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Final Presentation

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0xgRoQ9Sas

Jazz It Up

     The African American culture has been through many different advances in music since the simple beating of the African drum. From R&B to Hip Hop, Gospel to Rap, African Americans have made many contributions to the world of music. One of the most popular genres of music that African Americans have created is Jazz. Established in the late 1800’s, Jazz has flourished as one of the most respected and widely listened to genres in the music kingdom.

     After the abolition of slavery in the United States, African Americans began to use what limited freedoms they had through personal expression. One of the most popular ways blacks expressed themselves was through the use of entertainment. At the time, Ragtime had become a huge phenomenon until the arrival of Jazz.

     Arising straight from the heart of New Orleans in 1895, Jazz was the most sought-after genre of music for the vast majority of African Americans at the time. Formally defined as a style of music characterized by a strong but flexible rhythmic understructure with solo and improvisations on basic tunes and chord patterns, Jazz can be more respectfully known as a genre of music with no true definition. Including instruments such as guitars, pianos, saxophones, trumpets, and drums,  Jazz can more properly be characterized as a soulful music with a sound that gets people moving and animated with every note.

     Back when it was first originated, Jazz was more popularly played in low-end entertainment bars where African American could express their soulful sides and get away from the racism and segregation of the world outside the music. Many people, at the time, described jazz as sinful and immoral because many people of the older generations believed that it disturbed old values by making way for new ones. Jazz was considered to be one of the first sexually referenced forms of music at the time so many people, and even the media, had negative views towards it. However, over the years, Jazz slowly became respected throughout the African American community and many blacks began to embrace it as an advancement in their culture. Jazz became a sense of pride for blacks.

     Jazz music serves as one of the most important aspects to the advancement of the African American culture and what is stands for. Created as a form of entertainment in which blacks could express themselves during a very troubling time in history, jazz will forever hold a valuable meaning to blacks in this country and even worldwide. Though it is not recognized or respected nearly as much as it had in the past, the world of jazz music will forever be a part of who we are.

Black Restitution

Since the beginning of slavery in the United States, an unspoken separation between blacks and whites has existed in this country. Blacks are known to be stereotyped by whites, and blacks usually stereotype whites. Though this separation exists, white have always been known to have the upper hand in America and blacks have made many attempted efforts to relinquish this disheartening fact. One effort in particular was thought up by a man name Randall Robinson who, in his exert titled Thoughts of Restitution, believes that African Americans should receive a sort of restoration, or reimbursement, for all the time and labor dedicated to the whites during the time of slavery. Though Robinson’s theory does make sense, slavery should simply be seen as a part of history that serves as an inspiration for African American perseverance rather than an excuse for America to pay back what they may owe.

Randall Robinson, an acclaimed author, believes that the only way equivalence will exist is if African American’s are “paid back” for all the work that their ancestors did for the white men during slavery. In his exert called Thoughts of Restitution, he states, “if…African Americans will not be compensated for the massive wrongs and social injuries inflicted upon them by their government, during and after slavery, then there is no chance that America can solve its racial problems…”. Though his thought processes may seem logical, the idea of having to make America pay back now for what people did over a century ago, is simply irrational and highly unlikely. Equality is not something that can be achieve through mere payback; rather it is a concept that is given simply at birth, which can be proven by the simple words of our Constitution. 

The idea if restitution does seem logical in the sense that a resolution for the separation between blacks and whites need to be settled with some sort of reassurance from the African American race. However, the thought of having whites to pay for the mistakes of their ancestors many years ago seems more illogical than reality can face. Whites of today's world have not treated blacks with the same disrespect as that of which their ancestors had imposed. The gap between whites and blacks needs to be closed in order to live in a more peaceful world, however, unless a drastic change is made the issue will continue to remain and thrive. 

Robinson, Randall. "Thoughts of Restitution." Revelations. 5th ed. Boston: Pearson Learning Solutions, 2002. 295-98. Print.

Awareness Letter

Dear Mr. Stovall,

As a freshman at Howard University, I have witnessed first-hand the many issues that occur within my class. Your first year in college is not only a new learning experience but also a time in one’s life where the common household restrictions such as curfew, limited privacy, and homework responsibilities no longer become an issue. Though many freshmen find it easy to adjust and balance out their new freedoms with personal restrictions, wide majorities of freshman take their newfound independence to their full advantage.

Since the beginning of school, I have noticed that many students within my class have progressively started to go to class less and less with each oncoming week. Many of my classes, which originally started out with 30 or more students, have dwindled down to 15 or less students. Whether it is because of the dropping of classes or just common carelessness, freshman students at Howard University are taking longer than most to properly adjust to the freedoms of college and are failing to perform academically.

In high school, it was a firm requirement that each and every student attend all classes and if failed to show up, detentions were given vigorously. In college, however, punishment for not attending classes is not nearly as direct as that of high school. Though most classes produce a reduction of grades if the attendance requirement is not met, such punishment is so long-term that most students wont understand its effectiveness till the end of the semester by which any possibility for change no longer becomes reasonable. Without a firm and direct form of punishment for not attending classes, I believe this problem will only increase through time.

According to my roommate, when asked why appearance in classes is not met to standard by most students at Howard, she stated that, “If you could choose between sleep and class or food and class you would choosing sleep and food. As long as people get their work in, attendance isn’t really needed.” As long as the minimal requirement for a passing grade in classes is accomplished, most students find no real reason to put in that extra effort for A’s or B’s. With mentalities as such, it becomes obvious to the reason as to why most freshmen don’t make it to their sophomore years. The carelessness and freedom of college freshman is a disease that has spread through colleges throughout the country. Unless a firm punishment or reality check is presented to these students, more and more students are going to find themselves back at home after their freshman years.

Thank you for your consideration of this issue. I hope to be hearing from you soon with your thoughts and concerns of my issue presented.

Sincerely,

Simone Carter

Indonesian Disaster

Since the beginning of the eruption of the volcano, on October 26, called Merapi in Jakarta, Indonesia the death toll in the city has only since escalated. The most recent eruption has been considered the most destructive and concerning of them all. The eruption has unleashed ash clouds and gases that have reached villages which were considered to be located in safe zones away from the volcano. The aftermath of this recent eruption resulted in the death of 69 people and 77 injured. The total death toll of the volcano since the start of the eruption has been said to have caused the death of 113 in total. The local television stations around the source of the disaster have recordings of men, women, and children fleeing for their lives and rescuers carrying elderly people to safe locations. The vast majority of the evacuees have had to hold current residence in stadiums, government buildings, and even schools. The estimated danger zone of the volcano has recently been expanded to 20 km. Luckily, rescue teams are running a 24 hour body search for any struggling residents who are within the danger zone. The extent of such a disaster is completely unimaginable. Having to leave your home and everything treasured to you behind as a result of an erupting volcano is something that no one should have to deal with. Even though many deaths did take place, the vast majority of residents are still safe which initially is all that really matters. Meals have been sent out to the hungry families who, at this point, have nothing left than the floor they stand on. Thankfully, the Indonesian president have granted compensations to all of the affected families for livelihoods and animals lost to the eruptions.

Environmental Discrimination

Discrimination has played a huge part in the history of the United States since its discovery. Starting with the separation of Native Americans and Whites to the slavery of blacks and whites, much of what has shaped our country into what it is today has been the history of these events. One current issue of segregation in this country is called Environmental segregation. In this form of segregation, communities in the Unites States who which are usually the poorest and full of minorities have been targeted as areas in which economically hazardous facilities have been built. Up until recently this type of segregation has not been recognized a major issue. The communities that are most commonly targeted are the ones with less political power, less environmental protection, less resources, and less time and energy to organize the community members to evacuate. According to the director of the North Eastern Environmental Research Project, Daniel Fabier, situation as such are called, "selective victimization (Fabier)."Also according to Fabier, these communities are the ones with the least amount of government recognition. One example of such a community is Camden, New Jersey. Because of its various toxic facilities, Camden has been given the title of having the city with the 2nd highest cancer rate in New Jersey, and the 8th highest in the nation alone. Four out of five children in this community have been diagnosed of having problems with breathing apparatus. Camden is also the home of 103 toxic facilities. Many of the residents have complained that the city once flourishing environment now has "bad air" and "poison water." With statistics as such one cant help but wonder why these people havent left these cities years ago. Maybe many of the residents have lived in the city for many years after generation in front of them, maybe the people just dont find it easy to just pack up and leave the place they call "home." Whatever the reason, something needs to be done about this type of abuse. Government agencies need to find a rural area in America, far from any human residents, in which they can safely place these toxic death traps. With these toxic facilities causing rising sicknesses among humans, the government should even looking into a new type of facility for these toxins. Putting their death traps in areas where children and humans alone are living is an extremely cruel thought and something needs to be done about it.

Self-Assessment

Blogging has never really been a huge passion of mine. For many years now I have lived around peers who have dedicated a huge part of their lives to blogging and others who held just as little interest as me. My initial impression of blogging was that it was just a bunch of people with no lives writing their opinions about subjects that really don't even matter all too much. I never quite understood the impact that blogging can have on certain aspects of our world. Until recently, when I began to blog in Mrs. Diaz's class, my general understanding and opinion of blogging began to change. I soon, realized that blogging held a type of individuality for people to be able to express their opinions in ways that otherwise would have been criticized if said verbally. For people who are too shy or timid to display their opinions, blogging becomes somewhat of a voice for people. For me, I am not too passionate about writing so blogging might not be for me. However, since our class has been assigned to blog, I have a much higher level of respect to this internet phenomenon.
As stated before, writing is not one of my passions and probably never will be. Im more of a science and mathematic based individual so english is not one of my strong points. However, even though my writing may not be on the level of a critically acclaimed author, I sometimes feel lost in my work when I am assigned to write essays in class. When I am asked to write about a subject that I can relate well to, I feel a type of connection in my writing to where the whole world around me disappears and all my attention is on the paper in front of me. In my lifetime, i have received a few A's, many B's , and a few C's and D's when it has come to essay writing. However, even though other people may believe my writing skills aren't up to par, I am proud of everything I have ever wrote.

Convocation

This years convocation at Howard University was nothing less than a very entertaining and mind-blowing presentation. During this years speech, we had the honor of listening to world renounced surgeon Benjamin Carson. Dr. Carson has been known to perform extraordinary work with various surgery procedures and his over 60 degrees proves it all. One of his greatest accomplishments has been the successful separation of conjoined twins. Throughout the course of his speech, Dr. Carson spoke to the crowd, of over 1500 people, about the various procedures he has performed and the knowledge he gained from each experience. Hearing about how he separated two twins, conjoined at the head, was by far my favorite story that he told. It was almost like you were there with him performing the story and you couldn't help but sense a feeling of satisfaction and excitement to hear that the twins survived and are alive and kicking to this very day. I personally am not a huge fan of public specking because usually the speech becomes lengthy and boring halfway through the presentation. However, when Dr. Carson spoke, he was able to hold my complete attention the entire time. Not once did i ever have to start playing with my phone or talk to the people around me to keep be entertained. Dr. Carson, in my opinion, is a great man that can serve as the perfect role model for any African American. His accomplishments and his experiences are ones that almost anyone should strive to achieve. After being at convocation, I gained a new appreciation for a man i had never even heard of and I am most definitely going to be at the next one.


http://www.howard.edu/newsroom/releases/2010/100924convocation.htm

BMW Fallout

Because of issues with leaks that may develop in power breaking systems, the BMW company of North America has recently decided to recall nearly 200,000 of their released vehicles. Many of the vehicles that are being taken back include: 5,6, and 7 series powered by V8 and V12 engines. The German automaker of these vehicles stated that the leakage that may occur with these vehicles could possibly lead to vacuum loss and even reduction of power breaking. Lucky, no accidents or injuries have been recorded so far. In order for safety issues to be fulfilled, BMW has prepared to distribute replacement parts throughout North America and the company has also chosen to send letters through the mail to any BMW owners who may be affected by this issue. Many people have been asked to make appointments with their dealers just to be safe. With BMW's being known as some of the top of the line cars in a America, issues as such make most people wonder why this car is so highly acknowledged. When one thinks of a BMW, usually the words high-class and luxury come to mind; however, when the company has to recall a vast majority of cars it makes people worry. What other problems do these cars have that BMW has not yet discovered? Though most people may say that this is just a minor glitch and BMW is still a great car to own, one cannot help but stay aware for any future issues.

The end of the NFL?

          NFL commissioner, Roger Goodell, during his yearly visit to seven NFL training camps this year, was rumored to have upset many NFl players during locker room meetings with him. It is rumored that Goodell had discussed a potential lockout during the season next spring. After hearing this, the players broke out in anger and concern towards what this met their future could entail; Scott Fujita of the Cleveland Browns was one of the most upset quoting, "What do the owners want? What's it going to take to get a deal done?" The concern of these players is only getting worse as rumor spreads from team to team. This battle between owners and commissioner can only lead to trouble as this may become the leagues first halt since 1987. With money being the main issue, who knows when such a disagreement could be settled? How will the millions of NFl fans react to the absence of the one thing they look forward to each year? What will happen to the players salaries? Only time will tell what is to become to Americas favorite sport. The absence of football next spring could lead to nationwide chaos and protest that has the potential into turning into something much worse. At this point the men involved in this controversy need to come to a standing agreement soon before a simple spread rumor could lead to a nationwide scare; which no one wants.


Article: http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=4887844

A More Perfect Union

  “A nation is more than the sum of its parts,” Barack Obama. In his speech, A More Perfect Union, Barack Obama exerts to the country his opinion about the issue of race relations in the United States; and how both slavery and racism once, and still exist in the country today. As African Americans in this country, our significance plays a huge part in the betterment of this country and we need to work together to fight off all negative stereotypes. Obama implies that even though the majority of people in this country come from various regions of the globe, “we all want to move in the same direction-towards a better future for our children and our grandchildren;” he makes clear that during his reign as president, he promises to the American people that unity is his main goal for progress in this country. In an effort to further Obama’s goal, we as African Americans should to strive to fight off and redirect any sort of negative connotations brought forth by anyone with the mindset that any race in superior to another. Obama mentioned that his candidacy took a turn for the worst when his pastor, Reverend Wright, had said some racial slurs to the press causing a huge uprising among the American people. Though Wright comments were inexcusable, Obama stood right by his pastors side saying that his pastor was “irrevocably bound” to the past and such allegations from him are only more reasons as to why this country needs a change and has yet to be perfected. Setbacks, like the one of Reverend Wright, should only be though of as further reason to fight and make a change towards what is right. Racism today is simply a wicked thought process of those who have yet to see the true beauty in a nation united by many different races. Us as Americans need to take a stand and join Obama’s efforts to help unite this torn country of ours. As Americans, i feel like we need to become more accepting and a lot less judgmental towards people who aren't like us. In Continuation, we also need to stop allowing our kids to grow up in a very racists household. If set-backs like these are broken, a better and less controversial America is promised for our future.