Response to Jill's presentatin

Jill had a great presentation in the fact that she really showed how America was so affected by music. It affected America on a broad scale. It made individuals feel happy, and confortable listening to music that they love. It can give them a sense of memory for example the first song at a wedding will be remembered for the rest of their lives. It will also unite individuals into groups. Music can bond people together because of the genre that they like or the feelings that they share. I totally agree with this. When a good song comes on the radio, it is so much fun to blast it and enjoy it with someone else who enjoys it the same as you do. This bonds the two or group of people together because they apreciate the same song. Similarly on a larger scale, music can bond an entire country. Take for example the song "We Are the World." This song was made to unite the entire country to get them to help Hati with the earthquake. It was so effective that now I really want to help out in Hati. It motivated me because of the importance it showed by having that many artists singing. The fact that I recognized over 20 well know singers and artists makes me feel like that song was important because if it was not then why are all these amazing artists singing it. Not only did it move me by importance but also the feeling I get when listening to it. The song was so good partly because of the artists that sung it, but mostly because of the meaning and the video is shown. It gave a sense of how much help the people in Hati need. This message is what makes music so strong in America. The best music can move you with a message and make you feel good.

Response

I just went through Andrew's presentation on gays and lesbians. Going into it I had believed that it was different to have a same sex marriage. I would uncontrollably look at people differently if they were gay. Unfortunately that was how I was raised. Even this weekend with my grandparents I was at a restaurant and our waiter wan noticeably gay and when he walked away my grandparents started mocking him. I thought it was funny, but now after watching Andrew's presentation I realize it is not. If I knew how much the gays had to go through and put yourself in the shoes of a gay man I would not have laughed. I can only imagine what it would be like to have death threats sent to you by the hundreds like Mr. Milk. It was also good to know why the gay people have a parade in Chicago. At first I thought they were just trying to show off that they were gay and different. However, now I know that the parade is because of the Stonewall riots which is when the gays rebel against the police because of an unjust rule that says that no more than 3 gays can sit at a bar. Overall, I learned a lot about the struggle that gays have gone through and how well they endure the pressures that society puts on them. I will definitely not mock a gay guy again.

Works Cited

ABC-CLIO. "Background Essay." Issues: Understanding Controversy and Society. ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 28 Jan. 2010. http://www.issues.abc-clio.com/.

"A Growing Nation, 1850-1900." American History. ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 29 Jan. 2010.

"automobiles." American History. ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 31 Jan. 2010.

Clarkson, Jeremy. "Aston-Vantage-V12" TopGear.com. Web. 17 Feb. 2010http://www.topgear.com/uk/videos/aston-vantage-v12

GM. "GM's Latest - The 2009 Corvette ZR1 and it's Supercharged LS9 Small-Block V-8." Corvettefever.com. Web. 15 Feb. 2010 http://www.corvettefever.com/techarticles/corp_0712w_gm_ls9_zr1_corvette_small_block_engine/index.html

Gretchen DuBeau. "Fuel Efficiency Standards Should Be Raised." Opposing Viewpoints: Cars in America. Ed. Andrea C. Nakaya. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2006. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Gale. Deerfield High School. 8 Feb. 2010 .

Leno, Jay. "Jay Leno's Garage." shelbysupercars.com. Web. 20 Feb. 2010. http://www.shelbysupercars.com/video-jay-leno.php

"science in America." American History. ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 31 Jan. 2010.

Vincent Bryan " “In My Merry Oldsmobile”," Annals of American History.

[Accessed February 1, 2010].

The Fate of Supercars

The environment and economy have effected the technology and research that go into the production of the cars today. The future of supercars is very uncertain because of this. Government laws, economic recession, higher gas prices, and environmental agencies, are all factors that discourage car companies from producing cars with high volume engines. Today Gretchen DuBeau, a global warming advocate, is trying to persuade the government that average fuel economy needs to be raised and monitored more strictly. She believes that by increasing the average fuel economies of all the car manufacturers it would in turn, “reduce the oil used by cars and trucks by one-third in 2020; save four million barrels of oil each day by 2020; save consumers $16 billion at the gas pump; and cut global warming emissions from vehicles by 20 percent.”(Gretchen Dubeau) These predictions are very appealing to the government. By using less oil it would not only decrease the demand of gas resulting in lower prices but reduce our dependency on foreign oil. Also, by using less oil over seas it would keep more money in the country to help boost our economy. All of these economic improvements would be made while fighting global warming. Therefore, it would be wise of the car companies to cut down on supercars and powerful engines. However, this is not the case.
Car companies are coming out with even more powerful and more technologically advanced engines. Take for example the new LS9 Corvette engine used in the 200 mph ZR1. By creating this car, Chevy is sticking up to the environmentalists and saying that the excitement of power and torque is more important than the atmosphere. The Corvette has a large supercharger that gives the LS9 a lot of power and sucks up the fuel. A supercharger is basically an air compressor that compresses the air to push into the engine. This helps the gas burn more rapidly and gives the car more power. The assistant chief engineer is describing the effect of the large displacement supercharger on the V8 by saying that the supercharger “expands the 'sweetzone' of the compressor's effectiveness, broadening it to help make power lower in the rpm band, to put it simply the low-end torque is amazing.” The supercharger allows the power of the V8 to be unleashed even when the rpm are low. As a result, the torque is increased giving the driver a thrill from 1-7,000 rmp. This is the excitement that gets consumers craving more and more power from these supercars. They will do anything to experience the acceleration of 0-60 in 3 seconds; it is more important to them than the environment and the economy by far. Another American car company has built a ridiculously fast car, but this company is a little more exclusive.
SSC has come out with the fastest car in the world, the SSC Ultimate Aero TT. This supercar is powered by a twin turbo V8 that makes environmentalists cringe. However, the car enthusiasts and adrenaline junkies are very impressed with this state of the art technology. It can reach speeds higher than any other European car in the world and tops out at around 270. However, they have only officially taken it up to 257mph which is faster than the Bugatti Veyron. Along with this ridiculous acceleration it gives the driver a sense of control and excitement at slower speeds too. Jay Leno says, “the more I drove this car, the more comfortable it gets, the more you settle into it. It really is a drivers car. There's no aids at all. When I drove the Bugatti Veyron, although it was incredibly fast, it felt big and cumbersome. This car seems to shrink around you."(Jay Leno) During a test run in Los Angeles, Jay Leno was driving the car and gave a lot of positive feed back on the quality of handling. It was not a huge piece of machinery that he was just telling what to do like the Veyron; it was a tight and accurately made full on race car. It gives the driver a sense of control and confidence. As a result, it makes the car feel apart of the driver almost like an extension of his or her body. The Aero is very predictable and that makes it so much more rewarding to drive. Knowing that one has the confidence to drive the car extremely well to its limits gives them a very encouraging and satisfactory feeling. A feeling that is indescribable and is much more exciting than global warming and the issues of the economy. These two cars have shown that the economists and environmentalists are not affecting the supercar companies as of now, but what about the future.
Top Gear is the worlds most well known car show, and the host, Jerremy Clarkson, has reviewed thousands of supercars over the years. However, this could be a thing of the past because of the new laws and environmental situations. During a review of the Aston Martin V12 Vantage, he believes that the huge V12 supercar will end the era of great supercars. "Thanks to all sorts of things, the environment, economy, problems in the Middle East, the relentless war on speed, cars like this will soon be consigned to the history books." Because of the high taxes and the terrible economic situation, the government will inevitable dwindle the amount of supercars on the roads and dissuade car companies from ever making them again. The huge 7 liter engines require massive amounts of fuel to rev up to 8,000 rpm, and thus they have terrible CO2 emissions and miles per gallon. Jeremy Clarkson is worried that the government will not listen to the people and keep encouraging car makers to produce the cars that they love. Jeremy believes, "what I am driving here is an ending." The massive 12 cylinder engine that the Aston has under its hood is most likely the last extremely powerful engine produced. The odds of another car company coming out with an engine as big as that and amazing as that is very slim. Many supercar makers are ending a few lines of supercars. Lamborghini is even ending the Murcielago series of cars, one of their most powerful lines to start a less explosive 2 wheel drive line of cars. Could Jerremy Clarkson be right? Will the economy and environment halt the production and research of these amazing technological achievements? Or will the consumers who love and live for the euphoria and adrenaline that comes from just looking these cars keep the supercar companies going? What will be the future fate of the supercar?

Literary analysis

In the short story, "The Red Convertable," there are two brothers who find a convertable on the side of the road and spontaniously decide to buy it. They both loved the car and went on many trips together. They spent an entire summer just driving around the country. More importantly, when Stephan was suffering from post tramatic stress the car was what brought him back to his old self. Stephan and Marty experianced many exciting and happy memories do to this peice of technology. The red convertable gave them freedom and adventure therefore they were able to experience true happiness. According to Thoreau, this happiness that the two brothers experinced was single handedly due to the freedom and self reliance that the car gave them. The two brothers had no worries, and experienced life as it came to them. The two brothers “just lived our everyday lives here to there.”(136) They did not care that they were on a trip; they went with the flow. There was no money to worry about, no appointment to attend, and no one to impress. This freedom allows them to truly enjoy life and the company of eachother and the car. For example, Marty was sitting in the shade of a willow tree and, “it was comfortable. So comfortable. The branches bent down all around me like a tent or a stable. And quiet, it was quiet.”(136) The solitude that the brothers had under the tree was due to the freedom that the car gave them. He was able to feel peaceful because of the lack of worries and responsibilities that they had on the trip. Stephan and Marty were able to experience happiness and pleasure from each other and from their trip because of this peice of technology. If they had planned a route to go on then they would be constantly comparing their trip to their planned trip to see if they were “on schedule.” However, by having no cares about where they are and when they are there, the two brothers are able to truly experience the beauty of life and be carefree. The car was not just a tool but a part of their lives by allowing the brothers to be where they want and when they want with no worries.

The red convertible was not just a machine that got them from one place to another but an important character of the story that gave them adventure, bonding, and peace. The adventure that they experienced was all due to the car. The car allowed them to be free from their home on the Chippewa reservation. It took them many places, for example almost the entire state of Montana and even up to Alaska for a while. One thing was certain where ever they went it was always better than the last place. The two brothers always traveled “on to greener pastures.”(137) Leaving one place was never sad for the two brothers because they knew that as that chapter ended a new one would start. This amazing adventure that man and machine went on together brought each one of the three closer together. The car was at the center of the brothers bond. This became evident at the end of the short story when Stephan was experiencing post traumatic stress. Marty decided the only way to reverse the effects of the war was to remind him of his former happy days with the red convertible. However, one cannot just jump back into a memory, Stephan needed to get reacquainted with the car just like old friends. Therefore, Marty took a hammer to the car and destroyed it so he could fix it up. After working on the car day in and day out, Stephan started to become himself again. The ultimate success came when Stephan said to Marty, “Lets take that old shitbox for a spin.”(141) It was just like the adventures they shared before the war. The two brothers would finally be back together and enjoying each others company like before. They start to casually talk at the river and when they start arguing about the car Stephan finally laughs. “For some reason this cracks me up and so we’re really laughing for a while then, and then we drink all the rest of the beers one by one and throw them into the river to see how far the current takes them,”(144) This shows their carefree lifestyle is back and they are just enjoying one another’s company. It goes to show that the car can be more than a tool for transportation. The Red Convertible was not only a character that helped the brothers experience true happiness and adventure, but a symbol of brother hood and bonding. When Stephan and Marty are finally happy again, Stephan decides to go for a swim in the rising river. He ends up drowning and Marty cannot do anything about it. He decides that since his bonding with Stephan, and his good times with Stephan were over, it was necessary to kill the car too. It says, “The wires short out. It is all finally dark.”(145) The darkness is the car’s lights shorting out and as the car dies so does the relationship between Marty and Stephan because Stephan literally is dead. Marty could never have taken the car and used it all by himself. It was always their car; there were many instances were the two brothers tried to give the car to one another but they were never successful. This was the one thing that brought them together. The car furthermore symbolized this bonding of Stephan and Marty. Now that Stephan is gone, Marty’s adventures and bonding with him are over. As a result the car is gone. The car is much more than technology and a way to get from point a to point b. It can be something that gives happiness, adventure, or bonding.

Background research analysis

Science and technology have improved the everyday lives of citizens in America since its beginning in the early years of the country. However, it has improved society in many different ways over time. In the beginning, science and technology was used to invent. Ever since the American Revolution there was a need for a faster way to pick crops and do work more efficiently. It was answered by inventions to improve the efficiency. There were many inventors in science that improved their work with very simple inventions like the cotton gin or the reaper. Many inventors and scientists were “popularizing the concept of applied science as a means of progress” in the nations industries.(science in America) Applied science is the research in science in order to apply the knowledge directly to improving the efficiency of a task or job. America needed these inventions in its early years to establish farms, crops, and especially to help urbanize the virgin land of America. It helped quickly develope a nation's growth in economy and everyday life. However, when America was settled into and the economy was stronger, there was a switch of the scientific research towards the protection of the society. With World War I underway, the American government realized the need for scientific research to provide weapons and technology to help win the war. Unfortunately, the war ended before a lot of progress was made, but America was prepared for World War II. After a long and bloody battle in the pacific to reach the mainland of Japan, the American troops had already lost over 50,000 men not to mention thousands more at the infamous Pearl Harbor. As a result, the American government along with its troops wanted the war to be over. Not to mention the Japanese were known for fighting ruthlessly with their kamikaze attacks. It was because of these factors “that convinced President Harry S. Truman in the summer of 1945 that an invasion of Japan would be tremendously costly for both sides. Another option-the use of the new atomic bomb.“(Background Essay) The new weapon invented by top scientists like Edison and Oppenheimer was the most technologically advanced and most powerful weapon war has ever scene. President Truman believed that the use of the weapon would save lives on both sides of the battle by destroying the dry docks and factories that help support the Japanese troops. In this sence the Americans used technology to defeat the Japaneese technology, the factories. It was not only a war fought by humans with deaths, but a war fought by scientist with technology. This loss of technology from Japan would hopefully lead to their surrender. Unfortunately, there were extremely dramatic results; the two bombs killed over 150,000 Japanese many of whom were citizens who would never pick up a gun. However, the strategy did work; the technologically advance weapon ended up saving countless thousands of American lives by destroying Japan's technologic resources. However, was it worth the cost of the Japanese lives? Japan suffered many deaths, but the U.S. saved countless. After the war thousands and thousands of troops returned home to experience as much excitement and adventure as they had overseas. Science and technology was now focused on the citizens everyday lives again and making them easier and more practical. Some scientists focused on the new crave for transportation, which was the car. The car redefined American transportation by giving people the independence to travel hundreds of miles in just one day. Many car companies took advantage of this by marketing towards the consumers using the open road as an ideal haven for the people. The article on automobiles on ABC-Clio says, “Gasoline was still cheap, new interstate highways had open up, and Americans loved the open road. Singer Dinah Shore urged her countrymen to ‘see the USA in you Chevrolet’ in television jingles.” Chevrolet saw that society loved to use the open roads to see the country more practically than if one was on a train or walking. They knew that people loved the adventure of being free from their little neighborhoods and roaming around other nearby cities. Therefore they used this as a way to market their cars. As a result, cars gave the society a new way to appreciate technology and that was with emotions. Technology is no longer used to make things practical or safe, it is used to make products more enjoyable and appealing. Take for example the hot rods of the 1960’s and the muscle cars that defined Detroit. However, cars not only made society happy, they also bonded people to the road and with each other. The poem, In My Merry Oldsmobile, demonstrates this. For example, the line, “They love to spark in the dark old park as they go flying along” illustrates two different bonds. It can be interpreted two ways. The sparks could be interpreted as the spark plugs of the engine igniting the fuel producing power for them to fly up and down the dark park. The two love the thrill of speed that the car gives them and bond to it with as a result. However, this could also be a metaphor for how the spark plugs ignite the fuel of the engine and the car ignites the fuel for their love. These sparks are the beginning of love between the man and woman. The car sets them free from society and gives them control over their lives. As a result, they bond to one another and share the excitement of the open road. Overall, the car had brought these two lovers together and gave them a way to be alone and appreciate each other. This was not the intent that technology and the scientist making the cars thought would occur. However, many inventions and great things were discovered by mistake, and the car is no different. The technology that made transportation so pleasurable also freed society and introduced them to adventure and individuality.

Mpg should be monitored

This article is trying to get the government to raise the average fuel economy standards to 40 miles to the gallon. They believe that this would save consumers money at the pump because they would not have to fill up the tank as often. Also as a result, it would lower the demand of oil and decrease the prices. Therefore, the consumers would be saving exponentially. There are many cars out today that produce over 40 miles per gallon. For example, the Toyota Prius gets 55mpg and the ford SUV Escape gets 35-40. Thus the technology to get an engine as efficient as 40 miles to the gallon and still keep the same performance and acceleration is here. We only need to apply it. I agree that the need for environmentally friendly cars is huge. It can also be a great economy booster. However, restricting car companies to average 40mpg for all their cars is outrageous. That would end the super cars who have mpg of around 15 or even 12. The whole idea of driving in America is about the open road and the freedom that it gives you when driving. By taking away the ability to feel the power of a 6L V8 or the sound of an Aston Martin V12 would be killing the entire culture of driving. This restriction of fuel economy would be, in my opinion, imposing on the rights of the citizens to express their selves and pursue happiness. The Declaration of Independence states that one of our unalienable rights is the right for the citizen to pursue happiness. No government law can restrict someone from pursuing happiness. If this law were passed requiring all car companies to average their fuel economy to 40 mpg then it would destroy many peoples ability to pursue happiness. It is quite simple that the reason people buy super cars and sports cars is not because they care about fuel economy or the environment. It is because they want to be entertained and enjoy their driving experience and be free. If this outrageous law is passed then citizens would not be able to buy a sports car and take it out for a joy ride on the highway when they please, and thus impairing their ability to pursue the happiness they get when they are driving. However, I do agree that increasing the miles per gallon of every car would decrease the demand of oil. As a result this would lower prices of gas and decrease our dependency on foreign oil. These are two key reasons why the government should, instead of restrict companies from producing cars with low miles per gallon, encourage companies to produce more efficient cars with money for research.




Gretchen DuBeau. "Fuel Efficiency Standards Should Be Raised." Opposing Viewpoints: Cars in America. Ed. Andrea C. Nakaya. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2006. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Gale. Deerfield High School. 8 Feb. 2010 .