Josselyn Gonzalez S.I.: 817995146

Economic inequality

In our last class, Professor Blum discussed the idea of Neoliberal Capitalism throughout the Second Invention Age resulting in everyone wanting more.  The light bulb in 1880 could last 1,200-1,500 hours, but can now last anywhere from 25,000-50,000 hours. Yet, Americans purchase 2 million light bulbs each year, despite the advancements in duration.  Our generation has become accustomed to wanting everything now and more of it.

This last weekend, I went to a rave called LED Anniversary where DJ’s performed for hundreds of people with pyrotechnics and light displays.  It amazed me at how many light bulbs had gone into this small event, in order to increase the “WOW” factor and yet again provide more to the consumer. 

Last Sunday, those of us who watched the Oscars got to see something Blum is always lecturing on, the fact that history is all around us. Specifically, Lady Gaga performed an homage to “The Sound of Music”, a film directed by Robert Wise in 1965. Now, 50 years later, everyone who watched the Oscars was reminded of Julie Andrews’ stunning performance in the film, thanks to Lady Gaga reminding us all that nothing in history ever dies, and the past is all around us.

Last week I went to a concert at the North Park Observatory here in San Diego. It didn’t occur to me then but looking back now, I can make a connection between that concert and Prof. Blum’s lecture on light. Times have changed immensely from using light for basic needs like illuminating the dark and have advanced to now where it can be used for entertainment as well. At the concert I went to, the auditorium was dark but it was illuminated by various colored lights. Of course this added to the mood and overall feel of the concert but the main purpose was to showcase the performer while entertaining the crowd through the use of color. Its interesting to think that we now can use light for just about anything and it can affect our overall mood, the ambience of a particular place, and allow us to do much more despite the time it may be.

The light bulb, such a simple object. How has it come to represent a great idea, a moment of brilliance? In lecture today we listened to Sean(?) give a history of symbols/shorthand to represent feelings. Even the people at Google seemed to be listening based on their use of the light bulb as an icon for an idea and an icon for science.

(picture of the Google homepage Feb 23,15)

During section 1 on Wednesday talking about our primary sources how the 1920’s was a big change for women. Women started changing the way they looked, by cutting their hair, dressing less conservative, and most of all they were allowed to go to bars with guys. Women back then did not always want to stay home and take care of the kids, they wanted more. Who would want a life getting told what to do and not living the life you want. It was interesting to know that women could not go to a salon to get their hair cut, they had to go to a barber. Now actresses in our era have even shorter hair than the 1920’s. History from the 1920’s still has an impact on how people do their hair today.

http://pophaircuts.com/wavy-hairstyles-for-short-hair-celebrity-haircuts

So this post is late because I did not have time to post it before, but on February 12, one of my friends from the Bay Area came down here for a tour of SDSU. After finishing class, I jumped into the tour. Prior to coming to SDSU, I did not go on a tour, so I was really interested at what the tour guide was saying. When we got to the Viejas Arena, he told us something that I thought was VERY interesting. He told us that in the Aztec Bowl (next to the Viejas), President John F. Kennedy gave a commencement speech! And he also mentioned that if we didn’t believe him, there was a plaque that said JFK actually did give a speech in the Aztec Bowl. Then when we passed the Cal Coast Amphitheater, our tour guide said that Martin Luther King Jr. gave a speech in there! I was really surprised and interested. I found out that MLKJR gave a speech the year after JFK did. Attached is a picture of my friend and I on the tour and the two links are information on the two speeches.

JFK: http://library.sdsu.edu/scua/exhibits-and-events/online-exhibits/kennedy

MLKJR: http://newscenter.sdsu.edu/sdsu_newscenter/news.aspx?s=74867

-Bonny Truong ((Section 1))

Questions to think about: 
Why was there a cold war? Did Russian aggression make conflict inevitable, or did the United States overact to the battered Soviet Union’s quest for security? What was the effect of the cold war on the worldview and psychology of American citizens?

The Cold War began after WWII where the United States and the Soviet Union indirectly fought by using fear with the creation of nuclear weapons. Historians argue on whether this was necessary and if the US’s ego got in the way. Document 2 shows how Americans should try to understand their efforts. Secretary of Commerce Henry A. Wallace himself says how our efforts “make it appear either (1) that we are preparing ourselves to win the war which we regard as inevitable or (2)  that we are trying to build up a predominance of force to intimidate the rest of mankind.” He basically saw the flaws in our motives and ultimately it wasn’t worth the nuclear arm race they were initiating. He agreed that we overreacted and he saw the consequences that would happen.

Document 8 deals with the new lifestyle of American citizens. Life Magazine titles “We Won’t All Be Dead” After Nuclear War in 1959. It was a policy that each family should be able to survive on their own for two weeks if they survived a nuclear attack. This article provided the harsh truth that the government can’t save everyone. It included where citizens can buy toolkits and how avoiding the topic of nuclear attacks isn’t helping anyone. This magazine emphasized the need for citizens to get active and start preparing for the worst.

The first open-topped garbage trucks were used during the 1920’s. In 1937 George Dempster invented a wheeled waste container which allowed garbage to be mechanically tipped into trucks. I take the trash to this dumpster at least once a week and was not previously aware of the improvements made throughout history.

Every day I am constantly “haunted by history” by the things and places around me. I took this photo on a trip to Cooperstown, New York almost 7 years ago and it is amazing to think I would be playing for him now. He is no longer with us but his accomplishments and ideals are still with us. The plaque reads all of Mr. Padre’s stats and accomplishments throughout his baseball career. It’s like Professor Blum said about a baseball card, however in this case only a very select few have a Hall of Fame plaque. It’s a timeline of history and of the 19 years of baseball Tony Gwynn played.