting rock bottom within the first month Roosevelt took his oath as president, “ We must act and act quickly.” The concerns of first inaugural speech of Franklin Delano Roosevelt can be compared to those of present times, full of loss of jobs, bank foreclosures and the overall quality of our economy causing America to be in a state of panic.

Sydney's blog about FDR's inaugural address stood out to me because of her strong introduction. She set the tone of the essay and it was easy to understand what she would discuss in the following paragraphs. She also wrote a great thesis statement, which made the rest of the blog structured and easy to understand.

Darwin's 200th Birthday

What responsibility do we have for the understanding of science? I think that it is up to us to understand science and to make advancements and move our society foward, at least as much as we want to. We don't control all science, but we control how much we know about it. It's important to realize what we know, what we don't know, what we want to know, and what we can't know. I think it is our responsibility to understand science in a way that helps us.
What role should scientific inquiery and scientific knowledge play in our own society? I think science should always play a consistent role in the background of our society. Science holds truths and facts, so it is important that society knows those facts.
How should science influence our decisions, laws, and culture? This is always a nagging question, especially when it comes to religion vs. science. It's a fine line that is difficult to work around, but I think science should have a large influence on our decisions. It should be referenced because scientific facts have been proven time after time. I think it should influence culture, but not too much. Different people have different culture and I don't think it would work to blanket everyone's personal culture with science.

Honors Blog

The Alchemist; by Paulo Coelho

The Alchemist is a short book about a shepherd from Spain, named Santiago, who goes on a journey across the desert to fulfil his "Personal Legend" and find the treasure he envisioned in his dreams. The book is hailed as powerful and inspiring, as it conveys a message of following your dreams. Early in the book, Santiago says, "It's the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting." This simple theme was woven throughout the entirety of the book and helped to pull together the overlying message of the story. Paul Coelho develops a theme of following your dreams, yet allowing fate to take its course, through allegory, imagery, and conflict.
Allegory is an extremely important aspect in tying this book together. Coelho uses this literary devices in many instances in the book by using a character, object, or circumstance as a symbol for a much deeper idea. Coelho gave his writing style variety by using allegory in both small and big ways. For instance, in the very beginning of the book, Santiago travels to talk to "the wisest of the wise men". The wise man tells Santiago to carry a spoon full of oil without spilling it, and look through his house full of treasures, paintings, and marvels of the world. The first time, Santiago was focused so intently on keeping the oil on the spoon, that he didn't notice any of the paintings or treasures. After he was told to look at the walls, he forgot all about the oil and let it all spill to the ground. When he returned, the wise man told him, "The secret of happiness is to see all the marvels of the world, and never to forget the drops of oil on the spoon." (Page 32) I feel Coelho described this scene for the sake of conveying a specific message. The oil on the spoon was there to represent something much more important, which I personally think is up to the reader to decide. Coelho used allegory in this section because he used a simple object like oil on a spoon to evoke something much deeper within the reader's mind. Coelho also utilized this literary device in other very small, yet significant, ways throughout the story. At one point in the book, Santiago sat at a bar in Africa. He attempted to overcome the language barrier and order wine, but to his disappointment, he ended up with tea. He was upset that the tea was bitter, but then he thought about the journey that he was just beginning-- "'If God leads the sheep so well, he will also lead a man', he thought, and that made him feel better. The tea seemed less bitter." (Page 35). As I read this, I recognized that the tea symbolized something else. To me, the cup of tea was a symbol for Santiago's life, his journey, or struggles. When Coelho wrote, "The tea seemed less bitter", I read it as him saying, "His life didn't seem so bad." In my opinion, the largest form of allegory in The Alchemist was the character, the Alchemist himself. When The Alchemist and Santiago were travelling through the desert, Santiago ended up doing things that he never imagined himself being able to do. He left the love of his life to find his treasure, he turned himself into wind, and he escaped murder and war. Towards the last few pages of the book, Santiago talks to the Alchemist who says, "That's what alchemists do. They show that, when we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better, too." (Page 150). I feel that this summarizes the significance of the Alchemist and Santiago's journey. It showed that the Alchemist was a allegorical character, in that he provided a sense of security for Santiago and allowed him to do things he would never have done otherwise. The use of allegory connects back to the overall theme of the book because it deepens every character, object, and incident that Coelho writes about and strengthens the meaning.
Imagery is another important aspect of Coehlo's writing in The Alchemist. He uses imagery to give the reader a better understanding of the scene he is describing. This is a book that follows a shepherd's travels, so the scene changes multiple times throughout the course of the story. I think imagery is very important in allowing the reader to gain a sense of what is happening and form a picture in their mind. For instance, at one point in the book, Santiago is working at a crystal shop in Africa. He is talking to the shopkeeper who tells him about his dreams of travelling to Mecca one day--"You dream about your sheep and the Pyramids, but you're different from me, because you want to realize your dreams. I just want to dream about Mecca. I've already imagined a thousand times crossing the desert, arriving at the Plaza of the Sacred Stone, the seven times I walk around it before allowing myself to touch it. I've already imagined the people who would be at my side, and those in front of me, and the conversations and prayers we would share. But I'm afraid that it would all be a disappointment, so I prefer just to dream about it." (Page 55). I think this passage was very important for a few reasons. First, it was very visual and descriptive, which allowed the reader to vividly picture what was being depicted. Secondly, it gave me the idea that it was important to the character. Even though he said he wasn't actually going to fulfil that dream, the fact that it was described in such great detail gave me the impression that it still held high importance to the character. Imagery is also used in other ways, like describing a picture in detail and connecting it metaphorically to something else--"He watched the hawks as they drifted on the wind. Although their flight appeared to have no pattern, it made a certain kind of sense to the boy. It was just that he couldn't grasp what it meant. He followed the movement of the birds, trying to read something into it. Maybe these desert birds could explain to him the meaning of love without ownership." (Page 99). This passage was important because it was descriptive and allowed room for interpretation outside of the actual scene being described (it brought the idea of love into consideration). Another form of imagery that Coelho uses is nature imagery--"The wind screamed with delight, and blew harder than ever. The tents were being blown from their ties to the earth, and the animals were being freed from their tethers. On the cliff, the men clutched at each other as they sought to keep from being blown away." (Page 151). Coelho managed to fit a broad amount of description and detail into a short three sentence paragraph. I think this is an important skill to have when using imagery as a literary device because it provides the reader a good amount of detail, without boring them of unnecessary length or run-on sentences.
Conflict was also a literary tool that was used often throughout the story. In a way, the entire plot was filled with conflict after conflict. Santiago would encounter a problem during his journey and it would take him time to fix it. One of his first major conflicts was a lack of money that he needed to go to the Pyramids to fulfill his "Personal Legend". He solved this by working for a crystal shopkeeper for about a year (Page 51). Another conflict presented in the story would be the war that kept Santiago from crossing the rest of the desert to find the Pyramids. He ended up having to stay in the oasis for a good amount of time, where he actually met a girl he fell in love with. This connects to the theme of the story because for Santiago, this is where fate took its course--"I had a dream, and I met with a king. I sold crystal and crossed the desert. And, because the tribes declared war, I went to te well, seeking the alchemist. So, I love you because the entire universe conspired to help me find you." (Page 122). This conflict of having to stay in the oasis ended up being a blessing in disguise for Santiago. The last conflict that I found significant to the story would be with Santiago was forced to turn himself into wind. He and the alchemist were captured by soldiers and the only way to escape from murder was for Santiago to turn himself into the wind and prove he was an alchemist--"'But I have no idea how to turn myself into the wind.' 'If a person is living out his Personal Legend, he knows everything he needs to know. There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to acheive: the fear of failure.'" (Page 141). This conflict proved to be important because it was the last major conflict for Santiago, and after that, everything fell into place for him.
The Alchemist's theme is not hidden at all. Almost anyone reading the book would be able to understand that it is about pursuing dreams and fate. However, I think that everyone who reads it is able to take away something else, something personal and significant to only them, which is what I liked about this book. Paulo Coelho is able to develop these themes through the use of allegory, imagery, and conflict, all of which work together to form one of the bestselling books in history, and an interesting story to read, in my opinion.

Obama's Economic Advisor, Part 2

Mr. President,

After reading your editorial about the economy posted in the Washington Post, I will say that I agree with and understand the sense of urgency you pushed on the matter. This crumbling economy cannot handle another day wasted, it needs action and a plan for recovery. An issue that resonates in my mind and in the minds of other Americans, is the struggle to hold a job and steering clear of unemployment. So many have already been affected by this and America knows it far too well, as it is embedded in one of the darkest periods of our country's history. The Great Depression brought hardships upon millions of Americans, sounding very similar to the hardships of today. "By 1932 the unemployment rate had soared past 20 percent. Thousands of banks and businesses had failed." Currently, with our unemployment rate at 7.6 percent, we cannot afford to let it rise any further and rise to the point of the 1930's. A piece of advice for you would be to focus on creating more jobs for Americans. The new jobs should be structured to build upon advances in technology. It sounds like this is already woven into your plan, so I think it should be implemented as soon as possible.

This graph shows the rapid increase in the number of "Green Jobs" from July 2005 through July 2008. The steady increase, in my opinion, shows that Americans want sustainable jobs and know that "Green Jobs" can provide security in an unpredictable economy.

In my humble opinion, the red line should continue to increase. My advice to you would be to create more Green Jobs that would put Americans back to work in a secure workfield.

In a way, Franklin Roosevelt's responsibilities during the Great Depression are very similar to the responsibilities you take on today. "On May 18, President Roosevelt submitted to congress the center-piece of his first hundred days: the National (Industrial) Recovery Act, or NRA." Roosevelt's plan was designed to promote recovery. It was set up to bring maximum work hours for laborers, minimum wages, and forbid child labor. My advice to you is to look back on our nation's history, especially the Great Depression. FDR's challenges relate so much to yours, so you can take away things to do, as well as not to do. My question for you is, when can we expect to see new jobs being created?

Thank you so much for your time Mr. President.

Sources Cited.
- Taylor, Nick. The New York Times. "The Great Depression". Link. 8 February 2009.

- United States Department of Labor. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Link. 8 February 2009.
- National Industrial Recovery Act. "Bills & Laws 1933-1935." Link. 8 February 2009.
- Indeed.com. Job Trends. "Green Jobs". Link. 9 February 2009.
- DeLong, J. Bradford. The Economic History of the 20th Century. "Climbing out of the Great Depression". Link. 8 February 2009.

If you were Obama's economic advisor...

Mr. President,

After reading your editorial about the economy posted in the Washington Post, I will say that I agree with and understand the sense of urgency you pushed on the matter. This crumbling economy cannot handle another day wasted, it needs action and a plan for recovery. An issue that resonates in my mind and in the minds of other Americans, is the struggle to hold a job and steering clear of unemployment. So many have already been affected by this and America knows it far too well, as it is embedded in one of the darkest places of our country's history. The Great Depression brought hardships upon millions of Americans, sounding very similar to the hardships of today. "By 1932 the unemployment rate had soared past 20 percent. Thousands of banks and businesses had failed." Currently, with our unemployment rate at 7.6 percent, we cannot afford to let it rise any further and rise to the point of the 1930's. A piece of advice for you would be to focus on creating more jobs for Americans. The new jobs should ben unthreatened by technological advancements, so that Americans keep them for years and years to come. It sounds like this is already woven into your plan, so I think it should be implemented as soon as possible.

In a way, Franklin Roosevelt's responsibilities during the Great Depression are very similar to the responsibilities you take on today. "On May 18, President Roosevelt submitted to congress the center-piece of his first hundred days: the National (Industrial) Recovery Act, or NRA." Roosevelt's plan was designed to promote recovery. It was set up to bring maximum work hours for laborers, minimum wages, and forbid child labor. My advice to you is to look back on our nation's history, especially the Great Depression. FDR's challenges relate so much to yours, so you can take away things to do, as well as not to do. My question for you is, when can we expect to see new jobs being created?

Thank you so much for your time Mr. President.

• Taylor, Nick. The New York Times. "The Great Depression". Link. 8 February 2009.
• United States Department of Labor. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Link. 8 February 2009.
• National Industrial Recovery Act. Acts, Bills, and Laws, 1933-1935. Link. 8 February 2009.
• DeLong, J. Bradford. The Economic History of the 20th Century. "Climbing out of the Great Depression". Link. 8 February 2009.
  

Internship Interview!
Time: Either 1 or 3:30 on Thursday 2/12
Location: My mentor's office
Technology: Possibly the iPod recorder thing (Leo, Chandler, and I all scheduled our interviews for the same day, so it would work if we all used it)