Mary Anne - Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong

Blog 4

The Ebola scare is still on the rise despite the technology and advanced medical field that have had success fighting the virus off. Many people in the United States fear Ebola and consider it one of the countries biggest problems. President Obama has contradicted him self by attempting to cover up fear of the virus however at the same time creating a sense of fear. The president decided to appoint an Ebola czar, someone who's only job is to monitor the disease, stressing the public out as this seems to be a statement that the country should be concerned. At the same time Obama is taking pictures and coming into contact with those who could potentially have the disease. Obama also does not believe in quarantining people for 21 days directly off of their flight, in an airport. The president needs to make his intentions clear and provide a worried nation with answers.
The cartoon above is showing the opinion of those who believe all the hype is too much. The cartoon is indicating that there are many more problems then Ebola, destroying our country currently. Obesity tobacco and alcohol kill Americans on a daily basis and this is ignored. The cartoonist is saying we should focus more on fixing these more immediate problems as appose to focusing all of the attention on a disease rarely found in our country.The cartoon makes fun of the people so worried about the disease as well as the ignorance of Americans as a group. I do believe Ebola should be a concern of our country however should be placed on a long list of them, and may be receiving more attention then necessary.

Apocalypse Now (blog 4)

          The movie was great. It is about Army Captain Willard, who's primary action is to kill Kurtz. He spends the rest of the movie watching intently of what occurs in the jungle. In his narration, he points out the disturbing ironies of war and attempts to insert a notion of morality. As he becomes more alert to the absurdities of war and the darkness of human nature, so do we.

         A major result of war is PTSD. PTSD is Post- traumatic stress disorder is a mental health condition that's triggered by a terrifying event. Symptoms may include flashbacks nightmares and severe anxiety. An example from the movie is when there's the fan above his head which seems to be giving out helicopter sounds. This is saying that he can't escape Vietnam and its insanity even when he's not out there fighting. fan above his head which seems to be giving out helicopter sounds. This is saying that he can't escape Vietnam and it's insanity even when he's not out there fighting. I couldn't imagine if it were me suffering from this.

        One thing that I was confused about was the ending but after thinking about it I was able to understand it more clearly.  I also didn't understand why he didn't say anything to the people, instead he decided to just leave. Except after I thought about it he had said more with his expression than he could with words. When  Willard finally makes it to Kurtz, he discovers that the colonel has gone insane and sees himself as a 'god', lording over the indigenous occupants in that part of the jungle. The film shows that Willard has left one hell for another, the hell of war for the hell of the tortured human psyche. What I noticed about the ending was the suspense showing the death of Kurtz, by how the director played the dark sounds to make it come more alive. 

PTSD blog #3

PTSD can occur when an individual has gone through an extreme emotional trauma that involved the threat of injury or death. Many soldiers who came home from the Vietnam war suffered from PTSD. When suffering with the disorder, anything can trigger an episode that brings the soldier back to their time over seas and they'll begin to have a flashback. Depending on how intense the flashback is the soldier can become dangerous. A high percentage of people who have suffered from the disorder have committed suicide to escape the recurring nightmares of what they went through during the war.

Patient Zero: Blog 3

         The New England Journal of Medicine believe that 2 year old Emile Ouamouno was the first person to contract Ebola in the recent outbreak, starting over a year ago. No one had ever heard of this small boy until now, where across the world he is now known as Patient Zero. Living in Guinea it is unsure how the toddler contracted this disease, but afterwards it was easily spread to his 4 year old sister, grandmother, and his own mother. Starting in December, Emile had symptoms including a high fever, irregular colored stool, and extreme vomiting. Emile died December 6th, later following his mother on December 13th, his youngest sister on December 29th, suffering the same exact symptoms, and his grandmother on January 1st. After several villagers of Meliandou attended the grandmothers funeral, the disease began to spread aggressively. Four months after the death of Patient Zero, 14 members of the village died. In the village many animals including goats and chicken roam from house to house, leading many to believe that that is how the virus was contracted in the first place. Though today, the village of Meliandou is still financially effected. The people of the village made their living by selling foods like rice, corn, and bananas to neighboring cities and towns, but being known as the village of which Ebola originated, no one is purchasing anything. Who would? Out of fear of contracting the disease many residents burned their possessions, leaving the village poorer than the had ever been.


Source: http://www.cnn.com/2014/10/28/health/ebola-patient-zero/index.html?iref=allsearch

Invisible Injuries Of War (post 3)

                  The injuries that aren't visible on our nations service men and women face challenges for military families all over the world. Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a serious mental condition that can develop after a person has been through or witnessed a traumatic event. This is a lasting consequence of  traumatic experiences that is said to cause "Fear, Helplessness or intense horror". However, this disorder can also effect the families of victims. It is said that families with a member with ptsd are characterized by more anxiety, unhappiness, marital problems and behavioral problems. This picture depicts the pressures put on our soldiers. The US military suicide rate grew an unsettling 15% in 2012. Now not only to families have to worry if their loved one is alive while deployed, they still must give extensive care for their troop when they come home, especially those suffering from ptsd.
                  Being from a family with a brother in the Marines, i understand how hard it is just to have a family member serving our country. The feeling of first finding out a loved one is going into the military and then in my case, being deployed to afghanistan is one of the most stressful and unsettling feelings. Never knowing if they are mentally sane, safe and healthy is definitely a gigantic weight on my families shoulders. However, everyone must maintain a happy face and cool composure when he calls and says that he had a rough week, because of the understanding of what war can do to an individual .

Sgt. Tahmooressi/PTSD blog #3

Within the past few months, a Marine Vet has been jailed in Mexico due to accidentally missing an exit on the way to visit a friend. He was unable to avoid the Mexican border and had weapons and ammunition in the car. He was forthcoming about the weapons in his car when he was pulled over, but they still decided to throw him in jail. During this time, he has been surrounded by thugs, threatened with rape and murder, faces years behind bars, and is left behind by Commander in Chief.  

Sgt. Tahmooressi has served 2 tours in Afghanistan, is a decorated war vet, and is a current reservist. The Marine has endured 209 days and America is still counting. Andrew's human rights were violated, such as having all of his limbs being tied to the bed posts, coupled with other factors and that of his PTSD that warrant his immediate release. Obama has put very little focus on this situation, even though it is his own military. He can't make a phone call to help his solider but he can sure make a call directly to the LA Kings captain and congratulate him on his victory of the Stanley Cup! Many believe that the War Vet will be home soon, but thats not decided until his next court date, which is undetermined as of now. If he does not get released, Andrew Tahmooressi faces up to 14 years in the Mexican jail. He is beginning to become hopeless and some feel as if suicide is approaching as a result of his severe PTSD condition. 

Day One for Ebola Czar Ron Klain (blog 4)

http://www.cnn.com/2014/10/22/politics/ebola-czar/
Summary of article from cnn.com: 

The first day for Ron Klain as the new ebola czar was this past Wednesday. He is the ebola response coordinator for the US. He and his team will be meeting later on in the Oval Office to discuss the Ebola crisis. Klain was appointed the Ebola Czar to alleviate the public's fear of the virus. Obama appointed him to work full time on the Ebola crisis. The appointment of Klain as the new Ebola Czar aroused many Republicans due to the fact that Klain does not have any medical experience. 

Opinion:

In my opinion, Ron Klain should not be the Ebola Czar. The appointment of Klain really makes me question the authority of the Obama Administration. Obama appointed a politician to head an Ebola medical committee. It just doesn't make much sense to me. Yes, he might be more skilled when addressing the public, but he lacks medical experience. How can a politician possibly know what he's doing when it comes to a medical crisis?

Isis Crisis (blog #1 from 9/13)

Isis Crisis:

September 13th, 2014 

"ISIS militants post video on a website associated with the group, showing the apparent execution of British aid worker David Haines. This makes him the third Western captive to be killed by the Islamist extremist group in recent weeks. ISIS directs a statement at British Prime Minister David Cameron, threatening more destruction if Britian continues its "evil alliance with America." At the end of the video, the executioner threatens the life of Alan Henning, another British citizen held captive. The executioner appears to be the same one who killed both Steven Sotloff and James Foley." courtesy of cnn.com 

It appears that Isis is on prowl again, killing another innocent human being. Why are they doing this? In my opinion, they are warning the world of the terror that they can cause. These militants are not normal. They are harsh and cruel people who want everyone to live by their rules. By killing British aid worker David Haines, they warn us and other surrounding countries that they are not friendly. As stated in the article above and in their latest video, Isis militants have threatened to take the life of yet another innocent person, Alan Henning, who is currently held captive. 

#2

The 2014 ebola epidemic is the largest in history affecting multiple countries in West Africa such as Guinea, Liberia, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Nigeria. Nigeria was declared free of the deadly ebola virus on monday after doctors and thousands of officials and volunteers helped end the outbreak. However, Ebola is still ravaging through other parts of West Africa and threatening the United States, France and Spain.  Nigeria, has officially been Ebola free because they have not had any new cases for 6 weeks according to the world health organization (WHO). Senegal, another West African country, was also declared Ebola free last friday on the same grounds.

The leaders of the 3 countries hit worst by the outbreak are now pleading for the international community to help contain the virus. They need thousands of more volunteers and most of the medical equipment & technology that the 3rd world countries do not have. Clearly, these undeveloped countries cannot do this alone, however will aiding in this "war" come with a price? Americans continue to be diagnosed and killed by the virus, does this have to do with the approach our government is taking to help? How are we supposed to keep Ebola from spreading in our own backyards? 

(Post 3) Life of veterans with PTSD

   Post traumatic stress disorder is an anxiety disorder which is caused by a horrible traumatic situation or many traumatic situations. This disorder is most often seen in soldiers who have engaged in battle and are now trying to make the transition back to everyday civilian life. 30% of all american soldiers come back home and develop post traumatic stress to a certain extent; depending on their experiences. People with post traumatic stress disorder are constantly paranoid and or startled by everyday things, for example an army veteran with PTSD May here a loud noise or something dropping on the floor and he may naturally react to it as if it were a bomb by ducking or hiding. People With PTSD also have many nightmares or flashback of the traumatic events they've experienced. The constant paranoia may make  it difficult to live a normal life

60 Days (Blog #3)

The UN World Health Organization (WHO) has released a statement that if Ebola is not under control in the 60 days it may become an unprecedented situation that we don't have a plan for. 70% of the infected must be hospitalized and 70% of victims must be properly buried in order for this outbreak to be manageable. There have been a reported 8,376 cases and 4,024 deaths from Ebola. Everyday the number of the infected increases. This is very scary. Right now, Ebola is something that we should be concerned about but it's not something that everyone is very fearful of here in the United States. We are still pretty safe and protected. Now, however, we are racing against Ebola and as the head of the UN Mission for Ebola Emergency Response said, "Ebola got a head start on us. It is far ahead of us, it is running faster than us, and it is winning the race." This cartoon I found displays how we are losing the race against Ebola right now and we need to catch up before it's too late.

Blog #3

Islamic State: US probes 'stray Syria air drop' in IS video (BBC.com)

       In efforts to assist forces fighting against Isis in Syria, the United States has been dropping packages containing weapons, ammunition, and medical supplies on specific targets in Syria ensuring that these packages have reached the right hands. Recently a video created by suspected members of Isis was released indicating that a bundle of these United States weapons  have landed in their hands. On Monday, 27 of these bundles were dropped in specific locations for Kurdish forces and militias defending Syrian towns from the Islamic State. The US had reported that 26 of those bundles were delivered safely, but one had gone astray during the air drop and was destroyed to prevent the weapons from reaching enemy hands. Isis has claimed to have control of this stray bundle of weapons, but the US is still analyzing the video for clues as to whether or not this claim is accurate.

       It has not yet been determined whether or not Isis' claims are accurate, but if Isis does possess US weapons the results could be dangerous. The bundle was said to contain weapons, ammunition and medical supplies which could be helpful to Islamic State fighters. If these supplies have reached the wrong hands, it could lead to destruction and the loss of many lives. Many people have predicted that this would eventually occur. The main prospective problem with the US' air dropping of weapons has been the prediction that eventually these weapons would end up in the wrong hands.

Gassed (1919) John Singer Sargent

          There is an overall impression on the painting Gassed, (1919) by John Singer Sargent, of loss and suffering in war. In the painting, many men are seen dead and dying on the ground due to the release of Mustard gas during World War I. at the main viewpoint of the painting about 10 men are showed completely blindfolded and being guided to what we can assume is a medical tent not pictured in the painting. These men had also been struck by mustard gas but have lost their eyesight and rely on one another to guide each other through the war ground. With one hand on each others shoulders, they slowly make their way across the terrain without any sight at all and the only help being each other and the not uniformed solider showing the line where to walk to. One man towards the end of the line, is facing in the opposite direction of the moving line of men, showing the extremity of the mustard gasses effects on soldiers eyesight, having to lose it completely in the face of war. The entire painting has a yellowish-brown color scheme to it, showing the last effects that the mustard gas will have on these men, having no sight anymore, for the rest of their life. From this painting, it has come to me that war will always have a lasting effect on everyone effected by it, no matter how long ago it may have been. It can be proven true through the numerous amounts of soldiers lost, and their families being without them for the rest of their lives. Even within the soldiers themselves whether physically leaving men and women without their senses, like in the painting, or lasting mental health issues like PTSD, war will always be a part of them, forever. With many difference in war nowadays to war back then, like in World War I, one thing will remain the same; one you're involved in it, you can never get away from it. War never changes.

A Perfect Day For Bananafish

           "A Perfect Day for Bananafish" was written by J. D Salinger in postwar America, at a time where many war veterans of World War II were struggling to readjust to everyday life. Throughout the story, unless paying close attention, many people would not catch on to Seymour's past issues with trying to commit suicide, and his dealings with PTSD. Earlier in the story, Seymour's wife Muriel is on the phone with her mother when his "past incidents" are brought to light. When talking to her mother, her mother asks "Did he try any of that funny business with the trees?" and further on going into how much the car would cost to be fixed. This can be explained by Seymour previously trying to commit suicide by crashing Muriel's fathers' car into a tree, being unsuccessful. Further on, we learn about "that business with the window" and "those horrible things he said to Granny about her plans for passing away". From this and the conversation expanding previously upon talking to a psychiatrist, Dr. Sivetski, we can assume Seymour has tried to commit suicide more than once since returning from the war and has inquired upon his wife's grandmother about how she was going to die/ what she was going to do after she was dead. With these past incidents though, it doesn't seem as if Seymour was completely sure he was ready to go through with his plans for leaving the world, For jumping out a window, depending on how high, and crashing a car into a tree does not always guarantee death. There was still a part of Seymour wanting to stay; he wouldn't have stayed around as as long as he did if there wasn't.  Seymour strived to get away from society, like J. D Salinger writes for his other characters inThe Catcher in the Rye, and finally comes to the conclusion that he will totally end it. At the end of the story, Seymour finally dies with a bullet to the head from a Ortiges caliber 7.65 automatic in the same room of which his wife was sleeping in.

blog #3

Kelly Gomez

Humanities period 4

Compare the Catcher in the Rye to A Perfect Day for Bananafish

J.D. Salinger wrote the Catcher and the Rye as well as A Perfect Day for Bananafish; the main characters both want to preserve innocence for themselves and for the people around them. Innocence according to the Webster's Dictionary, is, "The quality of innocent naïveté and being free from sin or moral wrong; or lacking a knowledge of evil." This innocence is what children have and what adults no longer do. Holden wants to protect the innocence of children, specifically his younger sister Phoebe, while Seymour tries to gain back his innocence with Sybil.

In Catcher and the Rye, Holden wants children around him to stay young because once they become adult's people act "phony", trying to please everyone. Holden states, "I'd have to catch everyone if they start to go over the cliff...” Holden wants to save these children from falling off the cliff which represents the transition from innocence to phoniness. He has created this imaginary world about the rye and he being surrounded by children, because he doesn't want to become this "phony" self absorbed person that he is so convinced everyone is. He is so critical of everyone around him that he does not stop to realize that he could be wrong and that the transition from child to adult is just a way of life.

In A Perfect day for Bannanafish, Seymour goes out into the ocean and searches for bannanafish with Sybil, when in fact he is searching for his innocence, hoping to find it in Sybil. He acts like a child with her talking about a make believe fish. Seymour says, "You just keep your eyes open for any bananafish. This is a perfect day for bananafish. “Seymour is trying to rid himself of this adult world where everything doesn’t make sense.

blog #2

Kelly Gomez

Humanities

Period 4

On Thursday September 25, thirty-year old Alton Alexander Nolen stormed into a food distribution warehouse in Moore Oklahoma killing the first person he saw, 54-year old grandmother Colleen Hufford, beheading her with a produce knife. He then went on to attack a second co-worker 43-year old Traci Johnson, stabbing her with the same knife until chief operating officer of Vaughan foods and also an Oklahoma country reserve deputy by the name of Mark Vaughan shot and stopped Nolan. Traci is now in stable condition at a nearby hospital for treatment of “numerous wounds” according to police. Initially the attack was described as a work place dispute. Alton Nolan, who may I add has been arrested before, had recently gotten fired from his job that day. Some people believe his actions were due to the fact of him being angry because he got fired. Others, including myself believe there was more to the story. Law enforcement officials said, Mr.  Nolan recently converted to Islam and was trying to get his co-workers to join the Muslim religion as well. On a facebook page that appears to be his, references to Islam began in April 2013, and he called himself Jah’Keem Yisrael. The page is filled with criticism of American culture, and dire warnings for those who do not follow that religion. “This is the last days,” he wrote in his most recent post on Tuesday. In another, in July, he wrote “AMERICA AND ISREAL ARE WICKED. WAKE U MUSLIMS!!!” This of course raises the question as to whether or not this action was terrorist related.

Beheadings are the new norm in America and the Muslims know it. They beheaded a person and there was no outrage, there was no spiritual resistance from the body of Christ. In my opinion there will be many more beheadings to come. I recently went on to www.military.com and watched a priest and another Christian getting totally beheaded by Syrian Rebels. It literally blows my mind how one, I was able to view this 10 minute video on this website without having any problems of it being censored or anything and two, how completely messed up and insane some people are. This was the most hideous and barbaric scene I have ever watched. These terrorists have no regard for human life; I just don’t get how savage and inhumane people can be. How can a human being be this cold hearted to another human being like himself? These are not men, they are monsters. They behead innocent children men and women because of their faith. They cause horrific pain by beheading them with small knives and the fact that after they commit this terrible crime they are proud of what they accomplished, it’s sickening. I also don’t understand why military.com is showing this on their website. This is exactly what they want, they want these videos posted in American and were doing what they ask. I think its disgraceful and degrading to put this on that website or any website for that matter. Somehow they should be blocked. Think of the families that know this is out there. It’s so tragic to let everyone view it, even kids (including myself) are viewing it and some are even commenting  jokes about it. If I could unsee things it would definitely be that video.

Cubism

1909, Port en Normandie, George Barques

From the time period 1908-1913 George Barques dabbled in a new study of the effects of light and perspective and dared to question the most standard of artistic conventions. By taking scenes in everyday life Barques would reduce an architectural structure into a geometric form (preferably a cube shape) and play with its shaping to reflect a flat but three-dimensional image. He worked very closely with Pablo Picasso who also adopted a similar cubist style of painting.The comparison art historians make between Picasso and Barques is that Picasso emphasized animation while Barques expressed contemplation.

White Light Black Rain (blog 3)

Machiavelli is famously quoted for saying that "the ends justify the means". Different leaders throughout history have examined this statement, and taken it in different ways. Opinions of this are largely subjective, and individuals may uniquely have their own thoughts on whether the ends truly do justify the means, or not.

It would be simple to say that President Truman believed the right thing to do was to drop two nuclear bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. In this case, the "ends" would be an abrupt stop to the war and save some American lives, However the "means", was the most devastating attack in warfare history.

The Japanese were notoriously known for never surrendering and giving up. Maybe ordering to drop these products of the Manhattan Project was a good idea. I do not think at the time Truman truly knew the aftermath these bombs would cause.

The ends justifying the means is really just a question of morality. Every person may make different decisions when analyzing consequences, pros and cons, positives and negatives. This brings up a question to tie this into contemporary issues.

Thankfully, this is the only time in world history where nuclear weaponry was induced upon another nation during war. In 2014, world powers have single nukes that can quickly end the world, not to mention they have thousands of them (probably to flex their muscles at other countries). Other nations are also experimenting and becoming successful in the science of nuclear arms and are imposing a threat on their enemies.

It is sort of a settled claim in the world that no one use atomic weapons against another countries will. Once one nuke gets shot across the globe, others will follow ensuing world war 3 and more than likely ending the world. For this reason, powerful nations will always refrain from using such damaging devices. Some middle eastern countries which do not always get along with the rest of the world also have nuclear capabilities. Do we trust them to be responsible? Do we place sanctions or control what they can and cannot do? Even ISIL has control of nukes.

The following video interestingly and frighteningly displays how nuclear operations like the possible ones mentioned above would completely wipe out any given target and trace a given region for generations to come.

JD Salinger blog #3

JD Salinger was born on January 1, 1919 and died January 27, 2010. Salinger lived in New York with his two siblings and his parents. One of Salinger's most famous works was Catcher in the Rye. Salinger attended many schools such as Valley Forge, New York University, Ursinus University, and Columbia University. Also had studied over seas. Salinger was drafted into the Army during World War II and during this he landed at the Normandy Invasion also known as D-Day. He still managed to write during the war. After the war Salinger was hospitalized after having a nervous breakdown caused by the war. Post World War II "A Perfect Day for Bananafish" was published. It was originally published on January 31, 1948. It's a part of Salinger's Nine Stories Collection. At first Salinger titled it "The Bananafish" but most people did not get the point of this story and found it incomprehensible. Salinger did a complete reworking of the story adding the part about Muriel and other hints to the death at the end. Again, renamed to "A Fine Day for Bananafish". Finally it was published by The New Yorker as "A Perfect Day For Bananafish". 

Vietnam War Blog #3

The Vietnam War was a long, costly armed conflict that was fought by communists of North Vietnam and its southern allies against South Vietnam and its principal ally, the United States. The war, increasingly unpopular at home, ended with the withdrawal of U.S. forces in 1973 and the unification of Vietnam under Communist control two years later. More than 3 million people, including 58,000 Americans, were killed in the conflict.
Weapons used in the Vietnam War were the most powerful than any other war. United States and South Vietnamese forces relied heavily on their superior air power, aircrafts that dropped thousands of pounds of explosives. Communist forces used weapons manufactured in the Soviet Union and China. Among the more devastating explosives used in U.S. and South Vietnamese bombing runs was napalm, a chemical compound developed during World War 2. When mixed with gasoline and included in incendiary bombs or flamethrowers, napalm could be propelled greater distances than gasoline and released large amounts of carbon monoxide when it exploded, poisoning the air and causing even greater damage than traditional bombs. 

The Negative Effects of War on the Mind: PTSD

Throughout the past week or so we have mentioned the toll of war on both civilians and soldiers. When soldiers return home from combat they can bring back the mental scars and emotional trauma they have experienced overseas. I would like to share a research paper from last year titled "The Negative Effects of War on the Mind: PTSD."

https://docs.google.com/a/esmonline.org/document/d/1b7D1ZT_rywsxwmyhQ05wd0VN5Q-vlmTQNK1n3P0X15c/edit?usp=sharing

A Perfect Day for Bananafish (blog 3)

The short story  A Perfect Day for Bananafish was written by J.D. Salinger and originally published in the January 31, 1948 issue of The New Yorker. It's an enigmatic look into a young couple's marriage. Muriel and Seymour Glass embark on a vacation. This short story, was the first in which he features the fictional members of the Glass Family. 

The Glass family and Salinger's style of writing enticed The New Yorker's fiction editor William Maxwell and his workers. When the manuscript, The Bananafish, was originally submitted, in January 1947, the point of the story was deemed incomprehensible. At Maxwell's arguing, Salinger started to rework the piece. He added the opening section, Muriel's scene, and he crafted material that gave the reader an insight on Seymour's death. Maxwell and Salinger revised the story multiple times throughout 1947. The final story was renamed and published as A Perfect Day for Bananafish. 

PTSD (blog3)

   
     Reading the Perfect Day for Bananafish got me very intrigued in PTSD or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. In the story it was very surprising when Seymour killed himself because to the audience it seemed as if this was a random act. With further investigation, we as the audience were able to tell he was suffering from PTSD. People that suffer from this terrible trauma have a hard time coping with society. About 5.2 million adults have PTSD and majority of that number comes from veterans of war. PTSD is not easy to cure and in most cases it can only be treated, not fully cured.The most effective treatment is therapy and then comes medication like anti-depressants. Living everyday with PTSD is a challenging thing to do.It harms individuals not only mentally but physically as well, which can be seen in the diagram below.



effects of PTSD

Ebola's threat to America (Blog3)

   Those unfamiliar with Ebola, it is a virus that is spread from contact with body fluid. The virus has been around for several years but, now it seems to be hitting its peak. Ebola has most rapidly spread in the western African nations, where the death rate is around 70%. There's been 9,000 cases of it and 5,000 have died. We also are aware that the disease could be spread to animals as well. There've been a few cases in America, no where near the amount of Western Africa and only a couple have died. Americans stand a better chance against the virus due to the advancements in healthcare facilities we have compared to Africa. 

    The cartoon conveys the thoughts on whether or not our society is prepared enough for the virus. President Obama has came out saying they are prepared to deal with every aspect that Ebola may bring but, the controversial topic is if our government is doing everything to benefit Americans from being harmed. You would hope so, but that's not always the case as our healthcare facilities and department of public health have been making some questionable decisions. For example they've sent a patient home that actually had Ebola, they've let an infected women fly on a commercial airline with other civilians to go to another hospital, and ran out of a potential treatment for the virus. 

Blog Post 3

      "Catcher in the Rye" is a novel written by J.D. Salinger. It is about a young man named Holden Caulfield who after being expelled from Pency Prep roams New York City. Later in the story, the reader discovers that Holden is in a mental institution. In comparison, "A Perfect Day for a Bananafish". "A Perfect Day for a Bananafish" is a short story, also written by J.D. Salinger. It is about a man named Seymour Glass who suffers PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) after World War 2. Within this short story Seymour's wife speaks to her mother on the phone and the conversation is quite odd, Seymour is on the beach with a little girl and is acting childish, Seymour begins to yell at a stranger in the elevator over something that didn't happen, and then Seymour shoots himself in the head next to his sleeping wife in their hotel room. These two works by J.D. Salinger are similar in some ways.
     To begin, both main characters, Seymour and Holden, strive to be kids again. Seymour wants to be able to forget about the war and wants the simplicity of life back. Holden is just very terrified of growing up and really does not want to. Another similarity between the two works are the two little girls that are important to each of the protagonists, Sybil in "A Perfect Day for Bananafish" and Phoebe in "Catcher in the Rye". Phoebe is Holden's little sister while Sybil is a little girl in the hotel with Seymour. Both characters truly enjoyed the company of the girls, they loved being able to joke around with someone and act childish. Lastly, both Seymour and Holden were mentally ill due to their past life events.

    

FREEDOM OF THE SEAS -1941

The sinking of the Robin Moor was seen as an open act of aggression by Germany against the U.S. and led Roosevelt to declare an unlimited state of emergency and order the transfer of some US Naval ships from the Pacific Fleet to the Atlantic. 

This ship became one of the first merchant ships of the US to be sunk by a German U-boat. 700 miles off the west coast of Africa the Robin Moor was stopped and the crew left in lifeboats. The ship was then brought down by torpedoes and gunfire. After 3 weeks on lifeboats the crew and the ships passengers were rescued by friendly craft or made it to the African coast.

Jd Salinger (Blog 3)

"I am kind a of paranoid in reverse. I suspect people of plotting to make me happy." -Jd Salinger

I think that this quote by Jd Salinger is saying many different things. I think he is trying to say that he almost likes to be depressed, or alone, and that he greatly enjoys solitude. He is nervous that people are trying to make him happy, and that people and that people are trying to make him sociable. In my opinion, he must have endured something in his life that makes him prefer to be alone. Whether it be a personal trauma, an experience from his childhood, or maybe just the way that he perceives the world. I think that people should enjoy and experience solitude to a certain degree. I think that you should always be able to be alone and independent, however, you should also have people in your life that you can go to when you need advice, help, or even just a friend. 

Trench Warfare (Blog #3)

 

 

 

 

     Life in the trenches during the First World War took many forms, and varied widely from sector to sector and from front to front. During World War 1, trenches made the battles often stalemates because neither side can do much damage to the other force, unless the people in the trenches were either bombed or gassed out. The area between two trenches during a battle is called "No Mans Land". This name was given because if either side tried to raid another trench, they would most likely die from gunfire. Trenches were a great source of natural defense, using the land for protection. however, took a lot of labor of the soldiers to create such protection.

 

     Millions of rats infested the trenches.  There were two main types, the brown and the black rat.  Both were hated but the brown rat was especially feared. these rats would eat the remains of the dead soldiers, some rats grew as big as cats. Men, would attempt to rid the trenches of them by various methods: gunfire, with the bayonet, and even by clubbing them to death. The soldiers also had to live with the conditions of lice and frogs as well.

Ebola for Halloween -Blog 3

 

Halloween is a holiday in which people can be anything and everything that they desire, and can express themselves in ways that would be considered unorthodox in our everyday lives.  While some people dress as superheroes or ghosts, others dress in a more controversial manner, including those who have taken to the developing Halloween trend of Ebola.  People have a right to express themselves freely, but this idea may be going to  far.

For many, the idea of using the crisis for Halloween is disturbing and outrageous.  The disease has killed many people and is not yet contained and to use this as a Halloween theme can be taken as disrespectful and outright wrong. “Normally I think that irony and humor is funny, but this thing with the costumes, is it really that funny? I mean, Ebola’s not even under control yet,” said Philadelphia physician’s assistant Maria McKenna.  I agree with her completely.  Some things, are just not okay to joke about including the crisis that the world now faces.  Others of course, do not care.

Some costume sellers including BrandsOnSale.com have actually created "Ebola containment Suit" costumes and are selling them online and in stores.  The description reads,

"The deadly Ebola virus has landed in the United States and the crisis has reached new levels of   domestic escalation. You are sure to be prepared if any outbreak happens at your Halloween party. This will literally be the most "viral" costume of the year."

 In my opinion, this is just wrong.  I do not mean to bash any companies, but people who are selling these are teasing about Ebola and are just being unethical and dishonorable. Companies cannot be prohibited from selling such costumes, but many face outrage from members of the public who feel that they have crossed a line that should not be crossed. 



Ebola control Blog 3

Ebola, a once unknown disease until recently has America and the rest of the world running in fear. As we know the origin of the disease is Africa supposedly found in bats. The bats have bitten animals which are then consumed by the people of Africa spreading the disease then from human to human. The affect of the disease has gotten progressively worse and has began to cross borders, spreading to other countries creating a state of pandemonium. Africa does not have the technology or ability to treat Ebola patients and the country seems helpless. The major question remains, how do we go about handling this monstrous disease, treating it in its root or simply blocking it out of the united states?

As depicted in the cartoon the virus has always existed but recently "rose from the dead". The man labeled disease control has a shovel in his hand indicated he has not done his job of controlling the disease, rather has aiding in the disease coming back to life. Sweat drips off his suit showing fear, showing that the disease is beating the disease control hence the disease spreading. It seems like a good idea to keep the disease from spreading would be to block all people from Africa from entering the country, however this is not a logical approach. For this to be done all airports would need to be shutdown for months, holding back world economy's. A better idea would be going and treating the disease at its root. This will save many lives and stop the spread of the disease. If it stops spreading in Africa, it cant make it to other countries. As Obama said "we need to treat the disease with a more aggressive approach."

Blog 3: Picasso's Guernica

                Pablo Picasso was an artist in the cubism/surrealism period. He was born on October 25th, 1881 and died on April 8th, 1973.  Picasso went through several phases. He had the African period, Rose period, Blue period, Cubist period and modern art. The Guernica was during Picasso's cubist period. The painting is very symbolic and and portrays much emotion.

                This painting was created through synthetic cubism, which is a form of cubism. The use of synthetic cubism here allows much more leverage for Picasso to work with. For example, its easier to manipulate and control emotion with unrealistic characters because their actions and expressions portray feelings so powerful that it's impossible not to relate to and emphasize with this image.


               Picasso produced this piece to bring the world's attention to the bombing in the Basque town of Spain. He portrayed emotion in several aspects.  First, a woman is grieving over her dead child with a bull standing over her head. Next, a man (presumably her husband) is dismantled and covered in scratch marks, leading the audience to believe he was trampled. The horse in the center of the painting is falling in agony, catching the audiences' eye. Above the horse is a lightbulb, which is English for "bombilla", which is similar to the word "bomba" in Spanish, meaning bomb. Daggers that suggest screaming replace the tongues of the bull, horse, and the grieving woman. Next to the lightbulb, a ghost-like woman holds a candle. This is meant to signify hope, and how close it was to being shattered by the bomb. All of these features create a powerful mural meant to awaken people to the tragedy.

A perfect day for bananafish (blog post 3)

          When I first read this story I was very intersected in it, but also confused. The part that really confused me was when Seymour killed himself. During the reading I wasn't able to pick up on hints or clues of to why he did, but after discussing it in the class, it started to become clear. Like when Muriel is talking to her mom on the phone and she talks about how she wants her to call her if he starts to try anything funny. Other hints were when they talked about the tree, window, granny's plans, and the chair. Other things I was confused about was when he was talking to the lady in the elevator and he asked her why she was looking at his feet. This is what I thought about while reading this story.
          My thoughts on why he killed himself was because he was affected from the war. In the beginning of the story it says how he was in war (WWII). He could be suffering from PTSD which is a big result people can have after leaving the war. When Seymore was talking to Sybil about the bananafish, he was actually taking about his life in the war. When he says they can eat about 78 bananas, I thought he was talking about how that many people died. When he says the bananafish get stuck in the hole, I interpreted it as how many people who come out of the war have the memory with them that scare them and make them apprehensive of things. I also thought about it as how some people in war don't make it out alive or at all, if they get caught by the other side of who they're fighting. These are my thoughts on why he killed himself.

Victims of War

This picture helps people realize that wars throughout history were fought in people's backyards and that soldiers where not the only people effected. The planes in this picture are close to the ground and are very intimidating. Innocent people were killed in their towns and some, their own houses, and if they weren't, they lived in fear of being killed. Military leaders wouldn't stop for anything and they would hurt anyone that get in their way, in order to win.

In "The Old Man At The Bridge", Ernest Hemingway discusses the casualties of war . In the short story, the man is sitting by a bridge and he is surrounded by soldiers, trucks, and planes. A soldier sees him sitting on the ground and offers to help him get on the truck to Barcelona. The man says no and he eventually stands up, but then immediately sits back down. This shows how he has given up all hope and he knows that he is going to die. The man is lonely and helpless because of the chaos of the war. Hemingway shows how the old man is an innocent bystander by saying that he is "without politics", proving that he was a neutral party and minding his own business, yet he was still going to die.

In World War II, 60 million people were killed. Of those 60 million, 15 million died in battle, 25 million people died of battle wounds, and 45 million civilians were killed. These gruesome statistics display how people not involved in the war were still being threatened and murdered. Unfortunately, civilian causalities, intentional or not,  are a cost of war, and many people suffer due to the death of their loved ones.

Blog 3: "Artists Reveal What the Victor Spoils"

The Second World War was one of the first conflicts to be fought in the era of popular entertainment media. Prior to and through the war, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt made ample use of the radio in his weekly "fireside chats." The radio was not only a venue for the speech of the President, but the news of the world, and the popular swing music of 1940's America. The quotation above is a paraphrase of a quotation referring to the injustice of history, as it is always written by the victors ("to the victor goes the spoils"). Well, the artist expresses the views not seen by the victor, even if the artist is the victor. Take this recording for example. The Andrews Sisters recorded this tune, "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy," in 1941, the year the United States entered World War II. The song itself seems jolly, jumping and jiving in swinging time. The lyrics, however, are a statement against the war effort, which was removing musicians from their bandstands to fight in the armed forces. The "Bugle Boy" was a fine player in Chicago, the "top man of his craft," so now he's been reduced to "blowing reveille," the wakeup call, which the Andrews Sisters cleverly quote in their scat lines. The song picks up, with the clever captain of the company enlisting other men to create a Boogie Woogie Bugle Band, which lightens the anti-war stance of the song. The Andrews Sisters, as women, were among the most inconspicuous to speak out against war, as women at home in America, singing pop tunes for the public. This appearance was what enabled them to make one of the earliest anti-war statements prior to the fiasco in Vietnam, after which anti-war protests became a norm. Enjoy the tune, as recording in 1941: Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy

Ebola takes flight (blog post #3)

The first political cartoon to the left is mocking the government directly. The Ebola virus is only growing as a threat as its chances to spread across the U.S. increase day by day. The cartoon mainly focuses on the governments lack of support, concern, and willingness to help. Of course it's hard to understand the frustration and difficulty in the preparation to defend the U.S against the virus but it HAS to be done. There is no other option other than facing it, conquering it and saving lives.



   The CDC clearly understands the mistakes they keep repeating but makes no effort to correct them. The citizens put their trust in to them because it's our known instinct to have faith that the CDC will keep us safe no matter what. Well, accidents happen. Accidents that could have been prevented completely with just a bit more concern and precaution. Allowing a citizen that had contact with the deadly virus to enter a flight with other innocent citizens was one big careless mistake. The woman called the CDC asking if she could still take her flight with a low grade fever of 99.4.They reassured her that it was perfectly fine to board the plane but to just keep watch if her symptoms got any worse. Taking a chance like that is one of the main reasons the virus could spread easier than expected. In my opinion, all flights between the U.S and West Africa or Liberia need to be cancelled immediately until the outbreak calms down. Any suspicion of the virus needs to be taken seriously and stopped at the root.