Mike Lohre: Some of my brainstorming topics for the Presentation Project

 You can certainly use these to get you started, or come up with topics of your own for your blog post.  The idea is to get topics out there that we are both interested in and can learn a lot from by understanding.  This should get you going! Good luck. 

Mike

People

Amelia Earhart, aviation

Herbert Hoover, politician

Frankin D. Roosevelt, politician

Richard Correl, artist

Thomas Hart Benton, artist

Jean Harlow, actress

Edward Hopper, artist

Joe Hill, labor leader

Huey Long, politician

Bonnie and Clyde, bank robbers

John Dillinger, bank robber

Al Capone, gangster and mafia boss

Sinclair Lewis, writer

Mabel Dwight, painter from Ohio

Charlie Chaplin, actor, producer

Joe Lewis, boxer

Al Capone, mob boss

Lou Gehrig, baseball star

Che Guevara, rebel

Dorthea Lange, photographer

Bing Crosby, singer

Events

NRA act.  National Recovery Administration

Auto-Lite strike in Toledo, Ohio

The Dust Bowl

Prohibition and its repeal

Smoot-Harley tariffs

Completion of the Empire State Building

Opening of the Golden Gate Bridge

Lake Placid Olympics in New York

Battle of Matewan

Child Labor Amendment

Building Hoover Dam

18^th and 21^st amendments

KKK reaches peak influence

1^st freeway in L.A.

Lincoln Tunnel in NYC built

Seabisquit achieves fame

The Harlem Renaissance

Groups and Organizations

Share our Wealth Society

Famers Security Administration

National Union for Social Justice

Bonus Army, veterans of World War I (also an event, as they protested in D.C., to tragic results)

Civilian Conservation Corps C.C. C.

Works Progress Administration W.P.A.

S.E.C. Securities and Exchange Commission

Y.M.C.A.

Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation

Federal Reserve

The reading for me was a little hard. It was hard for me to get into the book. It was also slow for me in the beginning. I feel like ounce we keep reading though I will began to like the book a little more.I thought that it was interesting that Tom murdered somone but yet he's still a good guy

 One of the interesting things about the Depression that I learned was that People who lost their homes lived in places called "Hoovervilles," or shanty towns. They were named after President Hervert Hoover. I also learned that there were also "Hoover Stew" which was food that was given out in soup kitchens.

So far in the reading, The Grapes of Wrath, it is going good. I think it is a little slow in the beginning but then starts to take into more exciting scenes. What strikes me the most is the way they talk and that the characters do not sound very intelligent. Challenges I have noticed so far are trying to understand the slang terms they use that I am not used to. I obviously did not live back then and they use a lot of different language compared to how we speak today.

One thing I researched was that more than 13 million (another website told me 15 million) Americans lost their jobs. I know that might sound like very obvious fact that most people know but it's just crazy thinking about the number. That is a huge number of people without jobs-- I would of hated to live during that time period. The second thing I found is that after the initial crash of the stock market, there was a wave of suicides in New York's financial district. It was said that the clerks of one hotel even started asking new guests if they needed a room for sleeping or jumping. I thought that story was somewhat funny but very tragic.

from Mike Lohre: Reading so far and The Great Depression

Students, answer two questions for me here and post it in the Comments section here.

1)  How is your reading of The Grapes of Wrath going so far? What struck you the most? What challenges are you having?
2) What two things did you bring to class from your research on The Depression?  Share them here.

Thanks and look forward to your input!

Mike

From The movie "Rebirth", the story about Brain Lyons losing his brother in the 9/11 attack meant the most to me. It meant the most to me because, he actually found his brothers remains. This would be such a hard thing to do. In the first couple years after the attack he was diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress disorder. He was very depressed for a while over his brother. At the end of the documentary he said that the wounds are healed, he still misses him but does not grieve over him. He showed a lot of strength throughout the documentary.The most important thing I learned from this documantary, was not to take people for granted. You have to be grateful for every day, because you never know how many more you will have.   

Exploration four

The story that affected me the most was the story of the Chinese women who got burned pretty severely on her arms and also on her face.  Her circumstances were very bad. She was burned so bad that in one of her hands she could barely move it. This was because of how tight her skin was becoming. The tightening would only get worse as she aged. She had many many surgeries to help her burns, but there wasn’t much they could do to help. Over a period of them talking to her we see that she began to say "this is it". "No more surgeries". She had had enough with the doctor’s appointments and the surgeries. Throughout the documentary I really fell in love with her attitude toward her situation and her humor.  Instead of making herself be the victim she said she felt like she was given a second chance in life. “What’s the point of grieving” is one of the last quotes she says that stuck out to me.  She is a very strong woman.

I love how the movie was over a long period of time. The reason being is that it showed, over 8 years, how the people had grieved and matured in their thoughts about the whole event. Over a long period of time the Chinese women became satisfied with her situation.  She in some way found her-self and so did the other people. Some took longer than the others, but they all eventually got there and learned to move on.  The time-lapse structure was a huge strength and I thought it was an excellent idea.

The most important thing that I learned from these stories was it was ok to grieve but eventually you had to come to grips with reality and move on. Moving on doesn’t mean that you forgot everything that happed, that would not even be possible. It just meant you had to move on to the next chapter of your life. For example, the lady that lost her fiancé, eventually over time she got remarried. When the attack first happened she never thought she would do that. But she learned that it was healthy to go ahead and take the next step in life. It took awhile but she did it and loved her new life. They all took the next step in life, and this was very important that they did this.

Exploration 4

Out of all the stories I thought that Sergio's fiance was the most memorable.  Her loss was so traumatizing it was hard to ignore her pure sadness and grief.  I couldn't imagine how tough Tanya's loss could have been and especially this time in her life. Engagement for any couple is an exciting time and to lose her lifetime partner would be devastating. Like many other family members she couldn't let go. She had hope that her fiance was still alive under all the rubble. What rescuer found out the morning after the carnage was that there was no hope for the wreckage. Her friends and family came to visit bring trays of food to comfort her. She asked "Why are you bringing me food, Is it because Sergio's dead?!" She didn't want to let go of the fact that her fiance might still be alive.

This film recorded the reaction of several individuals over an eight year period.  I think that this was definitely a strength for the film because it showed their process of dealing with the grief. The first year was tough to watch because you could see and feel their raw emotions.  They almost seemed as if they were in a state of shock. To see them mature and go on with life was encouraging.  After the eight year period most of them were finally moving on with life. Tanya was remarried with several children, something that she never thought she could bring herself to do. This shows how time in itself can be a great tool for healing grief.

The most important lesson I took away from this story is to remember why we have grief. Grief is not just a random emotion that makes us feel horrible when someone dies, it means so much more. Grief is the pure and raw emotion that comes from the loss of someone important in your life. An extreme amount of grief and sadness just shows how much that person meant to you and how much you will miss them. We honor our loved ones by grieving because showing your emotion and sadness will show others how much that person truly meant to someone else.

                                                                 Exploration Four  

     Tanya Tepper's story affected me the most because she pulled through one of the hardest losses of the film happy and better than before the tragedy.  Tanya's story affected me because I could really feel how upset she became when she lost her husband.  I mean, she had her whole life planned out, and then , he was gone.  In the film she mentions, " I can move on, but I won't move on".  This hit a personal chord with me because my grandfather passed away in 2008, and to remember him, I drive his old Camry.  Much the same way I'm chided to move on, I don't want to move on out of love and respect for my grandfather, he lived with my family my whole life so he became as much a parent as my real parents.  Another reason I was affected the most by Tanya's story is because she meets someone else, and does a very good job at moving on with her life, yet still holding on to what was once/is near and dear to her - Sergio.  It affected me because it made me realize that even though my grandfather was gone, it didn't mean my life was never going to rebound to wholeness or what it could be.  Tanya found Ray Tepper, and not only did she have children, against her earlier refusal out of love for Sergio, but she moved on to a happy full life.
     The time lapse structure really gave the audience a perspective of the healing over the actual and emotional scars over time - or in the case of Tim Brown, the development of a scar.  However, in one regard I think the time lapse structure lacked transition between one year to another.  The characters spoke truly and whole-heartedly, but they did so with the cuts of year lengths in between.  I found it difficult to jump from character point to character point.
     The most important thing I took away from these stories was the importance to move on, keep trying, and keep a positive attitude.  In the cases of each of the 9/11 victims, they were reborn.  I mean, Ling Young seemed so upset at the beginning of the film, but at the end she had not only given up on surgeries but was happier than ever.  Brian Lyons, who aided in the building of the Freedom Tower, and made it through Post Traumatic Stress Disorder into a happy mellow life with his family.  Each of the characters moved away from the sadness of 9/11 and came lush gardens of what I would call the greatest consolation - freedom, at any extent, from the pain associated with the collapsing of the World Trade Centers.

Exploration Four

               The person whose story affected me the most would probably be Tanya Villaneuva Tepper who lost her fiancé Sergio. Her story stood out the most to me because i could feel the pain she felt and i could feel how sad it truly mad her. You really saw all of the pain she went through but you also saw her get through her depression and even start a new and happy life her husband and children. A quote that she said that really stuck out to me was "I didn't want to believe he was gone." This quote stuck out to me because it shows how much she truly cared for him but as the film goes on you see the transformation to acceptance and its really cool to see.
                 I thought the time-lapse structure of the film was a definite strength because it lets you see the healing process and how everything affects them. You saw every person change throughout the film and that was awesome to see. In the beginning you saw everyone at a low point and then as the time passes the healing process begins and at the end you see everyone happy and living their life to the fullest.
                The most important thing I took away was time heals all wounds. I took that away because everyone was hurt in the beginning and everyone was sad. Everyone blamed someone for their loss because they couldn't come to terms. As time passes though they heal and come to terms with what happened and their loss makes them realize they need to live their life to fullest because you never know when someone crazy could happen and your life could end.

Exploration 4

The one that affected me the most was Ling Young. The way she kept her positive outlook on life, and kept on looking at the world at half full instead of half empty was really touching to me. Even though she had suffered from getting severely burned she said that "it happened, but I'm alive" which touched me. The physical trauma that she endured and with all of those surgery's she kept moving on. Instead of just sitting around and complains she is up and enjoying life as best as she can because she says that "People have worse condition that i have, I am very, very lucky."

To me the effects of the time lapse was what really gave the documentary its strength. In the case of Ling Young showing her going through all those surgery's and how the burn marks affected her really showed us what she is going through. Having the ability to see all the challenges that these people go through is really amazing to see and how they overcome them.

What I took away from this these story is that although you meet many challenges and difficulties life moves on. You must overcome those difficulties or you will be trapped in the past and always remember that some people are in worse situation than you are. No matter what what life throws at you, you must make best with what you have and to turn lemons into lemonade.

           My mother means the world to me, and losing her is like losing everything. Nick from rebirth affected me the most because I can't even imagine living a second of my life knowing that my mom is out of this world. To me I look at Nick as strong solider, he is very strong mentally. Nick always wanted to make his mom proud especially even more when she died, so he followed her foot steps and worked on wall street. He later decided that he wanted to do things that he likes, and he figured that his mom wants him to be happy with his life. When you lose someone people most of the time get mad at and something or a person or whatever caused it and Nick was mad at Osama bin laden at first but then he said later " I don't even know this guy, how can I hate him?" That showed me that if he can survive and live another day without his mom being right next to him then anyone else who lost loved ones can also try to do the same.
           There's a whole lot of different things going in Rebirth like someone got burned but yet still survived. A kid who lost his mother and changed his attitude on the whole 9-11 he isn't mad at the person who caused it. A man whom happened to lose his brother; I too would go crazy if I lost my brother. A lady who lost the love of her life, she said at the beginning if she wasn't going to have babies with her fince then no babies at all. Later she found a great man that can fill her heart up again with love and she and babies. Then a man who lost his friend and lives with guilt for a long time but after 6-7 years later he finally said if I was there I would have been dead too, so he is happy to be alive. Everyone of this people that got affected by that horrible day is more positive today they are happy where they are in life and cherish each day like its there last.
          What I took is that I should be happy on where I am in life, like things could always be worse and these people had seen the worst and lived another day and they still are living happy enjoying there life. You might look a little beat up if you get burned but that didn't bother Ling Young, she always stayed so positive that's so hard sometimes but we just got too. So what I got from rebirth is stay strong and just try to let your past help you in becoming a better, stronger and smarter person.

Exploration 4

In the documentary all of the stories were very emotional.  I think the story that was the most emotional for me was the story of Nick Chirls.  Nick lost his mom during the attacks on September 11th.  I think the reason why I chose that story out of all of them was because it was the most relatable for me.  I couldn't imagine losing my mom.  What really stood out to me was the home videos that he had of his mom.  I also thought that it was really cool when that bird landed on his head and it let him pick it up.  One thing he said was "... I do remember less of my mom".  That quote meant a lot.  He was so traumatized by the event at first but that quote was proof that time really does heal all. 

I thought that the time lapse was very effective in the stories.  It was crazy how much they're lives changed during that eight year period.  People were grieving about the event the first few years after it happened but as time went on they got better and learned to cope with their situations for the most part.

From these stories I think that the most important thing that I took away is to never take anything for granted.  I learned that no matter how much you love something, it could be taken away within a matter of seconds.  You should always be nice.

Exploration 4

The stories from the documentary, Rebirth were all so touching. The one story that affected me the most though was Nick Chirls story. His story had such an impact on me because of how close I am to my mother. I tried to put myself in his shoes and it was horrible. I could never imagine losing my mother because just like Nick I have a very strong bond with my mother and she is the person that keeps are family so tight with each other. One of the most touching things that Nick says is, "Our house is now a lonely house, it's a cold house." This was so heart-wrenching because before the attack his house was full of fun and laughter and then it was all taken away from him.

The time lapse in the movie was to show how much of a process healing was. It was also to show that it takes a very long time to come to terms with reality. Even at the end of the documentary not everyone from the story had completely accepted what had happened. Having the time-lapse structure was a strength in my opinion. I think it helped you really get to know the people being interviewed and it also helped you begin to understand how they were feeling through it all. The documentary was filmed in an amazing way.

The most important thing that I took away from this documentary was that healing takes time.The healing process isn't something that can be rushed. It takes time to fully happen and I think the people in Rebirth demonstrated this perfectly. I also realized how many people 9/11 truly affected in someway or another. When it would show scenes from the memorial and there were thousands of people there it just really blew my mind. There were a lot of people that had to learn how to heal and get past that horrible day.

Exploration 4

The story of Nicholas Chirls affected me the most. I think this particular story affected me because he was around my age and just seeing the hurt within him makes me think about if that happened to me. He thought and talked like kids my age and made it easier to relate to. Nicholas talked about how he worked on Wall Street and he said that he, "feels the need to pick up where she left off." I guess I've never lost someone I was that close to so I really don't understand how he feels but I thought that was a neat quote. I am super close with my mother and just the thought of losing her kills me.

Looking at the way people coped over the next couple years after the loss of their loved ones was very interesting. It was definitely evident that after the first year or two the people were not even close to being healed from the loss. They all coped differently and some healed faster than others. I think the first stage most of the people went through was anger, guilt or regret. Next they moved onto more of thinking about the whole situation knowing that it was done and over with but was still very sad. The last stage I saw was them accepting it all and finally starting to seek peace. I would say everyone got stronger within the years rather than weakening.

The most important thing I took away from these stories is mainly the importance of life. I also thought more about the affect it had on the people and an inside look on the emotions of the ones affected. Looking at it from my point of view before this video was very vague. I looked at it more of just an event and not seeing how it really hurt people. Now I can understand the true tragedy behind it and all the hurt it caused.

Exploration 4

The story that affected me most would have to be Ling Young's  story. Out of the entire cast that was followed, Ling Young was the only one that was effected first handed. The thing that particularly affected me is how she stayed positive after such a tragic event. Her life after September eleventh wasn't only affected mentally but also physically. She suffered from major 3rd degree burns. Toward the end of the documentary, she said, "If it doesn't get me anywhere, don't bother."  I interpret it as, " if it whatever isn't making me better, than it is a waste of time." I liked this statement because I believe it is a necessary to getting something done and not wasting your life away.

I think the time-lapse idea was very effective. It shows how these people moved on with their lives after a horrific event killed someone they loved or hurt them first hand. It helps show how Ling had medical problems and grew sick of surgeries to the point where she refuses to have anymore. Another thing I liked was how much Nick Chirls matured. He went from believing all Muslims are evil to saying he doesn't hate Osama Bin Laden, the man that killed mother, because he doesn't really know him. I believe that effective themes like moving on wouldn't be present if they only recorded right after the attack.

The most important thing I got from these stories would be that people mature over time. How Nick Chirls turned out eight years after his mothers death really opened my eyes. It showed me how moving on can have a huge positive impact on your life and worrying about the past will not get you anywhere.. Tanya Villanueva would not have a family if she continued to mourn over her deceased fiance.

Exploration 4

     All of the stories touched me in different ways, but the one that stood out the most was that of Nick Chirls.  Losing his mother took away a huge part of him.  I wonder who he was before 9/11.  His mother, Catherine, had just started a new job and at the time of the tragedy, he didn't know which building or what floor she was on.  When his dad got home, he said she worked on the 104th floor of Building 1. 
     Not knowing what to do or how to think, he went swimming to get his mind off of everything.  That night, he and his brother and sister slept in their dad's bed.  "It was the worst day of my life".
     I did a web search for when the sparrow lands on his head during his eulogy at the memorial service for his mom.  Some people talked about how it must have been God giving him a sign, or his mother coming to him through the bird, and yet others talk about it only being only a coincidence.  No matter what the true cause of that moment, when you see his face light up as he looks into the eyes of that tiny bird nothing matters but the peace it gave him for a few short seconds.  In the wake of a great national tragedy, a little sparrow gave a young man a few seconds of joy.  It is truly amazing.
     But that moment faded quickly as the days went by without his mother.  He wanted to punch a kid for hanging a flyer that defended the people that killed his mom.  I don't blame him. 
     The home videos would be difficult to watch.  I loved how his mom didn't get upset at the relighting candles, but instead said that they all get more wishes.  His wish was that she have a good time a camp. 
     His dad remarried, to his moms good friend.  This was very upsetting to Nick and he and his father grew apart.  He called his house a lonely house, a cold house.  He had a dream that they were having a memorial dinner for his mom and she suddenly showed up.  He hugged her really tight, no talking, his face in her hair and just smelled her....very moving.
     His story goes on to talk about him taking a job on Wall Street, because that is where his mother worked.  He felt close to her there, especially on the subway.  But eventually he realized he wasn't his mother, and that wasn't where he wanted to be.  It was his turning point....his rebirth.  He used to hate Osama Bin Laden, but decided that was absurd.  He didn't even know the guy.  He had to come to terms and let go of the anger....the terror.
     He got his BA in economics and wrote a book about the search for his mother....not just at the World Trade Center, but also who she was before that.  He only knew her at home. 
     He started having weekly dinners with his dad and began healing.  His dad apologized for remarrying so soon.  He finally saw his dad as a guy, a human being, that had lost his wife and his best friend.
     In the final scene of the documentary, Nick says "Everyone heals in a completely different way.  I had to go through all the steps of the process".  That speaks monuments for how much he overcame and how he persevered through such a heart-wrenching tragedy.
    Having this film in time-lapse was amazing.  It showed the healing of 5 individuals into view much more clearly than any other way it could have been filmed.  While researching Nick Chirls, I ran across an article published on September 11th, 2002 in The New York Times entitled "NICK CHIRLS; On the Wings of a Sparrow, Comfort and Celebrity Came Down on a Teenager".  It described the bird landing on his head, plus added "Nick, now 17, had some qualms about celebrity but concluded he would be glad someday to watch a videotape of his life unspool in the wake of that terrible day. A diary of a time when an already-mature teenager faced the unthinkable and persevered."  The foresight that Jim Whitaker had to make this film gave Nick just that opportunity.
     The most important thing that I took away from these 5 stories is that these are only 5 stories.  There are approximately 2,795 stories just like these that we haven't heard, and I am sure not all of them have a happy ending.  This "rebirth" may have happened for the majority of those most effected that day, but what about the others?  How many couldn't come to grips with what happened and have never recovered?  How many "survivors" of 9/11 didn't truly survive?    

Exploration Four

All of the stories in the movie were all very touching and inspirational. It takes a very strong person to live through that and learn to cope. Out of all the stories I thought Ling Young's was the most amazing. I was so moved by the way she stayed so positive during such a hard part of her life. She survived the terrorist attack, but was severely burned. She had second and third degree burns all over her body. In 2003 Ling describes how her entire life revolves around her burns. She can barely use her arms or do any of  the things she used to do. She used to travel and go on vacations but she was no longer able to. In 2005 she is learning to cope with her condition. She is able to move her arms but, is in a constant mild pain. In 2006 Ling gets a plastic joint put in her arm, in hopes of being able to move it better. She also finds out that soon she has to have eye surgery because one of her scars in pulling the skin by her eye and affecting her vision. She actually ends up having over forty surgeries. In 2006 she states, "People have worse conditions than I have, I am very, very lucky." I just find that so amazing that she is so positive. She is trying to make the best of her situation and trying to keep living her life. In 2009 Ling says, " I gotta make the best out of it". She is just happy to be alive. She is so grateful that she lived through the attacks and I find her to be a very inspirational person.

I think that the movie showing the people's lives over a span of eight years was a strength. It was able to show people that even eight years later these people are still coping, they are still effected by the attacks, and even sometimes still struggling with the loss of their loved one. It also shows the viewers how some of these people had to change their entire lives to cope with the loss. A very important thing it showed was that the victims were able to over come the struggles and move on with their lives.

The most important thing I learned from this movie is that you always have to keep living. No matter what life throws at you, its best to try to overcome it and move on with your life. There is always going to be other people out there in the world that are in worse situations that you are. You have to make the best of what you have.

Exploration 4. Rebirth

I thought that all of the stories were heart breaking and really showed that there are some things that you can never forget. The story that stood out to me the most was of Nick Chirls.  I think this stood out the most because my life is very family oriented, and my mom is a very important. My mom is the one that does everything, and there is no way our family would function without her.  What I thought was really interesting was when Nick said that “you come to terms when you let go of the anger”.  It just made me think that if I was in his position would I be able to let go of the anger?  He said this six years after he had lost his mother which made me think is there some sort of time span where everything is supposed to get better, where you become happy again, or you continue your normal life again…

I think that the strongest points of this film were that there were many different perspectives, such as a burn victim, brother, son, etc.… but also the time period over the eight years.  I think it made for an amazing story to follow the people as they learn to cope with what had happened throughout the years. Its not we can simply move on after a tragedy occurs. We all have our own time and ways to deal, and it was clear in the film that eight years was still not enough. This was something that will live on with the people affected for their whole lives.

            I think that the most important thing to take away from these stories is to not take the people in our lives for granted. I think it is truly hard to appreciate something until it is gone and you realize how much it really meant to you. This film was a great example of just that. Sometimes I take my mom for granted and think that everything she does is because she has to, but she really doesn’t have to do half of the things that she does. Watching Nick go through all that he had to in losing his mom, made me thank God for the wonderful mother that I have in my life.