Blog #9 The Civil War... today?

The Rwandan Genocide is a massively lasting effect from the civil war. We ended slavery and so most people believe that racism doesn't exist but this genocide is happening because of this racism and is continuing today. These people are still afraid of this racism and are intimidated by it.

The "Real" Blog #8: The Constitution, The News & You

http://www.migrationinformation.org/usfocus/display.cfm?ID=208

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illegal_immigration_to_the_United_States

1. Summarize the article, and include relevant quotes.

"About 5.3 million undocumented immigrants from Mexico are living in the United States, "

Immigrants have been coming over into America and now 57% of America's undocumented inhabitants are from Mexico. The flow of legal immigrants is about 1 in 7. The immigration flow has increased massively from 1990 to now around a 50% increase.

"According to National Public Radio in 2005, about 3 percent work in agriculture; 33 percent have jobs in service industries; and substantial numbers can be found in construction and related occupations (16 percent), and in production, installation, and repair (17 percent).^[5] According to USA Today in 2006, about 4 percent work in farming; 21 percent have jobs in service industries; and substantial numbers can be found in construction and related occupations (19 percent), and in production, installation, and repair (15 percent), with 12% in sales, 10% in management, and 8% in transportation"

The united states is a highly desirable place to live we are one of the most well of countries in the current world.

2. Explain what Constitutional concepts are relevant. Some may be obvious, but others maybe more subtly related. Explain the Constitutional connection in your own words, but also reference the specific Article & Section or Amendment(s).

This article is closely related to Amendment 14 - Citizenship Rights. These undocumented immigrants will not count towards representation in the House of Representation so we essentially end up with a lot more on our plate than we can handle. As stated in the 14th amendment " Representatives shall be apportioned among the several States according to their respective numbers, counting the whole number of persons in each State"

3. Explain what interests you about this article and/or the Constitutional connections you found.

Well first thing first as a lawyer I have to be interested in this. It has always been a topic I have been interested and passionate about if only in private. I think that the 14th amendment is important to look at because it shows the reasons the founders had for making sure everyone was accounted for and had citizenship.

Blog # 7 What stands out so far?

What stands out to you in your learning?

(Your beard)

All the writing tips seem to have been the most helpful. I go home and this about them. Yeah I kknow thats a little weird but it's exciting. I write a lot on my own time but I don't spend the time to improve my actual style so these writing tips are helping me not only in class but on my personal time to.

What is working well in this class?

A lot of it might actually be your general exctiement about teaching to us. It makes everything more interesting and makes it seem like if you can be excited about it then we can be to.

What can you do to build upon your successes?

Just keep pushing the way I have been for the first part of this semester. Pushing and makeing sure everything is done right, asking for help and helping others.

What very specific, concrete & manageable steps can you take to make the most of your opportunities to learn in this class?
-Be time efficient

-Listen and pay attention at all times

-Ask questions and make sure I always know whats going on in class

What are your goals for the next few weeks in class?

To stay focused and do the best I can on the upcoming project.

Blog # 6 Comic Con Artist Statement

Comic Con

Erica Snider

I walk out of the summer heat to the frigid gush of the overly air conditioned convention center air. I close my eyes as to absorb the atmosphereand steel myself and I am attacked, mind you, with love, but attacked nonetheless. My eyes open to see a swarm loving faces hovering over me covered in painted masks and makeup but I know who’s underneath. I know they are people who are happy to see me.

This Convention is a place where nobody is pushed away or shunned. Everyone there has a place or a niche where they belong and connect with people who like doing the same things such as memorizing all the lines to the fourth episode in Star Trek season 2 or making a costume from an anime. Comic Con’s fan base is made up of; artists, gamers, writers, actors, fans and people watchers. At Conventions I have met people who have become close friends, and that I stay in contact with throughout the year. So this is really what Comic Con is: a place where no one feels out of place.

I am both an attendee and a volunteer. As an attendee I go to panels and support the starving artists in “Artist Ally”. Outside of Ballroom 20 is where my kind of people spend most of their Comic Con time. We run around, network, take pictures and have pictures taken of us. The majority of us are in costumes, so we are quite a spectacle. Conventions survive off of volunteer labor, so I do the most I can to keep it alive.

On the day of Preveiw Night my mother and I go in from 9am to 7pm to help set up the Art Show. It’s is a place where amateur artists and put their work out for display and sale. I take an artists, mark down each piece of art they have and help them hang it.

My mother and my friends dragged me into the convetion scene. Through Comic Con, I’ve gotten to meet some of my favorite artists, I’ve made friends, changed the way I express myself, my style, the way I judge people and learned how to make friends. My mom receives free passes through being staff and I pass them on to people who have never attended but I know will enjoy it. The people I invited have returned the year after because I brought them in. This is another way I can continue the Comic Con saga.

I asked my mom about some of her Comic Con experiences from before I was born she told me that she met Shel Dorf. She explained that Shel Dorf represents the spirit of a fan boy, the heart and soul of all that is Comic Con because he is the founded it. Dorf took charge of the “Detroit Triple Fan Fair” and when he moved to San Diego he founded a one day convention that eventually evolved into the event that we all know and love. Shel Dorf makes me want to take the things I do to the next level and show the world what there is to love about this community that I have found.

I want to find ways to improve Comic Con. I attend other Conventions and take notes to about what things are better than Comic Con and worse. I want to play a bigger part and I want to improve Comic Con for the people who have watched it grow and flourish into the wonderful gathering it is today.

If a San Diego native asks you "have you ever been to Comic Con?" and you reply with "what's that?" You will receive a horrified stare. This beloved convention is known nationwide. It’s a place to meet new people and experience a different culture than anywhere else. No other place is more accepting or overflowing with creative energy.

Blog # 5 Questions About Our Writing....

1) Being able to just write about my icon to just put on the page what I think about Comic Con write about my experiences and why I love it so much.

2) The loop it helped me make my piece feel more complete it helped me bring my artists statement full circle and leave the reader thinking.

3) The most challenging was probably writing about my place in the future of my icon. How I can continue the saga of comic con and bring it more out into the light and show others its virtues.

4) The most challenging writing tip was also probably the loop. It was hard to bring the begining of the paper back to the end without being repetitive. But I think I managed. I sort of just continued the story for the first paragraph.

5) "Attending conventions has become a big part of my life. Without them I would be such a different person. I have met people that have become close friends or people that I can go to for advice on my life at conventions. I am an attendee and a volunteer. As an attendee I go to panels, support the starving artists in “Artist Ally” and spend time out in front of Ballroom 20. Outside of Ballroom 20 is where my kind of people spend a lot of their Comic Con time running around, networking, taking pictures and have pictures taken of us. The majority of us are in costumes so we are quite a spectacle. Conventions survive off of volunteer labor so in that respect I feel that I am contributing to keeping Comic Con alive. On the day before the real convention starts my mother and I go in from 9am to 7pm to help set up the Art Show, the Art Show is a place where amateur artists and put their art out for display and for sale. I get to take the artists to their panels, mark down each piece of art they have and help them hang it. The artists begin to know your face over time and remember your name. They like to have someone they can trust helping them out. My mother and my friends brought me into the Comic con scene and I have taken it upon myself to bring other people in. My mom receives free Comic Con passes through being staff and I pass them on to people who have never attended Comic con but I know will enjoy it. The people I invited have ended up returning the year after because I brought them in. This is another way I can continue the Comic Con saga. Through Comic Con, I’ve gotten to meet some of my favorite artists, I’ve made friends, changed the way I express myself and my style, it’s changed the way I judge people the first time I meet them and how to make friends."

Does this information seem Irrelevant?

Does this seem like one paragraph or two?

Is there any other information you would rather hear than what is written about here?

Blog #4 Icon Loop

I walked in out of the summer heat to the cool gush of the overly air conditioned convention center air. I closed my eyes as to absorb the atmosphere and to prepare myself for what was coming and I was attacked, mind you, with love, but attacked none the less. My eyes open to see my being surrounded by loving faces and covered in paint or masks but I knew who’s underneath. This is the kind of atmosphere created at Comic Con.
I wait for the next staff meeting where I will be greeted by my friends that are like the family I only see a few times a year. There will be a plethora of hugs and love for all. It will be a time for new ideas and decisions to be made.

1) It is like this is what happens at a convention and this is how it never ends and continues and how I miss it and handle missing it.

2) It first shows the love and adoration that is formed at a convention and it ends with showing my continuum.

3) I would like to hope that they are thinking about going to Comic con themselves and how they could help with comic con and questions they could ask me myself about comic con

Blog # 3 America Icons and Resources

Part 1:

Comic Con and Shel Dorf

Shel Dorf is the founder of Comic con

and ran it until very recently when he passed away. Shel Dorf first ran a Convention in Detroit and when he move to San Diego he had to leave The "Detroit Triple Fan Fair" behind. Dorf started Comic Con as a one day convention and as it evolved Dorf made the decision to move it to the San Diego Convention Center.

Shelf Dorf represents the accepting spirt of Comic con. He shows what the community surrounding Comic Con is capable of. Comic Con and Shel Dorf bring out some of the best things in people. Creativity, boldness and an accepting

attitude towards the people around them. Shel Dorf represents the more human a

spect of Comic Con he gives a face to the loud masses that crowd around the front of the Convention center for 4 days a year. He is in no way a perfect person or someone anyone would look at and think "I want to be like that" That is why he is the perfect face for Comic Con. Because he is weird and is flawed, because he doesn't stand out in a crowd and because he is a fan boy of course.

Part 2:

Shel Dorf Wikipedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shel_Dorf

This gave me all the Information I needed to know about my secondary Icon. It provided a legthy description of his life and his involvement with Comic Con. It gave me a good amout of material for my artist statement.

Chandler Hood's American Icon Project

http://dp.hightechhigh.org/~rscherer/alumni/chood/11th%20grade%20humanities.html

This resource provided a well written example of the artist statement as I was working on it. It was easy to refer back to and use as a template.

Blog # 2 American Icons

Comic Con

1) What does this icon represent to you? Why?

Comic con represents a place where nerds can be free and appreciated for the things that they do. No matter if its memorizing all the lines to the fourth episode in the second season of Star Trek or making a costume from your favorite anime. I have attended comic con for the past two years. I know the people behind the curtain I have been staff and I am asked to the yearly meetings. So this is really what Comic Con is; a place where everyone is excepted.

2) Who and what was important to this Icon? Why?

People all over the world attend this event. Without the dedicated fans comic con would happen. People who are willing to pay $200 for a ticket people who are will to help and volunteer. Comic appeals to a huge fan base as well they can draw from almost anything from Science Fiction to modeling.

3) How did this Icon become important in American culture?

If a San Diego native asks you "have you ever been to Comic Con?" and you reply with "what's that?" You will receive a horrified stare. Comic con is know world wide. Its important because it’s a place to meet new people and experience a different culture than any other place in the world. No other place is more excepting or overflowing with creative energy.

4) How did this Icon become important to you?

My first year there I made great friends with all the art show staff. They welcomed me into the one quiet place in the con. They showed me the ropes and took care of me. There's a place called Ballroom 20 and that’s where all the people I know spend time. I have made so many friends there and many of them I only see once a year but that once a year are the best four days of my summer.

5) Who and what did this Icon inspire?

Comic con has inspired a multitude of other conventions all over America. Providing a place and time for people to come out of their nerd caves.

6) Who does this Icon effect?

It inspires people to be creative to meet people with their same interests. It brings a lot of revenue into San Diego too.

Shel Dorf

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

He represents the spirit of comic the heart and soul of all that is comic con because he is the founder of comic con.

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

Conventions have always been a big part of Dorf’s life when he lived in Detroit he took over the “Detroit Triple Fan Fair” from its founder. When he moved to San Diego he founded a one day convention that eventually evolved into the Comic Con we all know and love.

3. How did this Icon become important in American culture?

Founding Comic con and running for so many years. He was the one that in 1991 moved it to its current location the San Diego Convention Center.

4. How did this Icon become important to you?

My mother has always been a part of comic con in fact she met Shel Dorf! He is important to me because he actually was the one who started the whole thing.

5. Who and what did this Icon inspire?

The people who run comic con now have to live up to him and he’s inspired people to create conventions of their own. Like the many that now take place in San Diego alone.

6. What would you say to your Icon if you could?

All I could say is Thank you. There are no words to express my gratitude towards the man who brought conventions to my world.

The Vlog Brothers

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

They represent global awareness and a national community created through the internet that is there to better the planet.

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

They make daily vlogs and work to change the world through the community they’ve created. They care about the environment current issues and global health. They have found a way to connect with millions of people and they are humbled by that fact. They know they can use their power to do something good.

3. How did this Icon become important in American culture?

Well one day they just posted a video on youtube and some people noticed them. Then some more people noticed them. Then youtube noticed them and asked them to become partners. So being youtube partners allowed for vloging to become their job so they spent more time made plans got a huge fan base and started helping the world.

4. How did this Icon become important to you?

One day I was browsing youtube and I came across one of their videos. They were asking people to go and vote for a charity I liked to get $5 million donated towards it. I immediately did that (of course) and then I got wrapped up in them. I spent a few hours going through their videos and now even though I’ve never met them before I feel kind of like I know them as friends.

5. Who and what did this Icon inspire?

They inspire people to go out and change the world. Hank Green (one of the brothers) his resent birthday present were pictures of over half their viewers outside planting trees.

6. What are ways you can contribute towards your Icon?

Well first off you can subscribe to them and watch their videos then you can help when they ask for it and provide suggestions for the next thing they do.