Week 10- Tobar, Steinbeck, Humes, Warshaw

Ode to CalTrans by Hector Tobar

In this story the authors remembers a dream he had about the Hollywood freeway that reminds him of the freeways when he was a child. He tells how he appreciates the freeways now and how they are similar to the Middle Eastern tribute to CalTrans. Also how the One-Ten is frightening to be on in the winter and that is why when his first two kids were born he did not take them. Then he tells about how he wonders if his mother passed the sense of owe to him when he was in his mothers belly because when she was in labor with him they were practically flying her to the hospital driving at fifty-five and slowing down to thirty-five and accelerating again.

The paragraph that I liked was the one on page 59, about when his mother was in labor with him.

This made me think about how dangerous the freeways can be due to crazy drivers and also reminded me of when I was in labor with my last child and how I drove myself to the hospital and if I passed any sense of emotion to her that I was feeling in those minutes it took me to get there.

I learned that Cal Tran placed signs with pictures of Cal Tran helmets on them to commemorate the workers who died and that they had to take them down because it was making the freeway look like a cemetery.

Montalvo, Myths and Dreams of Home by Thomas Steinbeck

Steinbeck is telling about his myths of California. He starts of with how the Spanish Romance took off and the bestsellers that that Garcia Montalvo wrote. Then he tells about The Big Sur and his memories of it. He ends in telling about The Dark Watchers that his grandmother believed in and she would leave a gift basket of fruit or candy for them when she would pass by and when she would return the same basket would have gift for her in exchange for their gratitude.

I like the sentence, just when you think you’ve got a handle on the newest fashion (exit stage right); the whole marvel instantly changes costume and reenters stage left. Page 66. This is so true and funny at the same time.

When reading this chapter it made me think of my history class and also about how life is about myths and some or more real than others and they affect how we look and take on life.

I learned that the Big Sur was the place that held the myth of the Sasquatch.

The Last Little Beach Town by Edward Humes

Humes tells a story about a town close to Seal Beach and how he remembers it being a place of paradise, not in need of money, and how once people find it they never want to leave. Also how it’s a shame that small towns get turned into money hungry, tourist place like Long Beach, Newport Beach, and Huntington Beach. He seen in a magazine that that’s what they are trying to do to this little town and that they are event trying to put parking meters on Main Street there.

I like the paragraph that says you can plaster your garage with a rainbow-hue seascape mural or paint your stucco walls flaming purple or erect a strangely long scale model of lighthouse on your front lawn and the taste police will not knock at your door here. Seal Beach is militantly untrendy. Page 71.

Reading this made me realize that our town is all about appearances like he describes in the book. Also how easy it is to miss something that is not right out looking at you in the face. It even made think about the beaches here and that maybe I should pay attention to the details and not just the appearance of it.

I never heard of Seal Beach and did not know it even existed. I also never knew that Laguna Beach is the most striking beautiful beach compared to the Pacific Coast, Huntington, and Newport.

Surfacing by Matt Warshaw

This chapter is a story about a sixteen year old boy named Moriarity, who liked to surf. He went to Maverick, a location never heard of until it came out in a magazine, to surf the biggest waves there is and winds up having an experience of his life. He describes how he and some others are storm trackers, so Moriarity finds out about these waves a day before and gets ready for it not realizing what he is in for. Warshaw goes into great detail about Moriarity's surf experience that you could practically see how it happens if you imagine it. Also how Half Moon Bay became a popular place for surfing.

I liked the sentence, then the whole ledged out and I had time to think, ‘Oh, shit. This is not good.’ Page 88.

This reminded me of the experience I had when I was first learning how to swim. How you go under water and it makes you wonder if you are going to reach the surface in time to catch your breath or are you going to drown. I can still feel it in my gut just thinking about it.

I did not know that Half Moon Bay is one of the most popular surfing places. Also that Edward, David, and Cupid Kawananakoa, were the first surfers in Santa Cruz and the first surfers in America.

The similarities are that Humes and Warshaw talk about Beaches and Tobar and Steinbeck talked about past experiences they mention a beach but do not go into detail about it or talk about an experience they had with it.

Reviews of Classmates’:

1) Antonio- learned that there is a Japanese ceremony in the American River that commemorates those that died in the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

2) Catherine- Her mothers use to go fly-fishing in North Carolina.

3) Danielle- did not know it could snow in California in the dead summer.

4) Jared- When reading The Big Valley it made him think of when his family visited his cousins’, the Errotaberes, because they are farmers in the Central Valley.

5) Judy-learned that about seventy-five thousands Russians live in Sacramento.

6) Laurel- has a sister in Southern California.

7) Megan- had childhood vacations at Disneyland.

8) Sophia- Beverly Hills did not have any hospitals.

9) Valerie- learned that you can catch lizards when practicing fly-fishing.

10) Mario- also didn't know that fig orchards where in northwest Fresno.

Week 9- Arax, Liu, Parker, Mackey

1) The Big Valley by Mark Arax.

The author is telling a story about his life and where he grew up. Mark begins by telling us about an adventure he had when he was a boy and he wind up getting lost. The engine of his Lil Indian overheated and got stuck in the mud. He was surrounded by turkey vultures that looked hungry. Luckily his cousin was riding beside him and saved him. Then he starts talking about his grandfather who arrived when Forkner was still blasting holes to plant Calimyrna figs. Marks grandfather was a poet who found new land and a vineyard. Marks father grew up on the farm but left in 1950 to pursue a football scholarship at USC. By the time Mark was grown his father had ran a grocery and then a bar, so he was only able to see a vineyard in paintings. Mark goes into detail about how the fig orchard land changed to stores and fast-food restaurants. Then he starts talking about his journey to Tulare and goes into detail about cities and how they have changed. Then he talks about the Caterpillar and the big impact it had on the farmer’s soil. He ends it by talking about his father and how things could have been if he had stayed farming and how his father was murdered.

The sentence I liked was, Today, the fig orchards of northwest Fresno are gone, swallowed up by custom houses and tract houses, Wal-Marts and Targets, and so many fast-food chains that when McDonalds wants to launch a new product nationwide, it does its first test here. (19)

While reading that sentence it made me think of when I went to Fresno for Easter. His description is so true. There is a Wal-Mart and next to it is a Target and there are there were a lot of other businesses their but the only other place I was able to see driving by was Sonic.

I did not know that the key to good yields is to keep the soil airy and free from compaction.

2) Transient in Paradise by Aimee Liu

This chapter was about how at a first glance at Beverly Hills it seems like a dream of desire and paradise but it transforms hunger into ambition, envy, lust, and greed. Everything is contrary to that first glance; it is more of a fear. Aimee goes into detail about how Beverly Hills is not paradise and that it is transient. No matter how impressive an up front Beverly Hills puts on, the truth lies within the hands of the beholder. All one needs to do is look hard enough to see that there life is no better than a poor or homeless person and then she gives examples of it. Then while she is listening to the rich talking while at a funeral it remind her of a man named Richard. Richard was homeless and he would station his wheelchair in front of Nate ‘n’ Al’s and she would converse with him because of the book he would read. He had a disease that was shrinking him and when he died Aimee found out by reading an article in Los Angles Times that he was once an aspiring screenwriter but lack of family and his disease distorted his fate.

My favorite sentence was desire is merely the version that says, I want and am taking mine- and better me or us than them or you. While the inverse, better him or her or them than us, is simple code for fear. (33)

While reading this chapter it made me think of how the world actually is not what people make it out to be. On the outside some make want others to believe that everything is peaches and cream but deep down inside and behind the curtain it is a whole different ball game. Everyone has fears but most would rather hide them than show or face them.

I did not realize that there were homeless people in Beverly Hills, I imagine that since it so high classed that they had some kind of security not allowing them to be around there.

3) Showing of the Owens by T. Jefferson Parker

Parker is telling a story about how he had a chance to show off California’s Lower Owens River to novelist Brian Wiprud. While he was driving near by there was a place were you could catch wild rainbow trout, Parker mentioned to Brian since he recently returned from a fly-fishing tour of the Amazon River. Then Parker tells about the topic of fly-fishing and how it’s like a progressive disease once you start you can’t stop. Around this time Brian notices that he has a rash on his hand. Parker then talks about the sky and how it looks. By dark Brian caught nine fish and Parker only had caught two. This is a story about a fishing trip with a friend and the good memories he had while at this river.

I like the paragraph where Parker is describing fly-fishing. (39)

While reading this chapter it made me think of how I would like to take my family on trip so that they can have good memories to share with their friends and family when they get older. Also that I have never been fishing and that I must be missing out on something pretty interesting.

I learned a little about fly-fishing and how one can get addicted to it. Also that there was a movie made about it, A River Runs Through It.

4) The Distant Cataract About Which We Do Not Speak by Mary Mackey

Mary Mackey is telling a story about when she would sneak up on the ducks in the Folsom dam and she wonders how she is able to get so close to them without them noticing that she was not one of them. Then she mentions how she got startled by a beaver on one of her trips returning back to island. The American River is a place where her and her husband likes to go where they can fanaticize about relaxing places. Also that it is a place were millions of people go of different cultures to enjoy it as well as they do.

I like the sentence “That THING is definitely not a duck!”(46) Reading this made me laugh.

While reading this chapter it made me think of my family’s little trips to the rivers in the summer and how they enjoy it and how their imaginations probably run wild while they are playing and having fun. I wonder what they imagine when they are there in the water playing, laughing, and having a great time.

I learned that the American River Parkway runs through the heart of the city from Folsom Lake to the point where the American River joins the Sacramento. It is amazing to see how the rivers and lake are all somehow connected.

The similarities between these stories are that they are all trips in California, these are trips people took who want to tell about there good memories, and tell a little about experiences they had and give one an idea of about who they are and what California is about. They are all about the outdoors. The differences are these trips all take place in different cities and towns.

Class Reviews

1) Catherine- The California Poppy, our state wildflower is tied to Fort Ross.

2) Kayla- One of Clarks most famous work is known to be the Lucy Stem Complex from 1932 which brings California Spanish artwork alive.

3) Araceli- The name Napa was given to the valley by the Wappo Indians who first inhabited the area.

4) Erin- The Coast Miwok's are most famous for their basketry.

5) Jessica- Face book got its name from a colloquil name of books that was given at the start of an academic year.

6) Kyle- Phones were never meant to be considered mass media but with the invention of cell phones equipped with internet connection which is mass medium, the medium is connected to the mass media.

7) Raquel – The Modoc used to live near the California – Oregon border.

8) Valerie- She visited the Pomo reservation near Fort Bragg and thought it was not the nicest place.

9) Sofia- On September 20, 1965, it was announced that Armstrong was going to be Command Pilot in Gemini 8, which was a manned spaceflight in NASA's Gemini program.

10) Alex- Over a period of 54 years, 21 California mission were established by the Spanish.

Week 8

Latin American Independence

The Latin American Independence (1807-1824), is a political and military movement that ended colonial rule by Spain and Portugal over Mexico, Central America, and South America and gave birth to the modern independent nations of Latin America. When the independence movement began in the 19^th century it contained two colonial empires, the Spanish and the Portuguese. Spain’s colonies stretched from what is now the western United States and Mexico to Argentina, while Portugal’s empire was in Brazil. Under the system of colonialism, these territories were subject to extensive and complex networks of control by Spain and Portugal. Both empires functioned well for three centuries until the mid-1700s when grievances developed with the colonist, who complained about economic restrictions and tax burdens. The colonist also resented European-born residents that were favored for important bureaucratic and administrative positions.

I choose this topic because I have always wanted to learn more about how the Latin American became independent. I have heard bits and pieces of it but it really never stuck to me, so I decided to research it myself and The Age of Enlightment explains a big part of it. The three facts of are:

1) The Age of Enlightment is a term used to describe the trends in Europe and the American colonies during the 18th century prior to the French Revolution (1789-1799). This phrase was used because the people were convinced that they were emerging from centuries of darkness and ignorance into a new age enlightened by reason, science, and a respect for humanity. This period is also often referred to as the Age of Reason.

2) The Declaration of Independence, the Bill of Rights, the French Declaration of Rights of Man and of the Citizen, and the Polish-Lithuanian Constitution of May 3, 1791 was motivated by the Enlightment principles.

3) The single most influential and representative of the French writers was Voltaire. Though it was in Paris that Denis Diderot, the author of numerous philosophical tracts, began the publication of the Encyclopédie (1751-1772). This work, on which numerous philosophes collaborated, was intended both as a compendium of all knowledge and as a polemical weapon, presenting the positions of the Enlightenment and attacking its opponents. Philosophes was a group that promoted the advancement of science and supported the new tolerance of open-mindedness of the Enlightment.

Sources:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4cAQ5T8dmg&feature=related

http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761571679/Age_of_Enlightenment.html

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

http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761588450/Latin_American_Independence.html

I choose these sources because for one the encyclopedia usually is reliable and for the others because most of the information I read were similar, so I decided to trust it.

Class Reviews:

1) Antonio said what attracted him to his museum was the health exhibition and that was the first place he went.

2) Daniel said what caught his eye was the Spider Silk Golden Cloth Exhibit. An item that took 4 years, over 80 people, and one million Madagascar spiders to create.

3) Sophia said that the location that attracted her was That Men Seldom Make Passes at Women With Glasses. It is a ten by fifteen foot mural of Marilyn Monroe with two collages/sunglasses with silvery blue-green frames. The sunglasses are composed of images of football players.

4) Dinlaka said what caught her eye was a photo of a lynched man being hung from a tree.

5) Catherine said that she chose her museum because she loves learning about plants and am interested in sustainable agriculture.

6) Judy said that one piece that she liked from this museum was an oil on canvas piece called Report from Rockport by Stuart Davis. This was one of Davis’ most important canvases because it was the first in which he utilized his color-space theory.

7) Mario said that he learned a lot about the military and that in the future we will be using machines to seek out the enemies. Also that what caught his was the Laser-Guided Bombs.

8) Valerie said that the one exhibit that attracted her to the museum was the odd architectural/sculpture exhibit called the P wall. Also that she chose this museum because she didn't know very much about modern art, and is interested to see what kind of new perspective she can gain from seeing art made by artists that are not only influenced by ancient art, but today's culture as well.

9) Megan decided to visit her museum because she has always been fascinated by glass art, and the skill and talent that goes into making such beautiful pieces. She wanted to get a better understanding of some of the techniques they use to make their glass, and how they incorporate the vivid colors that I love so much.

10) Kyle was attracted to the Battleship Oregan Exhibit that played an important role in the Spanish American War. It was made in San Francisco and was nicknamed the Bulldog because of its large foaming bow wake the resembled a bone in the teeth of a dog.