3b - Beach Cities

Peace Sign on Bolinas Beach Pismo Street

Pismo Beach and Bolinas

http://www.pismobeach.org/

http://www.five-cities-com/

www.nytimes.com/2000/07/09/us/bolinas-journal-welcome-to-bolinas-please-keep-on-moving-html

www.bolinas2miles.com/newsandinfo.com

Contains an explanation regarding how this component (any aspect of it; eg content of videos, content of websites) connects to your study of humanities.

Pismo Beach is located in Central California just past San Luis Obispo. It is part of an area called the Five Cities which include, Grover Beach, Arroyo Grande, Oceano and Shell Beach. The city itself is the quintessential beach town, with touristy stores selling shell collections and salt water taffy, amid the smells of salt water, fish and cotton candy. Tourists stroll thru the area and watch the "souped up" four wheel drive trucks heading toward Oceano Dunes. There is a 1200 foot pier where people gather every evening (as weather permits) to watch the sun set. Just south of the city is the Monarch Butterfly Grove, where thousands of butterflies can be found in the eucalyptus trees from late October to February. The Oceano Dunes is a large OHV area and a great place to dig for the famous Pismo Clam. The dunes are a wonderful location for camping, walking, horseback riding and people (truck) watching. The weather in this part of California is mild and the beach at times can become foggy. There is so much to do and see in this area, for people of all ages, it is a great family destination. The video City of Pismo Beach captures the town and the shops while, the competition hill video, gives a glimpse of action on the dunes.

Bolinas is located twelve miles north of San Francisco in Marin County, off Highway 1, near Stinson Beach. I visited there once, for a wedding. Although given very good directions, we missed the turn not once, but twice - from each direction. It is definitly not an easy place to find and the locals like it that way. Supposedly, whenever Cal-Trans has placed a road sign for the road that will bring you into the town, the sign has disappeared. Once in the town, the main road is shaped almost like a horseshoe which dead ends at the lagoon. The shops in the town are as eclectic as the people (see 4th of July video). The website listed above (2miles.com) gives a very interesting list of answers to the question "You know you grew up in Bolinas if. . . ." which will give prospective to the mindset of the individuals that live there. The beach here is on a lagoon and the waves are very gentle. It is a quiet place and very relaxing. The way it sits, the wind is blocked, which makes it very comfortable.

These two areas are a contrast in culture. The lifestyle, the people - it is a culture clash - and that is the study of humanities.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5KIMLuOAQH8 Bolinas 4th of July

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1neBNrioXp8 Bolinas Lagoon Wetlands

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yAgtuCL42Tk Pismo Hotel Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SqXStP9LSsY City of Pismo Beach

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HWxZS9sHIzk Competition Hill

What are some assumptions/stereotypes you think people have of each location: 1 point

Bolinas is filled with people that are activists and environomentalists, that are remnants of the 1960 Haight Ashbury lifestyle - very bohemian.

Pismo Beach is full of surfer types and "hot dogs" with their four wheel drive trucks.

List 3 things that make each location similar: 1 point

Environmentalist have interest in both locations;

On the water;

Surfers like both areas.

List 3 things that make each location so different: 1 point

Tourism - Pismo Beach welcomes tourists, Bolinas would prefer you did not find it;

Size - Pismo Beach is a city (pop. approx 8500), Bolinas is a town (pop. approx 1300);

If you live in Pismo Beach you can be anonymous, if you live in Bolinas, everyone knows you.

What else would you like to know about these places?

The Five Cities area was once inhabited by the Chumash Indians, a tribe that I had not heard of before. I think it would be interesting to learn their history and if there are still members in the area today. The village of Bolinas has an interesting past, and according to an article I read, if it weren't for a oil tanker crash which spilled thousands of gallons of oil into San Francisco Bay, making its way to Bolinas, the town, would have turned out much differently. It would be interesting to learn more about the area prior to the crash (1971) and how the town became what it is.

5. Using your classmates work from last week, tell us one thing you learned from 1 student. Is this one thing some common experience you share or some experience that is completely different than what you experienced? Is this one thing related to our class theoretical foundation and if so, how? Is that one thing related to historical or cultural context of this country or a different one? Link that persons blog to this entry (eg cut paste that blog entry here)

http://sierradotcom.blogspot.com/2009/03/3a-boston-and-san-francisco.html

Sierra brought up the differences in language between San Francisco and Boston. When I have heard Bostonians speak (mostly Senator Kennedy) his accent is very thick and it is how I have always associated the people who come from that area. However, I recently met, someone from Boston who has been in this area for seven years and he did not have an accent at all. It really surprised me when he said he was from Boston. When I asked him about the fact that he did not have an accent, he indicated that only people from certain areas of the city have accents and the only word that he has found that he doesn't pronounce the same as people in this area is room.

It seems we are always quick to sterotype people and cultures, yet it isn't always true.

3a World Cities

http://www.cl.sf.ca.us/

http://www.onlyinsanfrancisco.com/

http://quickfacts.census.gov/

http://www.sandiego.gov/

Contains an explanation regarding how this component (any aspect of it; eg content of videos, content of websites) connects to your study of humanities. .25 point

San Diego is home to Balboa Park which is the largest cultural park located in the United States. It has 15 museums, numerous art galleries and the San Diego Zoo. In contrast San Francisco has Golden Gate Park which is home to the De Young Museum, California Academy of Science and Steinhart Aquarium. The cultural journeys that one can take in each location are excellent. San Diego is the second largest city in California, San Francisco the 4th. The county of San Diego is 4200 square miles where San Francisco County is 2000 square miles. Both have sandy beaches and major attractions. Both cities have just over 49% female population and are predominately white. San Diego has 3,772 people per square mile whereas San Francisco has 16,636.

Contains the following elements that will be used in upcoming projects for analytical purposes: What are some assumptions/stereotypes you think people have of each location: 1 point

San Francisco is cold, foggy and is home to liberal people left over from the 60's. Crime in San Francisco is rampant and all it has to offer are cable cars, Fishermans Wharf and shopping.
San Diego is a sleepy, conservative military city with a great zoo.

List 3 things that make each location similar: 1 point

Both the cities sit on a bay -

They both have missions founded by Father Junipero Serra

The weather in both cities is similar and both have areas created by landfill.

List 3 things that make each location so different: 1 point

San Diego is larger than San Francisco

San Diego has a much bigger military presence

San Diego borders Mexico

Questioning: What else would you like to know about these places? When completing the question section, lead your audience into the question by stating a fact you do know, yet you still have the related question. This way, both your audience and you will have an educational experience. .5 point

I haven't been to San Diego in many years and really don't remember much about it except the zoo. In reading about the different areas of the city it almost reminds of San Francisco years ago. I liked the names of the neighborhoods, i.e Gaslamp Quarter and Little Italy - I would like to visit again and see the vast differences it has to offer from sandy beaches to the desert. Although I am a native San Franciscan, I can never get enough of the city. There is still so much to see and learn. I just recently discovered the Haight - which I always was told to stay away from - there are great stores there and interesting people - a great place to people watch. It is truly an experience.

5. Using your classmates work from last week, tell us one thing you learned from 1 student. Is this one thing some common experience you share or some experience that is completely different than what you experienced? Is this one thing related to our class theoretical foundation and if so, how? Is that one thing related to historical or cultural context of this country or a different one? Link that persons blog to this entry (eg cut paste that blog entry here) . .5 point

I've attached the link for Thida's blog which is on grizzly bears. Although I always knew that a bear was on the "bear flag", I never gave much thought that it was a grizzly bear. I'm not fond of bears, they scare me, and when I am hiking in the mountains in Tahoe, all I think about it the fact that a bear can be around the next corner. I found her comment that "the bear represent what California what it is today, a big and strong state that goes through a lot of ups and downs" to be interesting. I think California may have once been a great state, however, it has lost some of its luster. It can be a leader, i.e. in "green" , yet it lacks so much in education. The grizzly bear is definitely linked to the history of this state.

http://missthaiteeveeblog.blogspot.com/2009/03/2c-california-grizzly-bear.html

2c California Academy of Sciences

http://research.calacademy.org/research/ccg/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_Academy_of_Sciences

http://www.greenroofs.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1039&Itemid=136

The California Academy of Sciences is located in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park. According to Wikipedia it is one of the ten largest museums of natural history in the world. It has undergone a complete renovation and reopened in 2008. The class overview states that , "The Humanities Program is dedicated to the study of works of human thought and creativity...." The renovation of the Academy of Sciences building is just that.



Although there is much to write about the museum itself, I am concentrating on the building. Some of the key people/firms associated with the renovation are architect Renzo Piano, reconstruction contractor Webcor Builders and the SWA Group which designed the landscape including the Living Roof.



Although many of the exhibits of the Academy focus on how we got here, the other direction it is exploring is the answer to the questions how do we stay and how do we sustain life on Earth?

One way to do this is to make people aware of sustainability and the green building is one way to accomplish this.



The Living Roof is designed to look like Twin Peaks and the plants and flowers that have been planted are native to the area. The roof area is 2.5 acres and can retain rainwater, which is collected in the basement resused for roof irrigation. The roof is important to the ventilation of the building as well. The building has retractable skylights, and this natural ventilation is used to keep the building cool.



The walls of the building are insulated with recycled denim and much of the building was renovated using materials recycled from the demolition of the original building. Throughout the building are exhibits explaining how and why materials were used.



Although I have visited the building since its reopening, there was so much information to digest and view that it was impossible to see it all. The exhibits which relate to the future and how it can/cannot be sustained based on the use of the Earth's natural resources are excellent and ask for your review of what you are doing in your life - how green are you?

Anthony Frye wrote about California rattlesnakes. Personally I cannot stand snakes. I didn't know that 25% of male snakes do not use venom when biting. I recently saw a rattlesnake for the first time and it was very freightening. It was about 5 feet from me and we tossed pebbles at it to get it to move off the center of the path we were on. The sound of the rattlers is very distinct.


http://tfrye.blogspot.com/

2b - Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum & Planetarium

Observation: What did you choose? What do you see or hear or feel or think of in the choice you made? What is the subject of the work? If you chose a 'thing' what is the work made of and what techniques (colors, lines, shapes, textures)does the creator use? Be specific in your description. If you chose a place, be specific in your description of what you see or hear. Talk to your reader as though they cannot see the item but somehow must draw a painting of what you see or hear. 1 point





The museum that I chose is The Rosicrucian Eqyptian Museum and Planetarium located in San Jose. When someone thinks of museums in the Bay Area it is not one that quickly comes to mind, yet it is a fascinating place to visit. The museum contains the largest display of egyptian artifacts in the western United States. The current building opened in 1966 and it is modeled after the Temple of Ammon, Karnak. The museum is divided into four galleries, The Afterlife, Daily Life and Trade, Kingship and Religion and Shrines. It also has a full scale tomb replica. The artifacts include human and animal mummies, jewerly, pottery, and sculptures.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1PXIgzRe_AY (Museum Pieces)


Interpretation: What is your choice about? Give specific examples to support this statement in 2 sentences; do so in a way that teaches us something about your choice. Make Paulo Freire proud! .75 point





I found ancient history fascinating. To look at artifacts and see a way of life that is foreign to the present, makes us see how far we have progressed through the wisdom of our forefathers.







Judgment: What led you to your choice? What do you think or feel about this choice? Why do you feel this way? Support your thoughts with specific observations. .5 point








This museum is not well known and I feel that there is a lot of history and information here. It is very interesting to see these artifacts and imagine life at that time.








Questioning: What else would you like to know about this choice? When completing the question section, lead your audience into the question by stating a fact you do know, yet you still have the related question. This way, both your audience and you will have an educational experience. Example: I learned that John Steinbeck's Grapes of Wrath was based on his personal experience working with farm workers. I would like to know if the characters he used in that book are fictitious or are they people he met? .5 point





In researching the museum, I found that it was started by the Rosicrucian Order - AMORC (Ancient and Mystical Order Rosae Crucis). Their motto is "The key to Universal Wisdom, Discover how extraordinary you really are". The questions of this order relate to the Master of Life - Who am I, What is my purpose - It is not a religious group, in fact, they have no religious connection and people from all faiths join the order. I would like to learn more about the order and how they teach people to achieve a "happier and healthier existence".








Although I chose the Rosicrucian Museum for its history and artifacts, after reading about the Rosicrucian order, I felt a closer link to the humanities program with its relation to philosophy as well as non western culture. The order through its Mastery of Life Program is "a school of practical mysticism, which encourages you to be open-minded, questioning, and to test the value of the principles you are learning by actively using them in your daily life." This is what Paulo Freire taught - to question ourselves daily.









5. Using your classmates work from last week, tell us one thing you learned from 1 student. Is this one thing some common experience you share or some experience that is completely different than what you experienced? Is this one thing related to our class theoretical foundation and if so, how? Is that one thing related to historical or cultural context of this country or a different one? Link that persons blog to this entry (eg cut paste that blog entry here) . .5 point

I learned from Monica B's blog that during the 1950's in San Francisco, the coffeehouse culture was established and it played an important role in social movements of the 60's. Although I lived in San Francisco in the 60's I was too young to know what was going on. It would be very interesting to learn more about that exciting time in its history. This is very much related to the cultural context of this country. The social activists that came together during that time, had a profound impact on the future.






http://humanities7mon.blogspot.com/



http://www.egyptianmuseum.org/


http://www.rosicrucian.org/

2a San Francisco

The City of San Francisco is a vital link to the history of California and relates to Humanities because of this history. People from every nationality can be found here, most continuing with traditions from their cultures, even if they were born in America. In traveling some of the neighborhoods of San Francisco, i.e. Chinatown, a person could think they were actually in a foreign city instead of a district within a city.

Observation: What did you choose? What do you see or hear or feel or think of in the choice you made? What is the subject of the work? If you chose a 'thing' what is the work made of and what techniques (colors, lines, shapes, textures)does the creator use? Be specific in your description. If you chose a place, be specific in your description of what you see or hear. Talk to your reader as though they cannot see the item but somehow must draw a painting of what you see or hear. 1 point

I chose the City of San Francisco, aka, The City, or The City by the Bay. I was born there and lived there for over twenty years. Since I live so close, I go there frequently. When I think of San Francisco, I can feel the damp ocean air coming off the bay, I can hear the fog horn in the distance and the clanking of the bells from the cable cars. In Fisherman's Wharf, I can smell the fresh fish. I feel life, when I think of San Francisco. It is a City that is alive. The City has something for everyone from sports to theatre. There are people from all walks of life and districts to match.

Interpretation: What is your choice about? Give specific examples to support this statement in 2 sentences; do so in a way that teaches us something about your choice. Make Paulo Freire proud! .75 point

I grew up in San Francisco then moved to a small town to raise my children. I miss the city and all it has to offer. Anyone can find something to do there, from sitting on the beach to visiting a museum, it is a cultural heaven.

Judgment: What led you to your choice? What do you think or feel about this choice? Why do you feel this way? Support your thoughts with specific observations. .5 points

Actually San Francisco wasn't my first choice, it was Lake Shasta. However, this class is about culture and San Francisco has it. I love the city, and coming through the Waldo Tunnel and seeing the skyline takes my breath away to this day. I feel like I'm going home.

Questioning: What else would you like to know about this choice? When completing the question section, lead your audience into the question by stating a fact you do know, yet you still have the related question. This way, both your audience and you will have an educational experience. Example: I learned that John Steinbeck's Grapes of Wrath was based on his personal experience working with farm workers. I would like to know if the characters he used in that book are fictitious or are they people he met? .5 point

Although it isn't exactly in San Francisco, Angel Island is in the San Francisco Bay. I know it was once an immigration station. I have never been there (I missed that 3rd grade field trip) and I would like to know more about its history.

5. Using your classmates work from last week, tell us one thing you learned from 1 student. Is this one thing some common experience you share or some experience that is completely different than what you experienced? Is this one thing related to our class theoretical foundation and if so, how? Is that one thing related to historical or cultural context of this country or a different one? Link that persons blog to this entry (eg cut paste that blog entry here) . .5 point

In Jennifers' blog she states that "Our culture is such a diverse community that we can learn something different from every single person. With that being said, we will learn from each other in this class and learn different aspects of assignments that may have been overlooked before".

I absolutely agree with her, although I am not a fan of this type of learning (blogging) (yet) - it is interesting to see something through someone else's eyes. http://jennifer-humanities7.blogspot.com/2009/02/2a-uc-berkley.html

www.zpub.com/sf/history

Assignment 1C

Kendra is the mother of four and wants to transfer to UC Davis to major in Psychology.
Jennifer is in her first year at the JC and plans to transfer to UC Irvine.

From Kendra I learned that by using Paulo's theories, 300 sugarcane workers were taught to read in 45 days and that he brought literacy programs to thousands. In Jennifer's work, I learned that he orginally studied to be a lawyer and before completing his first case, left the law profession to become an educator. Also, it was his views of the oppressed people of Brazil that led him to marxism.

Humanites is about the differences in culture. By looking at each others blogs, we come to see how other people are learning and understanding.

Assignment 1b

Although born to the middle class, during the Great Depression Paulo Freire discovered what it was like to suffer hunger. During these formative years he decided to devote his life to pubic service. It was during these years that he saw first hand the plight of the oppressed in third world countries. Because of his "subversive" activities in the early 60's in Brazil he was jailed and then exiled to Chile, where he continued his work. However, it was during his time teaching as a visiting professor at Harvard, where he observed, war protests and racial violence, and a different culture, that he significantly changed his thought process that oppression was limited to third world countries. (http://www3.nl.edu/academics/cas/ace/resources/paulofreire.cfm)



He describes culture as "everything we do in the world" and indicates that we are surrounded by it. Culture is not just a musical symphony by a renown artist, it can be "a ditch dug by a peasant out of necessity". He goes on to say "if we talk about this concept of culture with the common people we can show them that we can change the world which we have not created, we can also change the world we are creating now. . . ." It is his message of hope to those who feel hopeless.

(http://www.youtube.com/) (Paulo Freire (clip by Julio Wainer).



Paulo Freire had specific ideas with regard to the art of teaching. It is just as important for the teacher to have the desire to teach as it is for the student to desire to learn. Teaching flows both ways. Most children are highly motivated to learn, however, due to their cultures, many become lost between the 5th and 7th grades. "The oppressed majority must be taught to imagine a better way so that they can shape their future and thereby become more human." I like that sentence except the last four words. The less fortunate have to be taught to imagine a better life, that they can do better, always to use the words, "I can", to shape their future, however, I don't see them as less human because of their situations. (www.newfoundations.com/gallery/Freire.html)