Blogging Around

        After reading the many blogs, I can definitely say that I've changed even just a little bit, and quite blown by some of the ideas, ideas that I've never questioned. Among those blogs were Shawn's "iMedia: Children" and Chris Jenkins's "iMedia: Haiti."

        Shawn's post dealt with the differences in the observation of adults in comparison to the child in the youtube video. I agree wholeheartedly that, "It is never to late, to be a child."

Although the link didn't work, I've seen similar instances on other youtube videos, and you're right, it is truly amazing how much fun they seem to have. That is, in comparison to our daily lives and like you said even the professional conductors like Mutti, they seem to be so serious. I think a lot of it comes from our society, we have constant pressures, expectations, challenges, and I think that trying that hard daily sometimes takes the fun out of many things, and we tend to follow a moot, boring take on life. For the kid, he has no limits, no expectation, no pressures (except perhaps throwing on a good show :)). I think it's a little sad at times when we are so wrapped up in what we want to do and what we desire that we forget the happiness of a child. We are constantly telling little kids to grow up fast and mature, but isn't it time to tell adults to stop growing?
~ I really liked this connection, reminds us to be kids, and that it's ok to be a kid once in a while.  

             My response to Chris's blog post was definitely a bit emotional and disappointment with the human race, with myself. Chris talked about the idea that our mindset is clearly, "me first" and how that forces us to make decisions. That in the end really surprise us. It's incredible how even the role of photographers' is hardly questioned. Yes, it is their duty to take pictures and report, but even up to this point?

~ Wow. That's unbelievable. I agree with you one hundred percent. I feel that we naturally look at this picture and see it as, the photographer is just doing his/her job. However, we've never really asked what exactly his/her duty is when(s)he's placed in a situation like this. It's so easy to forget who we are, and we tend to forget our duty to other humans. It's really sad, in my opinion, that we are brainwashed into this selfish nature because we haven't experienced this kind of pain and hardship. Or even in general, the mindset is definitely, "me first, and my welfare comes before your." Where exactly has our world come to? As humans we naturally have the instinct to save our own skin first, but what good will that do for us as a human race and as humanity?

In all, I can say that reading these blogs had an impact on the way I view things now and will definitely be in my mind. All I can say, thanks for saying it out loud for others to hear!

Metacognition: Organizing my Room + Desk

       My little project was simple, just tidying up my room and my desk that have grown so fond of the messy stacks of papers and books. I had books and papers lying all over my desk and sprawled on the ground, so I organized them into stacks and shelved books and filed papers. I had pencils in masses from the need of a sharpened pencil after the one I had used "died." Cleaning my room is, for me, not as a lot of people describe it (painful, boring, tiring,etc.) I actually enjoy it. So I began, with Mariah Carey's "All I want for Christmas is you" "jamming" in the background....

       Before the project, I felt really messy, I couldn't think straight, my eyes kept getting distracted by the unorganized stacks of papers and books. Something inside me was uncomfortable and annoyed at seeing my room disorganized. As I was cleaning my room up I felt little by little more "relieved" as in free from all the stuffiness. It felt nice and a bit less stuffy as I saw more and more books and papers disappear from my desk and from the ground. After I was done cleaning my room, I felt accomplished and ready to do other work. I wasn't distracted by seeing my room messed up. My thoughts calmed down and I could think straight and focus on the other work that needed to be done. No more distractions... The project made my mind a bit easier to focus afterwards. I felt comfortable and ready to work on other things. The organized piles organized my thoughts and I could look around my room and not feel like there was something that I had to do before I went to bed.

       I've realized time after time that I think I might be an obsessive neat freak... I can't stand a lopsided stack on my desk or little pieces of paper embedded in my carpet, or papers lying everywhere because I was too lazy to file away into their individual folders. "Yikes" I think when I see my room slightly different than the perfect state that I like. For everything in my room I have an exact place that I want it to be, or it's safely stored in a folder or in a neat pile. If the computer screen on my desk is a little shifted from its normal position, it will most likely bother me. For me one thing is quite certain, I cannot work if the workspace around me is disheveled and messy. I get distracted with asking myself, "When am I going to clean up? Where should I put that? Where does that belong?" When my workspace is clean and organized, I feel refreshed inside like starting on a blank sheet of paper rather than a doodled paper. So naturally, after I had cleaned my room I felt ready to do anything. While cleaning my room, I find that I do some of my life related thinking. Many say it's idle work, cleaning a room, or discovering old and lost treasures, but for me it's also a time of reflection. As I organize books, I organize my thoughts, thinking ahead what I need to accomplish and what I need to get done and perhaps get around doing... Music and cleaning my room are surprisingly the medicine for reflection on my life and giving myself a refreshing start!       

iMedia: Video Games Live

Civilization IV: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6GU5fNQq9U&safety_mode=true&persist_safety_mode=1

Halo Suite: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5aezS1FbiM&feature=related&safety_mode=true&persist_safety_mode=1

Kingdom of Hearts: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c94VLFEQqbA&feature=related&safety_mode=true&persist_safety_mode=1
These are only some of the many video games songs covered live.

       Playing this piece in orchestra and hearing it numerous times revealed to me how our society has shifted as well as our interests. In the end it also extends to how this kind of music affects our society. When I first heard this piece I was amazed at the power of strings and surprised at how much classical string instruments have evolved. Interestingly, our music reveals the postmodern nature of our society. For example, in the Halo Suite, as the strings hit those high sixteenth notes, the drums follow each beat. Each piece has all the instruments necessary to perform a symphony, but with minor adjustments, we have a rock orchestra. Ever since music became respected and composer after conductor passed through our history, music has been categorized. When we open our little itunes app, we see the fifty different genres of music listed: rock, pop, classical, modern rock, etc. We've had many crossovers between pop and rock, but generally classical music stays pure to its nature and we leave the classical genre alone to isolate the beautiful natural wooden sound of a violin concerto from the electronic piano and riffs. However as our culture continues to mix with other cultures, everything is hard to categorize; we've definitely entered the postmodern society. This affects some people in our society who had found classical instruments bland and "unexciting" in that it changes their views 180 degrees. They see that classical instruments have more flexibility than we have normally given them. Video games live is a mixture of powerful strings singing like a choir in the background even as an electric guitar riffs away.
       The fact that our orchestra, which is known to play mainly absolute classical (and some modern) pieces, picked this piece shows a change in our society. A larger integration between sounds made by nature and technology. It affects our culture in that after the Video Games Live tour plays for thousands of people and it's likely that the same people will go home and look up these songs to hear them again, and perhaps in the end become video game designers and end up inputting the very sounds into their new video game. The reaction as our orchestra conductor tells us to pull out this piece is not surprising, loud whoops and happiness is reflected in the students, and personally this piece is also one of my favorites. This composition as well as the tour will serve to encourage other "movements" towards combining technology and music that dates back farther than any ipod.
     For me, it was also a realization of the solidifying of the convergence between nature and technology. The fact the postmodernism has now penetrated through an art form that has been celebrated by Mozart, Beethoven, Rachmaninoff, Corelli, etc., is amazing. However, it's also a sad realization because the things that we have tried to keep pure are subject to the constant changes in our society and changes in interests. Depending on the individual, it triggers emotions to want to keep classical instruments and classical styles pure of any pop, rock, roll, rap, while others would argue and say that everything needs to crossover. No matter what the point of view this mix will spark greater interest and perhaps less interest, but progress nonetheless. For me personally, when I hold my violin to play this piece, I'm so thrilled to be suddenly able to play music that I had thought was only possible for drums, guitars, and singers.

Connection: Dvorak's New World Symphony and The Tragedy of King Lear

(Before reading this entry, becoming familiar with Dvorak's New Symphony would help the reader to understand this blog better)
Mvt 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-OAXCy3YS54
Mvt 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ENf4VEhI40&feature=related
Mvt 2 (part 2): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=phbYpnPlYq0&feature=related
Mvt 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cp0-FVuLtOk&feature=related
Mvt 4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yctfXIqugXc&feature=related 

       Content, phrasing, form, and transitions are all important pieces in both music as well as books, especially plays. An art piece that masters these proponents would make it what we call, "successful," lucky for us history and time has brought us people who can tie in most or all of these components, i.e. Shakespeare and Dvorak.
      In Dvorak's "New World Symphony" we start by analyzing each movement, each expressing a multitude of emotions and sections. Similarly, in King Lear, we notice that there are different sections in the play that call for different emotions. For example, sadness (as Cordelia is disowned by Lear), regret (both Gloucester and Lear as they realize what they've done to their children), and hope (Not all the bad stays bad - Albany). In the "New World Symphony," the 1st movement, the ending is much more energized with powerful string parts and the band instruments blowing the melody, compared to the beginning of the 2nd movement where the oboe is a solo along with an quiet and peaceful harmony in the back. These differ as a section in King Lear might differ. For example, the oboe solo could be seen as some of the soliloquies delivered by Edgar and Edmund, while the beginning of the 1st movement can be seen as the fanfares made in King Lear as Lear decides to hold a contest among his daughters. An interesting parallel is that the 1st and 2nd movement start out very quietly and somewhat establish a melancholy and quiet atmosphere, however as the symphony progresses the beginnings of both the 3rd and 4th movement are empowered by strong string sections and in general a much louder entrance. In King Lear, this can be seen through the acts, in the first couple of acts there isn't much "action" occurring, simply the stage is being set up and warming up the audience for what is ahead. After act 2 we start to climb towards the drive of the play everything is set up so the piece just drives full speed ahead. For example, the actions being fulfilled by Edmund in order to get rid of his brother. Just like how the 3rd movement and 4th movement are essentially the driving forces of the piece after the audience has been warmed up by the first 2 movements, which are mixtures of the excitement seen in the 3rd and 4th mvt. In acts 1 and 2, we see glimpses of the action in the future, Edmund's plan, Cordelia being sent off, and the two sisters having a discreet discussion.
        Interestingly, the "New World Symphony" has quite instantaneous transitions, it'll go from heavy woodwinds to a quiet choral of strings. This is quite similar to the transitions in King Lear, where many scenes and acts have no solid transition, rather it's just one event happens and then moves onto the next important detail to mention. It's very direct, which is what Dvorak's symphony also accomplishes, moving swiftly from a slow 30 measures to 30 measures of sixteenth notes for the strings and scales up and down for the wood winds. In King Lear, even though we know there was a lot of preparation to set up Edmund's plan (the soliloquy, the letter), but when the events actually occur, we are taken aback by exactly how much Edmund is willing to do. Similarly, although the build up in the 1st movement might have shown us what lies in movement 4, when we reach movement 4, it's very different than what we might have expected, with the sudden Jaws-like theme.
       In my opinion, when we see parallels like this between a symphony and a play it says a lot about the pieces as well as the writer and composer. The fact that a play can be compared to a symphony, that says the play is in some ways like music. Overall we may not see the entirety of the play as a song, but the sonnets and when Shakespeare uses heightened language, that translates into music. This "New World Symphony" like King Lear can be seen as battles within each movement and battles between the different instruments as well as "allies." For example, we hear some little battles between the woodwinds and the strings in the 4th movement, as the strings are involved in high fast notes, the winds will either support them, or have their own melody on top of the strings. (Where the strings have short notes while the winds are playing the melody) In King Lear there are battles among the characters as well as alliances (Goneril, Regan, and Edmund vs. Cordelia, Albany, Edgar). This says also a great deal about this symphony, it tells a story it has conflicts, a climax, and the filler parts. I think that whether we write a story or compose a song, there are so many similarities, conflicts, battles, climax, a set up of the climax. So the techniques used in writing is not exclusive to simply writing, but to the arts as well, and vice versa.

360 Degrees: Number of Kids in a Family

For as long as I can remember, when someone asked me how many kids a family should have, I always answered, "a lot." No question, no doubt about it. It was always about having a lot of "play friends," after all what else mattered? However, now that I look at the significance or meaning in number of kids there's a lot to think about....
       In many different cultures, for example, Chinese, the number of kids you had was a sign of welfare, of wealth. On the farm, the more hands you had to help, the better off your family would be living. So exactly how did this affect our society intellectually as a whole? Had we decreased the number of kids we had then, possibly brought the era of technology a couple of decades earlier? After all if we hadn't removed so many children out of education to work on the farm, many kids would be contributing to the science, technology, research, development part of our world. Then, the Great Depression hit the U.S. and we saw a sharp decline in the number of kids in a household. During that time the perspective changed, and saw a large number of kids as a burden. In that situation, if we hadn't increased the number of kids in a family, what would be the result now? We are already spiraling towards a depletion of resources, including drinkable water, what would've happened if we had a baby boom rather than a bust during those years? The truth is that many things could have happened, either we would be that much closer to running out of resources, or we would have proceeded into a new era of technology and discovery. It's difficult to decide whether having a child boom or bust is ever a good or bad thing. For one thing it is quite paradoxical. Take our recession, we are statistically experiencing another bust in the number of kids families have, we see many single-child households, households with no children, and we have yet to fix the economic problem. Economists, Wall street businessmen toss and turn in their sleep waiting for anyone who could fix this problem, and ideally it could be the kid that would have been born had it not been for the high cost for maintaining and caring for a kid.
      The question is, is this topic meaningless because there isn't much that can be done to regulate it? Should it be regulated? I feel that if this situation were to move towards law, it would be a violation against our rights as humans, but when mothers are moving towards abortion because they can't afford to have a child, where does the situation lie then? Is there a way to address the paradox, or should it even be addressed? The way I see it, it would be extremely difficult and unreasonable trying to construct a law against/for the number of kids a family should have, but rather we should use the information as data. For example, I believe that by observing the number of kids a family might have it tells us a lot about the time of the society. For example, during the bust of number of kids born could tell us about the economic situation, the political situation, etc. However, the decisions are simply subject to each individual household, and should stay that way. It's just interesting to see it happen in real time and see exactly the extent of how our decisions may affect the future.
          From all these different booms and busts, it's safe to say that the number of kids that a family has depends on the conditions of the world, which is beneficial for those living at that moment, but who knows maybe by doing that we may have prohibited another Einstein from being born... 

Metacognition: Kite Runner Essay

The first thing that ran through my head as I began writing this essay was exactly how the puzzle pieces were going to fit. I had a general idea of how things would sound especially the tone and sound of my voice that I wanted to portray in this essay. I really wanted to to get across formal and yet sounding as if I was holding a conversation with someone. I wanted the ideas to come out naturally and playing on the string of phrases not each letter or each word. I think one aspect that I find interesting is that I come across new (sometimes better) ideas as I'm writing, and unfortunately as much as it is a boon it is also a demise. I find myself having so many ideas that I want to tell the world and explain, but this causes me to go astray. This is the one thing about myself that I wish I could fix; I get lost in my own ideas and that causes the most panic, anxiety, and frustration for me. As a result, I can't focus on the singular idea that I first thought of. This part of my thinking is the most flawed, in my opinion, and I would like to work on it so that I can still come up with these ideas, but keep my thinking focused on the original idea that I have. On top of that, the reason why my thinking goes astray with these new ideas is because I want to continuously relate my original theme to these underlying layers and most of the time that requires a lot of extra time to think in order to find a good way to connect them, but there is also a time limit. So as a goal I think I need to find a way to restrict myself to keeping myself intact with the original points. That's one of the major things that needs a little work on. However, there are a lot of aspects of my thinking that I'm glad of having. I'm able to think artistically as well as a generic student, which I think is beneficial depending on the writing piece, and I find that the best pieces involve a mix of both. For me personally, I noticed that with a little bit of time my thinking can be deepened and that I could think with a mix from outside influences, like history, languages, and other subjects.

           Specifically, for this essay, I had to think about how the evidence would have to directly relate to the thesis and how it would support it. At first I saw the literal (the language aspect) of each evidence, but then I saw the overall effect on the book. For example the parallel between the bond, no bond, bond, and the appearance of the kite solely at the beginning and the end, and missing in the middle. However, I think because this essay had such a strict formula, I found it difficult to incorporate other ideas in fear that it would distract the reader and the purpose of this essay. That was a little irritating, but I also found myself pleased that I was able to think of the overall picture. I think one obstacle that I was faced with was trying to find the "So What" of the essay. I found that my thinking in another way was limited in that it took me a great deal of time to try and figure out why my ideas were so important. I think we take our ideas for granted in a way that we never have to explain why they're important. So, I think one thing I should work on is developing that hidden factor, trying to expand my thinking before I dive into writing a piece or try supporting it.

Blogging Around

I read multiple interesting blogs, but unfortunately only two can be mentioned. One of the interesting blogs that I read was Ben W.'s "Inconvenient Truth: Poverty is Inevitable." This really caught my eye because I realized that much of our life is dedicated to helping the less fortunate, but Ben did a good job of explaining a point of view that we usually shy away from. Ben's entry discussed how it is impossible to rid the world of its poverty because every time we solve one problem another one sprouts in a different spot, like dandelions.

In response to Ben's entry....

"When you say it like this it's upsetting to realize that everything we've worked for, in terms of relieving people in poverty, is maybe in the long term inconsequential. I think this is sometimes what we also fear as human beings, putting every ounce of effort into what we do and the result is nonexistent or lacking. As difficult as it is to admit this truth, I agree, it's a never ending cycle. I actually felt this as we were learning about the serfs and the richer merchants. Once they're plunged into that cycle, they can't get out. The merchants get rich from the profits, while having time to work on newer ideas and improving their education. The poor serfs are just rotting intellectually and they can't progress, they are without other choices (besides dying) to remain stagnate. It's one of those ideas that are paradoxical that we sometimes wish didn't come with life..."

I felt this unspoken truth as we were discussing the situation of the serfs and the rich merchants who were exploiting them. The fact that these farmers are so willing to to be exploited simply encourages the merchants. So as the serfs just work and stay stagnate, the merchants are able to progress in different areas. Just like Ben said, as much as we can say, "We could have just gotten rid of those serfs and those merchants that way there wouldn't be impoverished," the result of today and the present would be significantly different, which would arouse unthinkable problems.

The second entry that caught my attention was  Ryan B.'s entry "Connection: The Kite Runner and A Christmas Carol." I've always enjoyed (and frightened) this story and always wondered what would've happened if Ebeneezer hadn't chose to go with the ghosts. Ryan brought up a point that I also saw in the Kite Runner, the idea that Amir couldn't have reached redemption without other influences, and he made the excellent connection to Ebeneezer Scrooge. While I was reading the text, I felt Rahim Khan and Assef were both instrumental towards Amir's path to redemption. For example, Rahim Khan provided the final opportunity for Amir to redeem himself (become "good" again) and without Assef, he wouldn't need to finally muster the courage to stand up to someone else, which falls under his way to redemption. Interestingly, although both Amir and Scrooge are the protagonists of both stories, they are also similar in that they have to rely on other characters to really fulfill their positions as protagonists. So, not only are they reliant on other characters to help them redeem themselves for the main issue, but literally as the protagonists.

In response to Ryan's entry..

"Cool comparison! I really enjoyed reading your connections to Ebeneezer and Amir they hit home. I especially agreed with "Neither Amir nor Ebenezer attempted to redeem themselves, rather an outside force had introduced the opportunity." I completely felt this as well (at least for Amir's character) while I was reading the book, Amir, if it weren't for other characters in the story, probably would've never been able to redeem himself. For example, for me Rahim Khan as well as Assef really were the motivators to push Amir in the right direction. In the end it's all about facing up to what you did wrong and then you'll be liberated. This is also relevant to religion."
 

Connection: The Use of Kites and Cycle of Power

Objects have power. The kite in The Kite Runner, is extremely powerful in the motion of the story as well as the reader's experience. The use of the kite in the story is very similar to the cycle of power. At the beginning of the story, the kite is part of what we see as the bond between Hassan and Amir. They are both extremely adept at the art of kite running and fighting, but we notice that for many different reasons, social position, personality, Amir is able to take advantage of Hassan (words, reading, writing). However when they take the glass spool they become equal. It's the one thing that Amir can't take advantage or make fun, so there becomes this bond between them. So after their win, the bond strengthens and the kite becomes a symbol of power for the both of them. The way Amir uses the kite is similar to how a corrupt leader might use his power. The stories (Beauty and the Beast) and reality (leaders with too much power) mesh to explain the cycle of power. The cycle of power is an unspoken phenomena, that really talks about a cycle where one starts with much power and they enjoy it, but then greed consumes them, and a problem forms (the use of the power is not used for its purpose), and then some sort of trial is put upon the character, and then (if the story has a happy ending) the power is restored. Although literally, Amir and Hassan carry no physical power such as being a ruler or a king, their ability with the kite becomes their power. The greed comes when Amir decides to use his abilities with the kite to win the affection of his father, which turns him blind to all else, including wrong doing right in front his eyes (Hassan's rape). The trial is put on Amir, in that he needs to reconcile with his past, his memories, and his actions now. We notice that during this trial the kite is mentioned in observations, far away, in details, and in the story the Taliban take away kites. He sees kites in memories and in his mind, but he can't have it. However, when he passes his trial and he realizes what he has done, the power is restored, and we see that when Amir is able to fly a kite once more and even though it's not with Hassan, it's with Sohrab who balances the power like Hassan did.
        This is very similar to, in a literature context, The Beauty and the Beast. The prince had great power and wealth at the beginning of the story, but he is blinded by his greed and misuses his power by thinking that he can mistreat others because of this power. He becomes stripped of his power, he becomes the beast. He is reminded everyday of who he has become, but as much as he wants to have the power and becoming human once more, that is no longer in his grasp. His task is to win someone's heart and along the way learn about how he must pay back for abusing his power. When he achieves his task, his power is restored back to him. 
       I think this is an important connection because it helps us understand Amir's situation, the clever tactics of Hosseini, and it makes the story extremely real. When we read about the kite contest and then suddenly Hassan's rape, it seems surreal to us, as in "how does that even happen?" However, when we reference back to fairy tales and our leaders we see the same pattern (with slightly different endings), which makes this fictional memoir much more real. There's also an interesting format that Hosseini applies to the writing as well as the form. At the beginning he presents a lot of kite scenes, however after Hassan's rape, it almost disappears aside from subtle descriptions, but then it comes back when Amir comes to terms with what happened. That parallels, having power at the beginning and being stripped of it, and finally having the power restored. In my opinion, I think it's incredible how objects like a kite can act as such powerful things and influence actions. Objects have power.    

Best of Week: Form is Content

'Form is content' is an idea/phrase that is spread around quite a lot, but until this week I was frankly unexposed to the ideas and creativity it could sprout. So when this idea was explained and analyzed in Kite Runner, I thought about all the different examples in my life where form is content. The way you dress, the way you talk, the way you sit, the way you give, etc. There are just so many to count! Most of the time, we don't realize how much we rely on the intertwined nature of form and content. The idea that even the medium in which you present something could essentially portray your entire character is incredible and almost magical. In addition, it can also describe your surroundings. For example, text messaging someone you just met rather than writing a letter already impresses different grooves. In a third-person view, the time and technology is easily depicted in the fact that text messaging exists. However, more specifically towards the person's personality, it comes off as someone who is in touch with their tech-surroundings, likes to keep things informal, or doesn't require intimacy like a letter. "Form is content" is very close to a belief that I like to prompt myself on, presentation is not everything, but a big part in making a good impression and showing who you are. Form is essentially the way the content presents itself. I also believe that within the presentation a great deal of your identity (if not all) should be incorporated. However, just like the way content is presented can be faulty or ostensibly true, presentation can also be a mask.
         In a literary environment, I think that the idea, "form is content" also ties in with mood. Depending on how the content is presented it can change the mood of things. For example, in Romeo and Juliet, when Romeo and Juliet meet at the party and begin to rhyme and talk in sonnets, not only does it present the content, that they are in love, it sets a mood for the readers. Reading the sonnets and the rhyming of each character sets a tone of serenity and having that shy smile lingering on your face. If this scene had no rhymes and if Romeo and Juliet both professed their love by saying, "I love you," it would change the mood greatly. The feelings and emotions would have disappeared.
         In my opinion, I feel that "form is content" is an extremely strong tool, for a writer and as a person. For a writer, it gives you two "boosts," it's another way, aside from words, to express your identity and your thoughts, and it helps create a richer piece of work that is shaped by the winds of nature rather than the forced cuts of scissors. It is a way to express feeling through the written words. Feeling/emotions are tied into memory, so by hitting the emotions and feelings through words and now form would create a more powerful, influential, and lasting piece of writing. As a person, this idea can help to discover who you are and to present to others who you are. It's learning a method to accomplish just that. I think by experimenting with different forms will allow you to learn what fits you the best and along the way, learn new things about yourself.

Connection: The Healing of America and the Gulf States

“I know you think that you took it away, but it’s still there…I still feel empty.” “Founder’s Day.” Vampire Diaries. Kevin Williamson, Steven R. McQueen. CW. 13 May. 2010.

Hidden from cameras above and under the water is a pain within that vibrates through the Gulf States. Due to the oil spill wrecking their businesses, many families are left with no jobs and no money, left to fight for themselves. They are solely left with the burden of not knowing the immediate present. This situation is not new to us, for it is felt by approximately more than 44 million other people. The people without health insurance and those who are under covered. One of the major consequences of the BP Gulf spill is the permanent mark on people's minds. The impact of seeing from televisions, radios, and newspapers of their lives falling apart again and again shouldn't be taken lightly. However, this is not a noticeable or obvious result that we get from the spill, and the truth is the status of the lives of the +44 million people without proper coverage isn't obvious either. T.R.Reid mentions in the book that part of the reason why nothing drastic has occurred to change our health care is due to ignorance on the other part of the covered population. As Bush puts it nicely, 'After all, you just go to the emergency room', (Reid 218). Therefore this invisibility feature contributes to the fact that help is slower and rare. The Health bills that we manage passing are so watered down that essentially nothing changes for the people. For those in the Gulf States, the necessary psychiatrists are few and proper mental-health resources are scarce and slow to come. This poses a danger to our society in general because what is kept out of the public eye will be overlooked.

Another aspect that the health system as well as the spill challenges is the idea of community. In the Gulf, our method of solving the loss of jobs reflects a similar attitude in our health care system. In countries like Japan and the UK, they provide universal health care because they find selection of certain people defies the meaning of a community. However, the same selective character seems to be evident within the Louisianan society. For the people who have lost their jobs, their only option is to work within BP as part of the clean up process, but most cannot even get that job because there are some captains who get all the work while others get nothing, of course which is at the selection of BP. For our health care, it questions what we define as a community and challenges our set up of our system, as well as questioning our moral rights. For the spill, it raises shocked responses, " We’re a community," says Acy Cooper, Vice president of Louisiana Shrimp Association. That would be echoed by +44 million others. 

It's interesting to see how consistent we are with the way we approach things, whether to solve a problem or to set it up. In a way, as much despair these choices may cause, there is room for hope. If we are using the same mind-set then all we need to do is change that mind-set and things will work out. Therefore, there is reason to be optimistic, as long as we get the ball rolling.