final post: place portrait

The 90’s were a unique time in history, for me they contained the bulk of my childhood. Every week without fail my younger sister, my dad and I would head out Saturday morning in the “mystery machine”, just like Scooby-Doo. Except we did not fight ghosts, it was really just a clever tactic to get my sister and I to play along with running errands with him all day. Some times though, the “mystery machine” worked in our favor. In the summer and spring the “mystery machine” was usually headed to DeCapua marina where our boat was docked.

Every summer since I can remember my weekends have consisted of spending time on our boat. The fist boat that I can remember well was a Four Winns 278 vista; it was a sleek average size boat with teal accents. The joke before selling it was four wins and two losses, because we owned the boat for six years and the last two years it had a lot of technical issues. We were unable to leave the dock for fear of breaking down while out, since it had happened before. Our current boat is a Tiara 270-sport boat with navy accents that scarcely leaves the dock but for different reasons.

The drive to DeCapua was a short one but an interesting one, the street used to gain access to the marina was tucked away in the bushes. Someone who was not looking for it could easily miss this street, it felt like a secret and I think that is why I liked it so much. Upon entering the street there is a downward slope, the whole street is engulfed in foliage. Trees and bushes line the road as you take a sharp right you see a row of houses. All these houses seam as if they have been taken from a Better Homes and Gardens magazine highlighting a nautical theme. The entrance into the marina itself is pretty tucked away amongst the trees.

This marina contains most of my childhood memories; it did not have much but used to set up a kiddie pool on the grassy area behind the boat. My most memorable moment from the marina, and maybe as a kid, was a late summer storm, it was just my sister and I on the boat. It was a nasty storm and those types of things tended to bother my sister. Being bothered by the storm my sister was hiding, then it began to hail. My dad had been on errands but as soon as he heard the storm and the hail he rushed back to the boat. After the storm had settled we went on a walk around our marina and the adjoining marina. I recall seeing a grassy cove hidden in the hill, I used to in vision the cove was home to mermaids so I referred to it as mermaid cove. On that day after the storm mermaid cove had produced a waterfall it was magnificent in my eyes. It was the closest thing to a waterfall that I had ever seen and I was mesmerized.

At the marina it seamed like time was standing still. My parents could forget about work and everyone was happy if only for a brief moment. The place was perfect the water was a crystal blue-green and always smelled of fresh cut grass and freshly pumped gas. To me this is what summer is, hearing seagulls squawk, motors starting, children laughing, bottles popping, and fog horns blowing. Summer is when kids are carefree and catch fireflies and climb trees. When time stands still and you drink in the moments that you will fall back on in times of need and trouble. These are the reasons you live day-to-day knowing that happiness is only a summer away and so easily obtainable when you just forget about the present and reflect on the past and future.

Introduction

Since you were able to remember i am sure your parents have been telling you drugs are bad. Nationally drugs like marijuana, cocaine and heroin are classified as illegal. On a state level though some states have legalized the use of medical marijuana. There are no technical medical uses for marijuana, but is has been shown to help alleviate pain, nausea and stimulate appetite. The use of marijuana for medical purposes can be very beneficial to the medical world, providing patients with relief not possible with other prescription drugs. The legalization of medical marijuana would provide patients with a safe and secure way to get their prescriptions, as well as regulate the manufacturing and distributing of marijuana, and medical marijuana could help stimulate the economy.

Cannabis also known as marijuana has been around and in use since B.C.. Cannabis is known as one of the fifty "fundamental" herbs used to treat a wife range of medical illnesses. Texts for ancient Egypt and Indian also describe the use of medical marijuana. Even the ancient Greeks used marijuana for medical uses with humans but also with animals for veterinarian uses. History shows that medial marijuana has been known as an anti-inflammatory, an anesthetic, a diuretic and much more. The ancient Chinese found a use for every part of the plant. In more modern history, in the 19th century cannabis was primarily used as a pain reliever until the creation of aspirin. In 1937 the United Stated banned cannabis on the federal level. Other counties such as Canada, Australia, Germany, Spain, Israel, Italy, Finland, Portugal and the Netherlands have legalized the use of medical marijuana. The United States has currently classified marijuana as a schedule I drug, meaning it is has a high potential for abuse and their is no current acceptable medical use. Since the ban on marijuana there have been many states such as California, Alaska, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and the District of Columbia that have passed laws allowing the use of marijuana for medical purposes.

Environment

I live in a small suburb outside of Cleveland known as Fairview Park. There are no big environmental issues in my hometown necessarily, but there was and still is an incident in Garfield Heights which is about twenty minutes from where I live. In 2006 a shopping center was build on an old landfill. When it was first opened all was good, but upon further inspection EPA insisted all the stores needed additional venting because the old land fill was still getting rid of the methane gas. Most of the stores and restaurants decided to relocate because it wasn't a good business choice. This was a very big deal for along time, I heard about the ordeal for a few years following the incident.

Technology

I think that technology is very useful. I do not think that our current lifestyle is able to exist without technology. Technology can be harmful, in some instances, but i believe that it has much more benefit than downfalls. In our day and age everything is constantly evolving, technology is only natural to follow. Without our current technology our other modern advances probably are not possible. I do admit sometimes technology can interfere. I have been known to get very side tracked with technology. As I type I am trying to watch television and text. Technology seams to make everybody into a multi-tasker in my opinion. This could be a good thing, it can also be a bad thing. Some people say you learn more when multitasking and some say you learn less, I guess it would all depend on who you are. In schools they have had to go to extreme measures to get cell phones out of the classroom, also to ban the use of certain sites in the internet. So there are many ways to look at how technology affects out lives, but I believe that technology positively impacts my life.

Why I Am Not Going To Buy A Computer

In this essay I think that the author makes some good points in his argument about computers. I do not like the sort of pushy way he is stating them though. He makes it seam like people who use computers are doing so much harm to our environment. Though he is not only attacking the use of computers, the use of any artificial energy source. I am not sure when this essay was written but I do not think you can get by anymore without using energy. He talks about writing in the natural daylight as opposed to using lights, I think that is kind of insane.

Al Gore's "Inconvenient Truth" Movie: Fact or Hype?

I thought that this reading was well written. It was not difficult to understand, it wasn't to long and had just enough information. I am familiar with the topic of global warming but I am not very knowledgeable. Overall this article was interesting and it is a topic that is being addressed but may need more attention.

Place Portraits

We buckle in for a typical Saturday “mystery machine” journey. We come to the opening of the marina, it is a well-hidden road off the street, and it could be easily missed if you were not looking. The road slopes downward as you pass through trees; you come across many nautical houses. Next you loop around right as you come upon the entrance. To the left there is a big blue house; the owner is also the owner of the marina. Just past the house you come across the water, the docks jet out like fingers off the shore, there are many different boats attached to these docks. Our boat lies in the middle, the teal glistens off the water. Across the river is an adjacent marina, which contains bigger more magnificent boats than what lie in out little marina. Above us is a train track, each day around the same time the train races through dusting the entire place with a thin layer of soot. As you get past the docks there is a small waterfall leading into a well tucked into the side of the hill, it is overgrown. Completely taken over by foliage. As a child I uses to think there lived a mermaid in the bottom of the well. When it got stormy water would race though the falls. On the hot summer days we would set up a pool in the grassy cove between the boat and the hill. My sister and I would play for hours enjoying the summer air. The place was separate from the rest of the world when you were down there. You didn’t feel the chaos of everyday life, you felt relaxed and at ease. Time stood still when you were in the marina; the parents were worry free and could have fun. The river seamed to be a blue green in color, and the water rippled out when something hit the water or passed through. Even in the winter the marina was magnificent. Everything was a shade of white instead of its usual green and blue color. The river turned to ice and stood still even when we touched it. The daring would even ice-skate on the river, but we were not one of them. There skates would make marks in the ice where come spring there would again be ripples in their place. The marina was filled with sounds of squawking seagulls, motors running, children laughing, bottle caps being popped and the foghorns of the boats. The familiar smell of gas filled the air along with water, like when the hose is first turned on, and cooking on the grill. It is a wonderful place where you felt separated from the rest of the world and wished you could stay there for the rest of your life.

Seeing

Reading this essay reminded me of being a child. They way that Dillard wrote was somewhat scatter brained. Dillard writes on somewhat of a philosophical way, which is very different then what I am used to reading. I enjoy her writing style though, using the description of nature to get her point across. Though the whole thing was a little long and dragged out, it got its meaning across. It was hard to read at first, the way she writes is hard to get used to, but overall i like it, it was well written and i believe she reached out to hear audience. She appeals to the child within us all. Dillard points out that we take advantage of our ability to see for the most part, that we look past the little things in order to see the big picture. I cannot be completely sure of the writers thesis, but I think that it might be, "the lover can see, and the knowledgeable". Dillard is saying that the people who pay attention, like lovers, really see the whole picture for what it's worth including the little things.

Summary: Real Men Don't: Anti-Male Bias in English By: Eugene R. August

The essay "Real Men Don't: Anti-Male Bias in English" written by Eugene R. August first appeared in the University of Dayton Review winter/spring 1986-1987. This essay focuses on the exploitation and demeaning of males. August tells readers that anti-male bias are uncommon, because people commonly believe history tells of "male oppressors and female victims or rebels"(1). Also he shares the central belief among people that the world we are living in was made by man, for man and women were more or less a forethought. August unveils the thoughts of other educated people on the matter, including Walter J. Ong who tells us the way in which people learn and think is largely based on what is passed on through women. That being said the essay mentions that the use anti-male bias have been said to be "misandry, hatred of men" and "degenerates men and masculinity"(4)

August uses examples in the english language where men are being discriminated, such as in the word rape, rape is thought to be a male crime committed against females. Another example August uses taken straight form our english language are phrases like "be a man" or "real men don't". There are certain standards in which a boy or man must fit into to be considered one, is okay for a girl to be considered a "tomboy" but there is no term as accepting for a boy to be categorized as. August shares many derogatory terms males can be call for not fitting in the male standards, to which females do not typically have.

Males are also expected in a dating relationship to pick up the tab, drive and be an overall gentleman and show chivalry. In a sexual state, men are expected to make the first move and to perform or again he will be ridiculed. Also if a man marries he is expected to have a job and have the ability to support his family or more ridicule. Crime and evil are typically perceived as male. When the term suspect is used the wrongdoer is thought to be male over female. The last point August makes is that evil tends to have a masculine tendency. Most people believe that the devil is a male character, and is almost always portrayed as one.

August points out that there is a tendency to blame bad things on men, pulling all wrongs on the shoulders of men. He states there are dangers in the assumption of the common person who believes that men hold the power and women have none. The traditional male stereo-type and role limit a man, both men and women need to confront this problem and abolish it once and for all. Males and females should be thought to be one the same page and equal.

The Perils of Indifference

I though that Wiesel wrote a beautiful and moving speech. I have always been very interested in the Holocaust for the same reasons he talks about in the speech. I also think that the way the people can be so indifferent in situations is very interesting to look at. Why do some people see tragedy and turn the other cheek, it shocks me. But these kinds of things happen every day and sometimes it all works out in the end and sometimes it does not.

Though I would never wish upon some what happened to the Jews in the situation, i enjoyed reading his views on the people he came across, and the experiences. It would seem that in all the tragedies he speaks of, and ones that are not mentioned, people know that suffering that is being caused upon others. There is just no action taken, and i believe that sometimes people do not take action, like in the Holocaust, because they too are afraid of what would happen if they stood up for them.

Over all I enjoyed this speech, I personally love Wiesel as a writer and would read more of his works. Also i like the clam and gentle way that he writes. His words seem effortless and are inspiring.

Braindead Megaphone

I agree with Saunders that our media tends to be all for publicity and not based solely on content. I also think that that is just a majority of our media, and our must trusted media, there are other media sources that are not out there just as entertainment pieces and out there as close to raw information as you can get.

I think that Saunders used a good metaphor with the megaphone man, it showed that the media plays an overwhelming part of the way we form our own opinions, and sometimes without us actually knowing it. We go around everyday forming opinions in which we think are our own but are really based off others opinions they think are their own.

I think this essay showed me more of what I had already known about the media. That the media twists something that may be true and that people should know, to something that they believe readers or viewers would rather hear. Also the media is competing with other media, meaning each wants to have the more interesting story at the end of the day rather than the most informative or truthful story.

Course Theme

I think that the future is all in the way you look at it, I believe that if you want to make it bright or dark is up to you. If you go with a positive lookout everyday, and make the beast out of every day then you can make the future bright. But if you want to think the worst then that is all you will see. Everyday bad things happen and sometimes we hear more about those bad aspects then the good that is also going on. I think that it is better to look at the good that is happening in the world and see the progress that people are making towards a better world. I think as long as people keep striving to make improvements on the world then we are headed to a bright future, but if people close-up-shop and prepare for the worst then that is what is in store for us. We can change our future, all we need to do is believe that there are greater things to come.