Final META-POST

As the year concludes, I wanted to take the time to go through every single one of my posts throughout the year. The blog gives us the ability to reminisce and reflect on a year that to me, seemed to be over with the snap of the fingers. Taking the time to stop, which is rare in the American culture today, it is valuable and healthy to remember a year of growth and hard work. I look back on the posts and I am overwhelmed with a sense of pride. Although I may have not had the greatest number of posts, I did invest a lot of thought and energy into creating an intriguing post so readers would not be bored. As a fine pair of teacher once told me "Always have empathy for the reader!"I feel I have covered a wide variety of topics and some how they all fit together like a completed jigsaw puzzle.
There are two posts I would like to highlight from fourth quarter. One is called "Photosynthesis" and the other and most recent one would be "The Great Gatsby as the denouement to my American Studies Year". I really took my time and tried to really dig deep into the the connection between my junior theme topic, lawns, and The Great Gatsby. It was a fun process to see these to things come together and how they relate. The thing I most loved about the "Photosynthesis" post would be the fact that it was so coincidental. As I was on my spring break trip visiting colleges, we ran into a student who was doing a project similar to my junior theme. Although she was not in school I still took a deeper look into her project. It was fascinating and fun to see that there are other students out there who had similar ideas as me. Some may go as far to say that it is a sign...
This past quarter close to all of my posts are related to my junior theme topic. Although it may seem overdone I am actually happy that this is the case. It goes to show how invested I was in my topic. It seems everywhere I go now I see some aspect of my junior theme research. I am more aware and sensitive to the topic in the world around me.
I have discovered many things through blogging this year. I have learned about connecting with others, learning from other peers, and continuing the conversation outside of the classroom in a more open forum. I think one of my greatest discoveries is seeing the coincidences that occur. My blog seems to have highlighted those coincidences that has happened this year. Call it the law of attraction or whatever but it is truly amazing. This may seem a little far fetched, but it does make me wonder about the role of fate in the world. I realize there is a self-fulfilling aspect to the exercise, but the diary in effect helped me key into the world around me.  In particular, I key into those events that connect the American Studies class to my everyday life.
I aspire to continue my blog after my American Studies class is over. I really love the awareness I gain  and I look forward to the future coincidences while I figure out fate and my interests or choices.

The Great Gatsby as the denouement to my American Studies Year

As we wrap up our junior themes and close out the year with the final few pieces of literature, I can’t help but notice the synchronicity of symbols in my research for American Studies and The Great Gatsby. My junior theme was titled, Suburbia: America’s Green Carpet and I tried to examine why some Americans are so obsessed with keeping up their green swards (expanse of short grass:). You’ll have to read my paper to find out why, but it turns out Fitzgerald’s novel is loaded with references to lawn (and “greenness”). I wonder if anyone else noticed or was it just me.

From the beginning of the novel, lawns were on the foreground of wealth. Nick says his little house was “squeezed between two huge places that rented for twelve or fifteen thousand a season...with a tower on one side, spanking new under a thin beard of ivy, and a marble swimming pool, and more than forty acres of lawn and garden (5). On the very next page Nick’s first description of Buchanan’s elaborate mansion says the “lawn started at the beach and ran toward the front for a quarter of a mile, jumping over sun-dials and brick walks and burning gardens--finally when it reached the house drifting up the side in bright vines as though from the momentum of its run (6)”. It is in these descriptions that we find the basis for suburban American’s dreams and aspirations.

To clean-up and impress Daisy for their first rendezvous at Nick’s house, Gatsby tells Nick he will send over his gardener to cut his lawn. Once again, the tight and tidy grass defines beautiful. The color symbols are thick, but green- hope, envy and money in The Great Gatsby are also echoed in endless summer lawn setting. Establishing the divide, Nick describes, “crossing the lawn (147)” to meet up with Gatsby. After the murder, when Nick goes back to Gatsby’s house he says, “the grass on his lawn had grown as long as mine (179)” as if to say the party was over, the wealth/life was no longer living--everything was back to wild, messy, nature.

In contrast to the wealth of opulent lawns was the grey, “valley of ashes--a fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat into ridges and hills and grotesque gardens (23)” where the working people labored. No lawns there only misery, murder and dirty manual work.

The lawn seems to be a representation of the status a person holds. It is a reflection of the character, showing that the lawn is a symbol of the idealize American Dream of making it to the top. If you have a green lawn than you are a success. One of our greatest American novels reinforces this "ideal". 

Grass Is Always Greener

It IS spring so, it is not just a coincidence that I am being constantly bombarded by my junior theme topic: the American lawn. Yesterday, on CBS Sunday Morning the quick draw artists offered this analysis:

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7367664n&tag=cbsnewsSectionsArea.2

Their research was largely built around one book, American Green by Ted Steinberg. Grass color based on the angle of the blade was a new piece of information I had not read about. The piece was short and I don't know that there was a message beyond awareness. What do you think?

Rubber Ducky

Chemical companies were not too happy to see this commercial aired on television. I wonder why? The industry litigated the Maine governor's office this spring to have the advertisement pulled and lost. They don't want the bans against lawn fertilizers that are in place in Canada to creep over the border into their largest market. But it is coming. Stand firm Maine...

Images and Artifacts #7

This is an aerial shot of a Tiger Woods golf course development in Dubai. Apparently they have stopped development not only because of Tiger Wood's fall but also because of the world-wide recession. Imagine how much chemical fertilizer and water it takes to keep a green, grass golf course in the middle of a dessert. Can you say mirage?

Photosynthesis

For spring break, I am driving around New England looking at colleges (I even bumped into Fish in western Massachusetts). I am also reading and thinking about my junior theme. When asked what I am interested in studying I have responded environmental studies, but I also love anthropology--- which I interpret as the study of people across time and from differing cultures.

While they are wondering about my college major, I know that is really where my head is at this present time. To deal with all the college options, I prefer to stay literally, grounded in the present. It is in that context that I am trying to frame my research for the junior theme. I have been reading about the American, suburban lawn—that is about as grounded in my present home of Winnetka as I can get. How did that convention get started? Why are some homeowners obsessed with manicuring their lawns? Why do people throw on so many harmful chemicals where their pets and kids play in a weird trade off for “beauty”? Why do we sprinkle water over our lawn “crops” when we can’t eat the lawns? Why do people use precious water supplies in areas like Arizona, California and Colorado? What do they gain and what does their community lose and why are they willing to make the trade-off? What feeds “lawn peoples” addition to green grass and how do lawn care companies take advantage of that obsession? Why do I love an open field and how is that different from my yard? Why does my dad love golf and what does the green grass do for his experience? And the questions go on.

Then, at one of the schools we visited we stopped at the university art gallery. One student’s senior show was called “Photosynthesis”. This is the link: www.tjadengroundsdepartment.org/
This college art student said her purpose was “Rethinking the Lawn, introducing visible food production, emphasizing sustainability, and evaluating what art can do for a community” She took one of the lawns in front of one of the main academic buildings and converted it to a garden. Her inspiration came from Michael Pollan, Alice Waters, Hans Haacke, Michele Obama, Vadana Shiva, Mierle Laderman Ukels and Fritz Haeg. Some of these people I know and some I’ll have to look up. Anyway her idea was to take a small piece of the lawn that surrounds a university campus and imagine in a different way and get other people to think about it too. Check out the website to see what she did.

Wisconsin’s own Gaylord Nelson introduced the first Earth Day in 1970 to
Inspire awareness and appreciation for the Earth's natural environment. It is amazing to see how long it takes (40 years) to shift peoples’ habits and have knowledge and real understanding seep in. The lawns in suburban Winnetka are still deeply rooted in 2011. How has our care for those spaces changed as we have learned why more concern is necessary? It is about the care of our families and the community we call home.

Highlights of 3rd Quarter

For the third quarter, I suggest checking out "Towards Japan" and my last visual post in the series  "Images and Artifacts #6" (I'm getting into video embedding after Bolos showed me how to do it).  Hope you enjoy it.

(Although if you are into films I got some good film reviews as well "The Granddaddy Independent Film Festival-Sundance" and "Independent Film Making:Higher Ground, Homework, Another Earth, The Woods")

Images and Artifacts #6

As part of my research, I am looking at the American lawn as a cultural artifact.
I'm wondering if it will become an environmental relic? Stay tuned.

Why do I like "How" questions?

As the week began so did one of the most talked about projects of New Trier High School lore...The Junior theme. I was very excited because our junior theme assignment compared to many of my friends in other classes seem to be more targeted to our individual interests. We had to formulate a "Why" question that revolves around a current American issue with interesting historical roots. Now, the difficult part: Finding something that isn't too narrow, not too broad, not too simple, not too complicated- the perfect combination. I read where physic helps with answering "how" questions, but to answers the "why" questions you have to call on metaphysics. Maybe that is why I literally feel more grounded with "how" questions!
I have run my many interests by our teachers. My questions have ranged from: Why to suburban Americans care so much about their lawns? (environmental issues are important to me and I can't figure out exactly why it never gets traction in our culture), Why does fear dominate American decision-making? (this ebbs and follows though in my lifetime it just seems to be dominating our choices), Why in a country that champions freedom of speech to we have to pay our phone bill?(corny, joke, sorry). Trying to choose the topic is the most important and therefore, the most difficult part of the process for me. I have to hand it to the librarians who have helped us out all week. I also appreciate the back and forth with the adults in my life. Doc O'C and Bolos have pushed me to synthesize my thoughts and questions. This was week one of the Junior theme. I am finding some conviction in sticking with some of my original questions. I am ready to tackle the inevitable obstacles in the coming weeks. You maybe interested to know that I know "Why" we got the assignment just not sure "How" I'm gonna do it. Gotta love a challenge!

Towards Japan

My brother is a junior in college majoring in anthropology. This semester he is studying in the Semester at Sea program at University of Virginia. He started circumventing the world in January. Needless to say, I checked the position report when I heard the news about the tsunami. His ship was pulling out of Chennai, India at 8PM yesterday. Today, March 12th his ship was at 11 degrees 41 minutes North, latitude and 83 degrees 43 minutes East, longitude they are in the Bay of Bengal

Seven years ago, Chennai (Madras) looked like this after 6 to 8 tidal waves separated by 10 to 20 minutes struck the port city:

From my geoscience course, I understand the sea bed movement and I understand that being in the middle of the ocean in a large vessel is one of the safest places to be. I’m thankful for that....My brother is scheduled to pull into Singapore next as they make their way through Southeast Asia. They have a full course of study planned when they arrive in the ports of Kobe and Yokohama, Japan from April 4 through April 8. I am anxious to hear what he finds. They have a full round of service calls in every port so I hope they will find some way to help when they get to Tokyo. I will keep you posted.

Independent Film Making: Higher Ground, Homework, Another World, The Woods

Sorry for this long overdue post about the films I saw when my family and I visited Sundance. I know I left you hanging. We saw a total of four films. Each one touched just about every genre. The first film was called "Higher Ground". It was a film directed and starring Vera Farmiga, click here to hear a brief description about the film from Vera Farmiga herself.You might remember Farmiga from "Up in the Air" with George Clooney. It was a film set in the 60s at an isolated hippy/evangelical Christian group in Kansas. While the commentary on evangelical church groups was very timely, the movie stayed on a theme of a women empowerment. By watching the character grow and evolve the story's critical portrayal of right wing Christian groups did not get political. After the movie Ms. Farmiga said this was intentional so people along the whole spectrum could relate to the story. And, I'm sure they wanted it to fly commercially. This was Mr. Farmiga's directorial debut.
The second film we saw was what I would call a coming of age, "chick flick" for teenage girls.I was definitely the target market for this film. The name was "Homework" starring Emma Roberts and Freddie Highmore. Click here to view a quick clip of the film. Freddie plays the high school "misfit" who is misunderstood until Emma Roberts takes a chance on him. The movie is set in New York City in the circles that the "Gossip Girls" keep. The protagonists become friends and through a plot that requires Highmore finishes a semester of homework in two weeks their relationship develops into love. It is a heart warming story where the misunderstood guy gets the hot girl. It apparently has been picked up by Fox Searchlight from what we heard from the director/screenwriter. So, we may be able to see in in our local theaters soon. I would recommend seeing it!
The next morning we saw was a sci-fi called "Another Earth". Starring Brit Marling, the story is about young girl on her way to MIT--- she loves everything to do with the outer space. The movie opens with her coming home having had too much to drink at a house party and she gets into a horrific accident killing a mother and child and leaving the husband as the sole survivor. She goes to jail and when she returns there is an earth that is exactly like our own in the sky. The movie focuses on the mystery of this Earth and her struggle with reliving the guilt that has consumed her over time. Click here to view a brief clip. There were a couple places in the film that seemed to be a stretch too long and too slowly, and a couple characters I thought were undeveloped. However, the concept was very complex and intriguing. The idea that there were parallel worlds where you could change decision points and alter your life and the lives of others for the better given hindsight. Overall, I enjoyed the movie although at times it was a bit too unrealistic, but then it is sci-fi.
The final movie I saw was called "the Woods". This movies was about people who just decide to start a modern commune in the woods of Oregon. I don't even know if this movie is worth mentioning because to be real honest it did not seem very well written or acted. It was supposed to be a take off on a sixties style, Woodstock revival genre (minus the good music). There was really no plot or storyline. Halfway through the movie I was waiting for it to be over! Which has never happened to me and is not a good sign. It really demonstrated to me the importance of an intelligent story and really good writing.
Even though we ended the worst movie, the trip was amazing and the film festival was a blast to be a part of. I really loved the directors q & a after each film. Sometimes the actors joined the discussion and you learned so much about how much its costs to make a movie, where ideas and actors come from and how long it takes to complete a feature-length film. I will never forget the experience of being around so many film lovers and highly suggest it to anyone who has the opportunity to go to any film festival in any city. You will be inspired and come away with a new enthusiasm for the art form!

Truth: Jasper Johns Wins the Medal of Freedom Tonight

Jasper Johns, of recent AS first semester final exam prompt celebrity, received the Medal of Freedom tonight from President Obama. There have only been 5 visual artists who have received the honor- Rockwell, O’Keefe, Wyeth, de Kooning and Calder.  Johns said, “My work is largely concerned with relations between seeing and knowing, seeing and saying, and seeing and believing.” It was a good day for the arts.

The Granddaddy Independent Film Festival- Sundance

I love movies. I come from a huge family that is obsessed with films! My grandfather has had us watching movies since we had the attention span to sit still. Come to think of it, that probably helped develop our ability to sit still as we have passed many hours at his house rediscovering the classics he thought were essential to our being (with at definite World War II bias)!

Anyway, last week was my birthday and my parents surprised me by throwing a bag over my head on Friday morning before school. The three of us were headed somewhere and it was their surprise to me. When the bag came off we were in Salt Lake City (?) and it was not obvious to me what was going on since I really am not a skier. It didn't take long to find out from our shuttle partners we were headed 30 minutes east to Park City and the oldest independent film festival in the United States---SUNDANCE. I guess my mom and dad had won tickets to 4 movies and two nights in someone's ski condo at a party benefiting the ADLER Planetarium.  You would have to say......I was over the moon!

We had to dump our bags fast and rush to the first show which was "Higher Ground" at the Holliday Village Theater.....(read on for the trailer and my review........)

Lab Rats and Housewives

Before I went to go take my American Studies final this morning, my mom suggested I watch this video as way to see the outer stratosphere of subjective truth. Let's give it up for the Housewives. No more boring stereotypes on "normal".

META-POST II!

Rereading all of my blogs from this quarter has really got me thinking. I have been watching the Golden Globes and like the Golden Globes most of my blog posts fall into different categories.However, I would say the best blog post goes to...(drum roll please)....Tea Parties and Rattlesnakes! Most things I write about are things that have inspired me or caught my eye in my everyday life---which is one of the reasons why I love this post. Looking out the car window on the way to school I noticed our neighbors flag. The iphone is the camera I always have with me. I really enjoy images because it allows the viewer to formulate their own opinions. My main goal is to be truthful and to get people to think.I also enjoy making different connections between different eras and finding parallels in the echos of symbols. The American Studies course directs me to more political topics along with the fact that our dinner table is full of political discussions and opinions. I think next quarter I will try and changed it up a bit and explore other topics than just political ones.
I love the feeling of accomplishment when I get to press the "Publish Post" button. There is something powerful about sending it out there kind of like finishing a rigorous, athletic workout. I also enjoy having the ability to channel what I am thinking and wondering through an aperture. I hope this is evident in my post. Although it is nice to have our blogs read and commented on, for me it is not about the number of followers, but about having a place of my own where I can do whatever my heart desires...with minor exceptions. It is pretty safe and soothing like "journalling". Though, it is public and creative too. These are some of the realizations I have come to after a semester of blogging. I encourage people to experiment and discover the positives of blogging.

Something to Daydream About

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/01/16/opinion/16lebowitz_opart.html?ref=opinion

Images and Artifacts #5

Imminent Threat?

http://www.radaronline.com/exclusives/2011/01/sarah-palin-had-congresswoman-giffords-her-controversial-crosshairs-map

Take Out Your Pencils, Class….

Last blog I wrote about various verifiable facts on the 112th Congress. Ironically, last Sunday the NY Times had a quiz in their Education Life Section on the 112th. Add this test to your schedule. Think of it as a break from studying for finals. Here is the quiz:

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/01/09/education/edlife/20110109-edlife-quiz.html?ref=edlife

Because we have clearly established it is politically incorrect and socially unattractive to worry about grades I won’t ask how you did! You will know how well you did because it is a multiple choice test and you can calculate your score. As we examine the very interesting and important esoteric questions of truth and fiction, we will be present our views through our individual prisms and we will be evaluated based on the prisms of another. Unfortunately, the world outside AS is not as patient and does not always have the time to assess and categorize our multiple intelligences on multiple factors. Most colleges want the score card. Will we know the facts as presented in the quiz above? Our junior year is a battery of ACTs, SATs, SAT Subjects, APs and Prairie States. How well will we know the facts and chronologies that make up the history of the United States? It does matter. Particularly today, facts are needed when news agencies and politicians spin history to suit their goals. Michael Steele (RNC ex-chairman) said his favorite book was War and Peace and then quoted the first line as, "These were the best of times, these were the worst of times..." John Boehner (House speaker) said he was quoting the constitution when he said,"We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights including life liberty and the pursuit of happiness." They both have their facts wrong. Will you know your facts by the end of junior year? When will you have the time to learn them?

Good luck on your weighted GPAs next week.

Happy New Year from the 112th Congress!

The 112th Congress is set to begin on Monday, January 3. Their vacation ends when ours does--- though they have voted to give themselves a couple of days to get organized before starting sessions on Wednesday the 5th (we don’t have that luxury!). Just as a reminder the Democrats still have the Senate majority with 53 seats (two of which are independents that caucus with Democrats) and 47 Republicans---for a total of 100 members. Joe Biden is the President of the Senate and Daniel Inouye of Hawaii is the next in line as the leader of the Senate behind the Vice President since he is the senior. Harry Reid (D-Nevada) will continue as the Majority leader and Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) as the Minority leader. There will be 13 new senators. Over in the House of Representatives there are 435 representatives with 6 non-voting members. There will be 242 Republican member and 193 Democratic members. John Boehner of Ohio will take over the job of Speaker from Nancy Pelosi of California. There will be 93 new representatives. Michele Bachman’s (R- Minnesota) Tea Party Caucus had 52 members in the House when it was formed last summer. It is unclear if the new freshman will join her group or form their own. New Tea Party Republicans in the Senate include: Lee(Utah), Paul(Kentucky), Rubio (Florida), Johnson (Wisconsin) and Toomey (Pennsylvania).

I just wanted to give our class a reminder of the change of control Congress will go through next week. It should make for some very interesting new dynamics in the nature of debates and priorities to say the least!