Whats the deal with reconstruction

The reconstruction was the time period after the civil from 1865 and 1877. Reconstruction had it where the states would be self-governed but they would all be united by the same government, it also said that African Americans would be free citizens not slaves. In theory this was good but during the time while this was in effect it failed because of a lack of leadership. Lincoln's predecessor Andrew Johnson messed up big time, he sent republicans to the south to help but in stead they delivered black codes. He also rejected a bill on civil rights he also pulled the remaining union troops to Texas they had been enforcing the laws to make sure that the African Americans were treated as citizens. As soon as troops left the rebels ruled the south again, Johnson as a president made a lot of mistakes during the reconstruction. This is relevant because thing may have been different today if Johnson hadn't messed the reconstruction up or reject the bill for civil rights.
http://middleeast.about.com/b/2009/06/30/590.htm

Media Saves The Beach In The News

An estimated 14,000 gallons of sewage has soiled the water, he said. People will not be allowed back in until the sewage is cleaned up and water test results indicate the water is free of bacteria.
This is a big issue because many people go to dog beach not just with their dog but also to surf. This is a big problem because that means that none of those people will be able to go there because of the spill. This could be a good way to see if we can to anything to help to purify this water.
http://weblog.signonsandiego.com/news/breaking/2009/06/sewage_spill_prompts_dog_beach.html

Media Saves Beach

I am interested in the controversy about the seals at the La Jolla Children's pool beach because this is a very touchy subject because both sides have valid arguments on what should happen.
my idea would be to do a website because most people are always on the internet and i think that they can help to provide a better overview of what both sides are about.

American Icons Final Draft

Artist Statement

It was like any other San Diego day really hot and sunny I was skateboarding on my street. The heat was intense but that would not dampen my spirit. I had been practicing my ollies for about 10 min I could feel the sweat rushing down me in the 90 degree California weather. It was around my fifth try when I felt this sudden feeling inside me that’s when I shouted "I am going to land it" I load up one my board and slam my right foot down on the board then slide my left foot up it. I feel myself hop in the sky I can taste sweet victory but as I come down I end up putting to much weight on my right foot. So as my board hits the ground it slips from under me and I am left dazed and confused only to let gravity take its course. The next thing I knew I was laying on my back in merciless unforgiving sun. I laid there for a while making sure that all my joints were still functioning and that i wasn't bleeding anywhere. After getting back up on my feet, I take a moment to recollect on how many times Rob Dyrdek had to practice in order to be able to land that trick every time. I think about how many times he must have fallen while attempting to land a trick. After pondering for some time I get up visualize victory of me landing and give out a roar I look at my board, and then hop on it confident that my abilities won’t leave me laying on the street again. I wasn’t surprised that I made it I took a deep breath before attempting then loaded up on my board pushed my foot then slid it and poof the next thing I knew I was in the sky It felt so good to have the wind blow against me even if it was only for a second as I came down I could feel the excitement wanting to burst out of me. As I felt the board touch down I bust out with a joyous scream of “boo ya”

Next I decide to try going down on my hill, it is steep and I am scared to go down it for fear of pain and bleeding. I try a couple of times to go down it but jump off as the speed starts to increase. I can feel the fear as I go down I know fear is all in my head but the hill seems to disagree I still try to stay on as long as possible. As soon as I start moving down the hill I can instantly feel my speed increase. The real fear is that once I start moving I can’t control the board so essentially I am just going along for the ride.

Rob is an icon to most people who love to skate because he showed how hard work can pay off. He has also showed that if you keep working at your goal you can achieve it with the right amount of effort. That is exactly what Rob did to get to where he is now because he now has his own show where he can show off what he loves to for a living. In the show he is allowed to be as young and reckless as he can be whether it’s shooting people or shooting hoops he is always having fun. To those people who wish to aspire and be just like him he has become a hero to them. Rob has helped me to be more focused in whatever I do no matter if it is boring such as in my math class I may not be the best at it but if I work hard and put a lot of effort in it I can do really well.

Citation's

Dyrdek, Rob. "Rob Dyrdek." Rob Dyrdek. MTV, 2009. Web. 2009. .

Dyrdek, Rob. "Fantasy Factory." Fantasy Factory. MTV. Los Angeles, CA, 2009. Television.

Amercian icons reflection draft 1

1. i noticed that i always told the story never showed it so my essays always lacked that part where you could visualize the story.

2.After having my story revised i started to show and not tell by letting my readers imagine how the story happened.

3.If i could edit my draft some more i would add more punctuation to make my story sound stronger.

4.I load up one my board and slam my right foot down on the board then slide my left foot up it. i like this sentence because it makes me feel like i am really doing that trick.

New Picture for Artist statement

Photo Techniques

this was a Posed portrait

American Icons critiques and Artist Statement

Artist Statement

It was like any other San Diego day really hot and sunny I was skateboarding on my street. The heat was intense but that would not dampen my spirit. I had been practicing my ollies for about 10 min I could feel the sweat rushing down me in the 90 degree California weather. It was around my fifth try when I felt this sudden feeling inside me that’s when I shouted "I am going to land it" I load up one my board and slam my right foot down on the board then slide my left foot up it. I feel myself hop in the sky I can taste sweet victory but as I come down I end up putting to much weight on my right foot. So as my board hits the ground it slips from under me and I am left dazed and confused only to let gravity take its course. The next thing I knew I was laying on my back in merciless unforgiving sun. I laid there for a while making sure that all my joints were still functioning and that i wasn't bleeding anywhere. After getting back up on my feet, I take a moment to recollect on how many times Rob Dyrdek had to practice in order to be able to land that trick every time. I think about how many times he must have fallen while attempting to land a trick. After pondering for some time I get up visualize victory of me landing and give out a roar I look at my board, and then hop on it confident that my abilities won’t leave me laying on the street again. I wasn’t surprised that I made it I took a deep breath before attempting then loaded up on my board pushed my foot then slid it and poof the next thing I knew I was in the sky It felt so good to have the wind blow against me even if it was only for a second as I came down I could feel the excitement wanting to burst out of me. As I felt the board touch down I bust out with a joyous scream of “boo ya”

Next I decide to try going down on my hill, it is steep and I am scared to go down it for fear of pain and bleeding. I try a couple of times to go down it but jump off as the speed starts to increase. I can feel the fear as I go down I know fear is all in my head but the hill seems to disagree I still try to stay on as long as possible. As soon as I start moving down the hill I can instantly feel my speed increase. The real fear is that once I start moving I can’t control the board so essentially I am just going along for the ride.

Rob is an icon to most people who love to skate because he showed how hard work can pay off. He has also showed that if you keep working at your goal you can achieve it with the right amount of effort. That is exactly what Rob did to get to where he is now because he now has his own show where he can show off what he loves to for a living. In the show he is allowed to be as young and reckless as he can be whether it’s shooting people or shooting hoops he is always having fun. To those people who wish to aspire and be just like him he has become a hero to them. Rob has helped me to be more focused in whatever I do no matter if it is boring such as in my math class I may not be the best at it but if I work hard and put a lot of effort in it I can do really well.

American Icons-Resources

Rob Dyrdek has had quite an impressive life so far from winning his first skateboarding competition at the age of 12 to becoming a pro at 16. He has displayed both skill and raw talent which would help him later in life. I think this is very important because this helps me to understand who he is as a person and what he does for a living. Rob and I both have dedication towards doing what we love to do, when we get knocked down we get back up and try, try again.

Rob is a very popular person so popular that he has his show where he can display both his skating side and his humorous side. In this show he always has something fun played not matter what the day whether it be from shooting crazy hoops to shooting people with an American gladiator tennis ball gun. Watching this show has given a really good idea of what kind of a person he is.

Rob also loves to help his friends such as his buddy Danny Way whom he helped set the world land speed record on a skateboard. He also helped pass out clothes with big black to the homeless. This shows that he is not a selfish guy even though he is famous.

Dave Chappelle is one of America's funniest comedians, he has shown from time to time that making fun of people is always a good way to relieve you of stress. The world needs comedians because with out them the world would be to serious. Watching his show helps me to get a better understanding of different forms of comedy.

Dave has always been a comedian, he first started when he was 14 doing stand up at the local comedy clubs. Even from a young age Dave knew comedy and was really good at it. I think that this is good because Dave knew what he wanted to do even from a young age.

Amercian Icons- Ideas

Rob Dyrdek is a professional skateboarder and to me right there shows how much hard work and dedication he had to put in to get to where he is right now. He also shows me that even with all this success he still has time to relax and have fun.

Several years after he became a pro skater he did a reality show called "Rob and Big" in his house in LA. Rob is currently working on his new show called Fantasy Factory. That right there shows how important he is in American culture.

Rob is a person that i think is very important because he does the tricks i only wish i could do and seeing him do it on TV makes me only want to do it even more. So i see him as a person i can look up and maybe one day being able to do those tricks myself.




Dave Chappelle is my all time favorite comedian, he is the type of guy that makes anything funny and he's not afraid to say it. Dave shows me that everyone loves to laugh and it helps to brighten our mood.

He is among the many to be on comedy central and have a TV show "the Chappelle show" which has been playing for quite some time now and it always seems to be funny. He does all of his shows in America and people come to see it.

Dave Chappelle has showed me that telling jokes is fun and entertaining and it teaches me not to be so serious all the time. He taught me to enjoy the silly things of life because no one likes a person who can't take a joke, especially if he gets all offensive about it.




Jackie Chan is a famous Asian movie star who has stared in a lot of movies. To me Jackie Chan represents that no matter what ethnicity you are you can still become a movie star.

He has stared in such funny movies as "Shanghai Knights" and my personal favorite "Rush Hour" which has played all over the world including in America. I thought that these were really funny movies and i know other people did to.

Jackie has become an inspiration to me showing that who he is and where he comes from doesn't matter when you do what you love to do.

Welcome back to school

I hope to gain more experience in both humanities and in preparation for the SAT. I would also like to learn a bit more on how to expand and write more in my essays.

My goals for this year is to get A's and B's because i know i can do it if i try and work hard.

In humanities this year i would like to learn how to expand more in my writing because i usually tend to write the minimum on my essays and since this is the year of SAT's i need to be able to expand more.

i hope to develop better reading skills because reading is not on my top ten list of things that i want to do, i would like to change this because reading is good for you and it teaches you new words.