Animal Farm by George Orwell

Animal Farm by George Orwell is a well recognized piece of literature depicting the political environment of the Soviet Union before and during the 1960's from the point of view of an English author. The book is written as a metaphor, using the exploits of talking farm animals rather than directly describing the events.

The plot of Animal Farm replicates the history of the Soviet Union almost to the letter. The book starts with all the farm animals living in fear of the farmer, who kills and sells animals as he pleases. The animals know no other way until the oldest pig on the farm calls a meeting to discuss the farmer's oppression of the farm animals. He describes a world where the animals can eat whenever they please and not have to worry about being brought to the slaughter or sold off the farm. The pig's words inspire the other animals, but soon after the meeting he dies. His underling pigs, Snowball, Napoleon, and Squealer, form a sort of religion around the older pig's teachings. They lead a revolution and drive the farmer off the farm, leaving it to be governed independently by the animals. The three pigs take charge, but soon begin arguing and fighting. The most cunning and vicious of the pigs, Napoleon, manages to criminalize the other two pigs and take complete power over the farm. He quickly instills a dictatorship over the animals and forces them to work to make him more comfortable, rather than themselves. Any who question Napoleon are made out to look evil and are often driven off the farm. Eventually, the animals realize that Napoleon and his subordinates are just as bad as living under the farmer.

This book is a to-the-letter description of the fall of the Czar of Russia and his replacement by communists taking the teachings of Karl Marx. Napoleon represents Joseph Stalin and his rise to power, and surrounding farms represent different countries.

Jimi Hendrix

Jimi Hendrix was an extremely successful rock and roll singer in the 1960's that pioneered the way the electric guitar is used today. His experiments with the electric guitar led to a unique style that was emulated by other musicians ever since. Hendrix was always interested in guitar, but never actually owned one until 1959, when he could afford it. Prior to that, he made due with a one-string ukelele and his father's broom. Hendrix was enlisted in the military only a few years later, but still managed to form a band with other people stationed in his area. After being discharged, he started his musical career with several solo acts, leading to his first band, called "Jimmy James and the Blue Kings." After a time and mild success, his band's name was eventually changed to "The Jimi Hendrix Experience." It only took a few shows in the UK before his band became extremely successful, and his return to the US only served to increase his fame. Hendrix continued his success with "The Experience" until 1969, where he continued a solo career that included his appearances at Woodstock '69. He continued his musical career, reuniting with some of his old band members, until his premature death in 1970. Hendrix's name continues to be one of the most recognized rock and roll names in the world to this day.

Source:
http://www.darvill.clara.net/altenerg/nuclear.htm

Earth Day

"A Fierce Green Fire" was a documentary depicting the victories environmental protection organizations have achieved since their emergence in the 1970's. The video talked about the possible consequences each event could have if their efforts had failed, and described better ways to accomplish the same goals. ("Watch Film: A Fierce Green Fire." PBS. PBS, n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2014.)

Nuclear power has been an energy source that has supplied the populace of first world countries with power since 1951, and has grown safer and more reliable ever since. The nuclear reactor works by using the heat from radiation to create steam, which turns a turbine to generate electricity, and releasing only steam into the atmosphere. Traditional coal power plants have used the same concept, but rather than using radiation, they burn fossil fuels to generate heat to create steam, and release carbon into the atmosphere. As nuclear energy becomes more widely available, newly industrialized countries such as China are using it to drive the country further toward becoming more powerful and better for the environment.

Links:
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_power
 http://www.darvill.clara.net/altenerg/nuclear.htm

O.S.S.

The OSS, or Office of Strategic Services, was created as a US intelligence service during World War 2. It was a branch of the US military that was charged with the conduction of espionage activities behind enemy lines. American military leaders drew the idea of the OSS from the British version, MI6. OSS was also involved in training resistance forces in axis-controlled territory in Europe in Asia. With the help of these resistance members, they were able to infiltrate the German governmental infrastructure and send information back to the United States about enemy movements. Many famous individuals were recruited in secret by the OSS during the war, with such people as Julia Child, John Ford, and Major League Baseball player, Moe Berg. Moe Berg was assigned during the war to pose as a physics student in Switzerland and attend a lecture by Germany's top nuclear scientist, Werner Heisenberg. Berg determined that Heisenberg was not a threat shortly after his arrival. The OSS took part in the planning and execution of numerous assassinations throughout the war and many were unable to receive awards for their efforts because the missions they undertook would remain classified until 2008.

Depression Outline

II: Causes

A: Overspeculation: Too many people were buying stocks and not enough were selling; which paralyzed the stock market.

B: Government Policy: Allowed people to use loans to invest in the stock market and make payments back to the bank.

C: Unstable Economy:

1: Uneven Prosperity: There was too few middle class households and the gap between the rich and poor was abnormally large.

2: Overproduction: Factories and farms produced products faster than they were consumed, making the businesses lose money.

3: Worker Issues / Farm Issues: Farms replaced workers with machines and overplanted, slowly depleting the topsoil.

III: Effects

A: Poverty: 25% unemployment rate and people were unable to buy enough to keep businesses intact.

B: Society: Poor people became too poor to support their families, while rich people were unable to keep their businesses open.

C: World: Rising tarriffs froze international trade, weakening the economies of other countries.

IV: Solutions

A: Hoover: Made miniscule steps toward repairing the economy.

1: Volunteerism: Hoover’s way to raise money without using federal money for direct aid to citizens.

2: Public Works: Government paid work in construction of necessary buildings.

3: Hawley Smoot: Raised tariffs on imported goods to raise revenue for the government and help American businesses recover.

4: RFC: The Reconstructive Finance Corporation in charge of distributing aid during the depression.

B: Roosevelt: President of the United States during the Great Depression (and beyond).

1: New Deal: A series of programs passed by congress during the great depression.

a: Was criticized by both conservatives and liberals.

2: 2nd New Deal: Roosevelt’s second series of programs.

V: Criticism: People criticized Roosevelt’s plans, claiming that they were either too constrictive or not effective enough to make a difference.

A: Conservatives: Claimed the new programs would restrict business too much.

B: Liberals: Claimed the new programs did not do enough to help society recover from the depression.

VI: Effectiveness

A: Changes in the US: Economy slowly repaired itself, people started getting jobs, farms didn't overproduce as much.

B: Unions: With less competition for jobs, unions regained some power.

C: Culture: Music was written about the depression and recovering from it.

Langsten Hughes

Langsten Hughes was a black poet during the 1920s, who was the first person to write "Jazz poetry". Hughes was presented with many awards, although he received only two in his lifetime for his poetry. He is also accredited with initiating the "Harlem Renaissance" by writing about how "the negro was in vogue."

Hughes was mainly concerned with the condition of the black population in the US and wrote to uplift his race, supporting the "black is beautiful" mindset. He wrote mostly about black working class people and all the aspects of their life. He commented that his work obliquely depicted the lives of all Americans, not just blacks. Later in his career, Hughes would help in screenwriting for several movies and plays, both in the US and abroad, about the condition of black people in the United States.

Hughes, like a lot of black American artists of the time, supported communist ideals rather than segregation. He took several trips to Russia in an attempt to shed light on issues of black citizens, but political pressure from other governments prevented Russia from making the movie. Langsten Hughes later died from complications after a procedure to treat prostate cancer.

WWI Letter Home

My Dear Yvonne,

I have arrived in Chalons-en-Champagne. Everyone around here seems to be in a hurry for some reason or another. We are expected to stay here for another three days, then we will be sent to the trenches. Morale is high, with rumor that we will reach Paris by the end of the month. I must say that, although I joined the army for the adventure, the gruesome wounded flowing in from the front-lines have struck a deep terror in me. The general will send a division of 75 to the front lines, and 60 will return on stretchers or in body bags. I expect this war will change me, even if I avoid injury. I will keep you in my thoughts, and write to you as soon as I can.

Hanz


Now in German because Google translate exists...


Meine liebe Yvonne,

Ich habe in Chalons-en-Champagne angekommen. Jeder hier in der Gegend scheint in Eile aus irgendeinem Grund oder einem anderen. Wir werden erwartet, hier zu bleiben für weitere drei Tage, dann werden wir in die Schützengräben geschickt werden. Moral ist hoch, mit Gerücht, dass wir Paris bis Ende des Monats zu erreichen. Ich muss sagen, dass, obwohl ich in die Armee für das Abenteuer, das grauenhafte verwundet von der Front-Linien fließen in eine tiefe Schrecken in mir aufgefallen. Die allgemeinen wird eine Aufteilung von 75 an die Front zu schicken, und 60 werden auf Tragen oder in Leichensäcken zurück. Ich erwarte, dass dieser Krieg mich zu ändern, auch wenn ich Verletzungen zu vermeiden. Ich werde dich in meinen Gedanken zu halten und zu schreiben, um Ihnen so schnell wie ich kann.

Hanz