When Kipling says, “if you can fill the unforgiving minute with sixty seconds worth of distance run”  in the last stanza, he is summarizing the message he is trying to convey of  having fun in  life while still staying virtuous and true to yourself.

I first heard the poem in 5th grade English class. Although I was probably too young to understand it entirely, i decided it was worth remembering so i wrote it in the cover of one of  my favorite books.  A couple years later while cleaning out my room for a move, I found the book and wanted to re read it. Opening the cover I was pleasantly surprised,;I had forgot all about the poem written in the front cover. I don’t believe I ever got around to re reading that book. The poem became one of my favorite pieces of literature from that moment on, I read it when a task seems too tedious, or I begin to become inpatient, and especially when I start to loose my drive for school in the middle of  the semester.

This poem although aimed towards a young boy, has always been inspirational and motivating for me throughout the years. I believe it can be applied to anyone, no matter sex,wealth,occupation,physical ability,intelligence, or appearance. I think that is why this poem has inspired millions, because people from all walks of life have been able to relate to it.

I’m very thankful to Mr.Kipling, although he intended it to be a personal message to his son, when I read or hear this poem, it feels as if he is talking to me and me alone. This is why I chose it for my project, I don’t know many people my age who besides having to read it once in one of their English classes years ago, have ever really thought about the words and how it relates to each of them.I hope after hearing Kipling himself read the piece while connecting them to images of modern-day people and situations, my classmates will be inspired and motivated just as much as I have.

The American cartoon of “Uncle Sam” is an icon that portrays the nickname given to the Federal Government. The origin of the name has much speculation but the one that became the “official” explanation by an act of congress in 1961, is the Samuel Wilson story.The story is that Samuel,one who volunteered to make and distribute meats to the soldiers fighting the War of 1812, put “U.S.” on the side of the barrels to represent the United States.Then,it is said that one soldier  joked saying it stood for “Uncle Sam Wilson.” After saying for a while that the barrels were “from Uncle Sam”, the name stuck and became a way of saying the federal government.

The most famous role of the image has been during the World Wars. Uncle Sam donned a  a top hat with red and white stripes with a star studded blue band,red and white stripe pants and a blue jacket. His outfit representing the American flag was designed to show he is a “true American”  and that we can trust him (the federal government).

He was plastered on four million posters between 1917 and 1918 with bold words underneath him saying “I WANT YOU!”. This was to represent the federal government’s need for support from the American people by asking/guilting them with the question of what they are doing to give back to their country. He was used as advertisement for bonds,the army,donations,war-time labor, and more. This image is said to be a contribution to the reasons “victory gardens”(American households growing their own produce in order to leave enough supply for the soldiers fighting overseas) were grown,bonds bought,donations made, and for a large number of  army recruits.

Americans became accustomed to the “tough-love” Uncle Sam represented and trusting that by listening to him,they would be helping the nation.Today,at the New York Historical Society, the history of Uncle Sam is on display showing the many different aspects of his “career” as a motivator.Although his image in no longer used in advertisements today,his face and outfit are widely recognizable and  the nickname “Uncle Sam” is still widely used and understood both nationally and internationally to be the affectionate nickname of the United States federal government.

Work Cited:
http://home.nycap.rr.com/content/us_bio.html
http://www.uncle-sams-home.com/
http://americanhistory.suite101.com/article.cfm/uncle_samhttp
www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRXLUfq2b6g

The visual argument that I believe the film is making is that the future of Iraq  is undoubtably going to be divided between the three parties even more profoundly then before the American occupation. This is shown by the camera capturing each group discussing their opinions of the importance (or unimportance) of education,the American presence, and the other two groups. Not only do we see the thoughts and views of adults; the movie is narrated  by all three of the boys and the view of the camera is constantly at a low position angled upwards as if we are Iraqi children ourselves,experiencing what they are experiencing.

The argument being made is continuously supported by the people in each of the cities filmed physically and verbally expressing their animosity towards the other parties and their views. Also,when explaining their love, hate or questions about the role America is playing in Iraq the viewer can easily see the differences in opinions.These three republics are based off of  major differences of religious and political views (American supported or unsupported,type of democracy wanted, etc.). This is why there

will always be some kind of a division between them,all three are unwilling to compromise their beliefs and accept the other.

This documentary was successful in  using visual rhetoric as a means of  supporting the creator’s thesis. I believe the  details like the angle of the camera,the continuos issue of the American presence being brought up, and having three young boys be the main characters was a very smart strategy; these make the viewer  more likely to become emotionally attached. Throughout the movie we

are also exposed to the violent environment the people of Iraq have to deal with everyday because of the lack of agreement concerning government rule among the citizens and the rebel militia. This also adds ethos because it is an uncensored view that shows the issues currently affecting Iraq and its people.This is something that few people,especially Americans,get to see and or understand.

]]> http://joliegonzalez.wordpress.com/2009/12/10/iraq-in-fragments/feed/ 0 joliegonzalez nation divided http://joliegonzalez.wordpress.com/2009/12/04/black-friday/ http://joliegonzalez.wordpress.com/2009/12/04/black-friday/#comments Fri, 04 Dec 2009 15:56:50 +0000 joliegonzalez http://joliegonzalez.wordpress.com/2009/12/04/black-friday/ ]]> “Ahhh yeah”; That spectacular feeling of fullness after enjoying a thanksgiving feast.Now its time to kick back,relax and enjoy the rest of your four day weekend right? Wrong! There is no time for any relaxing, you have to start preparing,it seemed like this day would never come yet here it is.Get your game faces on ladies, and prepare for a showdown.Now is when the adrenaline starts pumping, all that food you just ate was merely fuel to get you through the battle of bargains you are about to embark. It is getting late now, close to midnight which means  once you have your list of targeted items along with  each their advertisements, coffee and shopping partner (and perhaps some kind of protective padding), you are ready to hit the road.You do not seem to make it very far however because there is traffic;lines of cars barely moving heading in the direction of the mall. No worries, you were expecting this (hence the coffee and list). Plus, this is the perfect opportunity to lay out your game plan;first, electronics then toys then home goods and don’t even think about stopping to chat with familiar faces. Today, even Susie who bakes apple pie for every PTA meeting is the enemy.

Though it may seem harsh,over exaggerated and almost ludicrous,this tale of  the  ”black Friday”  shopper is a common one.It is a ritual that Americans take part in on the last Friday in November; the morning after Thanksgiving Day. The reason so many shop at these early hours on this specific day is because stores offer a supposed drastic drop in their average prices for those few hours only.They do this so that those who need to shop for holiday gifts and or those who are looking for the latest new appliance or electronic, but don’t want to pay for them at there regular, relatively high prices can get what they want at discounted pricing.

The reality of this “mega-sale” however is that in a lot of cases the stores are profiting more then the consumers because they are not saving as much as they think.

“People affected by these limitations include the 19 percent now uninsured and the 6 percent who have coverage purchased on the individual market. In 39 states, insurers can turn down anyone for virtually any reason. It can be because you have a pre-existing condition, like cancer or diabetes and pregnancy almost always counts too.”

(Jacobson,Louise Politifact.com)

The “limitation”  mentioned  in the above statement is not being accepted for  insurance coverage. The specific one that seems to cause such an unnecessary uproar because it is not covered by some insurers is pregnancy. It is so very like women to have found a loophole in insurance coverage all these years; getting away with their sonograms, prenatal vitamins, labor and delivery being paid for all while they just sit back and enjoy time off of work. The fact that insurers are finally catching on is almost unnerving, just imagine how many other con-artists have gotten away with taking money from the government like these women have!This scheming has got to be stopped. My solution is to blacklist all women who become pregnant and to also make the time of pregnancy less of an enjoyment.This will act as a deterrence for those who plan on using their pre-existing condition as an unfair advantage over others.

It is only right, fore it is not society’s responsibility to appease these selfish, egg-producing criminals. The first step to making pregnancy less of the pleasurable vacation that it is is to stop putting those with child on such a high pedestal; eliminate special parking privileges, maternity wear, giving up our seats on the bus so they can sit ( g-d forbid they stand once in awhile).Also, the very root of the evil act ,paid medical bills and maternity leave will no longer be an issue fore it will not be paid for, plain and simple.

The next step is to blacklist all offenders so employers can be warned of their deplorable history; it will then be up to them if they choose to hire such a character.

Though I myself am female, and though my own very mother has regrettably used this condition to her advantage, I speak on the behalf of all those who are of  a higher moral standard. I wish to only make our health care system more fair and less of a victim to these types of vial acts. I would never dream or intend to use my condition as a means of slacking off and giving myself an upper hand in society like those mentioned have.

sources:

http://www.americanpregnancy.org/planningandpreparing/affordablehealthcare.html

Politifact.com

Webster’s Dictionary defines writer’s block as the condition where an author loses the ability to produce new work.

Many others besides those in the writing profession however have suffered from this deprivation; take me for example, while I am known to many as being very creative and expressive theres are times when “the right words” just do not come to mind. No matter how many tactics I learned from past teachers on overcoming writer’s block I try to perform, nothing seems to work. Writer’s block is an inevitable roadblock that everyone goes through at least once in the their lifetime. The key is to not let is prevent you from achieving your goal by overcoming it.

“Why is this so hard?, this should be a snap, I know the material.” These are likely to be the first frustrated words that will  come to mind when staring at the blank document with the flashing cursor that almost seems to be mocking you. This is the first mistake you could make, getting angry. Whether it be with the assignment, your teacher, or yourself,do not get upset. This will only make matters worse and greatly affect the outcome of your writing.If you find yourself getting to this point, you may need to step back and take a five minute break.

Try to find the root of the problem; are you over thinking the topic? Do you know what you want to say?  Are you distracted?            If your answer to any of these questions is yes, do not worry. They each have a solution. If your issue is letting the material stress you out or you do not exactly know what you want to say, go back and make notes of  key concepts you want to include in your writing. This is an easy solution that will help you get organize which in turn will make you less stressed. When it comes to distraction the common quick fix is to seclude yourself in a quiet room and turning off your cell phone. Don’t have a quiet room? Make a playlist of  songs of all the same genre and let that be the only background to your work. “Music triggers the brain center, which deal with the development of creativity” (Oak,Manall;Buzzle.com). Research has shown that listening to music while performing any task, stimulates an “internal discipline” that makes the process seem  resulting from the rhythm of the beat.(http://www.buzzle.com/articles/effects-of-music-on-the-mind-and-brain.html)

While everyone has their own writing style , we all generally go through the same process and have to tackle a common problem, the notorious writer’s block. I hope my personal methods to overcoming this malfunction of the brain will help you the next time it happens when writing your next work.

Work Cited:

http://www.buzzle.com/articles/effects-of-music-on-the-mind-and-brain.html

“The rise of teacher absences without proper replacements is the leading cause of low test scores.Many times the absences result in nothing more than a free period for the students instead of a day of learning.”

(Samuels; Associated Content)

Even though a substitute teacher is only  temporary , they still are making an educational influence for the classes they become in charge of. The sad truth is, most are unqualified and or not interested in teaching; Many substitutes are merely doing it for extra money while either working as something else that does not have anything to do with teaching,going through school, or keeping busy during retirement. It has been calculated that Students have a full year’s worth of substitute teachers  by the time they graduate high school (Samuels;Associate Content). That means that three hundred and sixty five days  of our school careers are spent  doing work that was either pointless to our curriculum, or done wrong because the teacher was not there to explain it properly and provide sufficient help.

Some might say the obvious solution is to give teachers less days off, but that of course would  be unfair to them. I believe the answer to the problem is to create higher standards and qualifications for a person to become a temporary educator. Each state has their own standards and then the individuals counties within them as well,but all in my opinion are more then easy. A couple examples include Ohio and Florida; In the state of Florida all that is required for someone to be considered qualified to be hired as a substitute is a high school diploma or GED and completion of a one hour training course that can be done online.In Palm Beach County you need thirty college credit hours on top of the state requirement. (http://www.palmbeach.k12.fl.us/PublicAffairs/FAQ.htm#WhatdoIneedtodotobecomeasubstituteteacher) In the state of Ohio, some counties even let parents become elementary substitutes after simply completing a one hour training course.

It seems evident to me after research that the low standards that public schools in America have for considering an adult competent enough to substitute teach increases low test scores. It may not be a large factor but if we conquer the little contributions to problems, it minimizes the overall effect.

work cited:

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/28317/how_to_become_a_substiute_teacher_requirements.html?cat=31

http://www.palmbeach.k12.fl.us/PublicAffairs/FAQ.htm#WhatdoIneedtodotobecomeasubstituteteacher

http://www.nea.org/home/14813.htm

Though it may appear to be a “no brainer” to women, men find the  process of  expressing their emotions and remembering minor details of everyday life to be quite difficult.Scientists at the University of Mexico and the University of California have teamed together to study the physical anatomy of the the two brains to try and make sense of it all; they have discovered that though we are equally intelligent when it comes to cognitive thinking, there are certain types of intelligence which link to our behavior that one sex naturally has more of then the other. For example, the act of expressing one’s feelings and verbal skills is linked to the middle of the brain that connects its two hemispheres called the  temporal gyrus. This is naturally denser in women compared to men. This in turn makes the process of expressing one’s feelings through linguistics more easy for women.

Gray matter represents information processing centers, white matter networks these processing centers.

So ladies try not to get too mad at your man because he doesn’t seem to understand you or open up to you enough about his feelings and men, don’t get annoyed when your lady doesn’t seem to know when to stop talking or acts “too sensitive”;It’s only natural =)

Sources:

http://www.bcs.rochester.edu/people/daphne/BavCorina.pdf

http://www.livescience.com/health/050120_brain_sex.html

The point I am trying to make is this, though it is a social and legal taboo, I believe prostitution becoming a legal, nation-wide practiced business would do more good then harm. I have come to this conclusion by investigating the cause and effects it would have on American society and government. Quite simply, the pros outweigh the cons; health issues caused by covered prostitution would almost completely diminish if regulations are followed,a high paying service industry would be created,less misdemeanors would be committed and the government would receive a new source of income through taxing which would only benefit the economy.

sources: http://www.forbes.com/2001/05/25/0524porn.html
Adams Media Research, Forrester Research, Veronis Suhler Communications Industry Report, IVD