Various Stuff

Part one: Questions
1. How do you feel about the result of the election?

I was pleased that Obama won, and I hope he can effect the kind of dramatic changes this nation is in such desperate need of. I believe my optimism is shared by many, and not just Americans. This NY Times article was inspiring and uplifting, though unfortunately I do not know how much of it to trust.

2. What are your hopes for America and your community in the next 4-8 years?

I hope that we can not only free ourselves from dependence on foreign oil, but spearhead the multi-national push for clean, renewable sources of energy. I believe that if America, the biggest polluter on the planet, can essentially overhaul its entire society to be more eco-friendly, it will send a strong message to practically every other nation that renewable energy is not only viable, not only possible, but essential. Of course, I understand that it is unrealistic to expect all of this in 4 years, but we've got to start somewhere, and the sooner we do start the sooner we can finish and move on to other crises. I see energy as the most pressing issue facing the impending presidency, closely followed by economical repair (so that we can actually accomplish energy independence and cleanliness).

3. What are your concerns for America and your community for the next 4-8 years?

One of my biggest concerns is that attempting to clean up after president Bush will occupy so much of Obama's time and budget that his own agenda will be correspondingly truncated. My second concern is for Obama's health, because there are so many people who cannot see past their ignorance, hatred, and misguided beliefs. I can only hope that the secret service is up to the challenge of protecting him and his family from assassination.

4. Evaluate your level of civic knowledge:

Without doubt, my comprehension of American politics and history has grow to unprecedented heights (personally) during the course of this class, and I would even say that I have learned more in this class than all of my previous history classes put together. Having said that, There is a vast amount I have yet to cultivate an understanding of.

5. What have we done well in this class to help you understand current events?

I lose track of the amount of times I have been asked this question, and the answer is always the blog. Writing regularly about current events and often applying them to historical precedents has turned out to be an excellent way to keep me informed of international goings-on and deepen my understanding of American history. Another way would be how we apply history to useful, relevant current affairs in class discussions and reading. In the past, all we seemed to do was read a textbook on the revolutionary war, America's separation from England, and George Washington. I think I learned about the same period in history in five different classes without ever being presented with interesting, relevant information I could apply to my life in any way (I do not see a point in memorizing information you do not know how to use, because it would not really be "learned" would it? The knowledge would simply exist in the mind long enough to scrape by on some meaningless test designed to evaluate one's "understanding" of a concept before fading forever).

Part two: Project plan

A) Resources: I plan to interview key personnel at the Point Loma Water Treatment Plant (I have yet to determine the precise identities of the interviewees), along with some civic engineers acquainted with my teacher. Hopefully, quoting these experts will add an air of factual and intellectual savvy to an otherwise dry and patchwork article. Most unfortunately, I do not believe that writing about the effects of a single water treatment facility (PLWTP) will paint a very broad portrait of the near-global phenomenon of large scale waste disposal, so I am still looking for another site to act as a comparison. Failing that, I must rely on the civic engineers to supply my article with the breadth of expertise necessary to captivate and educate every poor soul that mentally digests my article.

B) People: Sadly, I am not yet at such an advanced stage of the planning process, and therefore am unaware of exactly whose brain I will be combing.

C) Schedule:
Nov. 8-11/gather internet resources and develop canny interview questions
Nov. 12-14/set up interviews
Nov. 17-21/Interview subjects
Nov. 22-29/Thanksgiving break
Dec. 1-12/Write article, revise article, get article critiqued, revise article again