The Standing Bear and Chief Seattle: In-Class Writing

 Synthesis
Luther Standing Bear and Chief Seattle were both Native Americans, not of the same tribe maybe, but they shared common roots, common ideas, and common goals. At the forefront lies  the simplest of goals, preservation. Both of the men understood that their people were being pushed to the brink of existence, and all they requested was that their culture, history, and people be preserved. Luther Standing Bear expressed a deep necessity to preserve the way in which his people viewed the natural world, from where his people came. Similarly, Chief Seattle wished to preserve his religion, and as I pointed out in my controversy blog of the article, I believe this might have been the only sincere "kernel of truth" that Dr. Smith put into his journal all those years ago. A differentiating theme amongst the two articles that separates the two chieftains pertains to their views on the white men (sometimes referred to as "pale skin" or "pale face" in Chief Seattle's article). For Luther Standing Bear, the white men were an intrusion into their way of life, and they should be fought against. For Chief Seattle (according to the article, for which I hold little believability in), the white man should be embraced, held in a friendly regard as brothers and sometimes protectors from other enemies.

Remark on Chief Seattle
My thoughts on the article are that its authenticity should be taken with a grain of salt. The knowledge that present scholars have on Native American culture depict a scene very much unlike this, where the Native Americans never saw eye to eye with white men. In an article review of a movie adaptation on Chief Seattle, author Daniel L. Boxberger (Visiual Anthropologist of Western Washington University) has the same view, stating that ". . . the Squamish tribal leader almost certainly did not make the speech attributed to him in coffee table books, posters, and greeting cards."(Boxberger 311). Boxberger goes on to back up his stance on the speech by stating how little documentary evidence there is on Chief Seattle. Though there are second hand accounts scribed, these secondary and tertiary sources do no provide enough information to give us the true identity of Chief Seattle. This only proves to heighten suspicions of the authenticity of the article. Though this does not go as in depth as my article below (The Controversies of Chief Seattle's Speech), it provides a summation of just how controversial the article is, and how thoroughly one must interpret the article.

Citation:
Boxberger, Daniel L. "Chief Seattle." Visual Anthropology Reviews. 311. Web. 29 Sep. 2011.
<http://www.jstor.org/stable/683792>.

The Controversies of Chief Seattle's Speech

In my personal opinion, I do not believe Chief Seattle gave the speech that Dr. Henry A. Smith says he did. I believe it was an elaborate ruse by Smith to try and get his name as well as his prose and writing out into the public. My reasoning behind this is the fact that, from what I have learned about Native American cultures, there was a deep seeded dis-like of white people, even into the time frame in which Chief Seattle supposedly gave his speech. There are a few key elements that truly lead me to question the authenticity of this article's nature, and one such element is the reception that was given to the commissioner of Indian affairs for the state of Washington. Who could actually believe that people who are about to be "governed" by a foreign group of people forcibly would line up to greet them. That's equivalent to saying that the Polish pretty much waited at the border between their country and Germany and waved the Germans in, throwing flowers at them and offering them complimentary chocolates. Another item that really got me suspicious of this articles authenticity was the fact that Chief Seattle states that the "Great Chief in Washington" wants to buy their land. For one thing, if you've done your research on Native Americans, the concept of ownership of land was unfathomable to them. The fact that he had nothing to say other than cordially acknowledging the fact that we wanted to buy their land really stood out to me as a warning beacon. Another element is that the warriors in Native American culture are highly regarded, and to be chosen as a tribal warrior, it was a great honor. When Chief Seattle says that the young warriors are impulsive and wrong-doers who "disfigure their faces with black paint" while the older generations try to restrain them, this is completely contradictory to Native American culture. War painting was a symbol of bravery, to stare death in the face and to be unafraid, so when Chief Seattle diminishes the honor of the war painting by saying it is a disfigurement, the twinge that this article is nothing but a sham grew ever stronger. Then religion came into play, they didn't really acknowledge our god, so by separating their faith from ours, Smith got a kernel of truth into his essay. The controversy of this article is palpable, and it smacks of fantastical ideas. The authenticity of this article is debated even today, and with good reason. If we could only find something to contradict what Smith wrote down, but for now, people just have to choose whether they believe it or not.

One researcher who discredits Smith and also believes the article to be a sham is Daniel L. Boxberger of Western Washington University. Here is he take on the speech, which was represented in the video 'Chief Seattle'. ------------> http://www.jstor.org/sici?sici=0002-7294%282002%29104%3A1%3C311%3ACS%3E2.0.CO%3B2-D&origin=serialsolutions&

"Artifact" - Religon and the Environment through the Ages

Here is the link to my "Artifact".
http://www.buddhachannel.tv/portail/spip.php?article3869

Innovative Green Engineering: The Bloom Box

The elective class I am taking this semester is ES 200 - Climate Change and Sustainability. The class deals mostly with ways in which humanity has affected the environment in the past, way we can reduce and limit our climate impact, and ways that we can create a self-sustaining society. Today's lecture focused on alternative sources of energy, such as Solar Photo Voltaic energy (known to the public as just "solar energy"), tidal and wave energy, and nuclear energy (though nuclear energy was approached tentatively because it can be qualified as both a sustainable and non-sustainable source of energy). While the professor lectured, I had a daydream that was relevant to the current lecture, and that day dreams focus was on the Bloom Box. The Bloom Box is a small black box that contains a uniquely engineered fuel cell, along with several layers of varying materials which, when the fuel cells percolate through the material, create energy. The most fascinating fact about this new, developing technology is that the energy it produces is essentially wireless. No cords or anything of the sort  are necessary, and the energy that the Bloom Box produces is highly efficient and waste free (no carbon emissions, no waste by-products, nothing). I first saw the Bloom Box early in the year (sometime in January or February) on 60 Minutes, and I am very curious, as well as excited, as to how the technology will develop current energy economic systems further.

 Here is a link to CBS's story on the bloom box ---------> http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/02/18/60minutes/main6221135.shtml

From Old to New, the Green Shift

In fishing through the multiple Google alerts that I have compiled, I came across an interesting article about how Indianapolis is having most of its old buildings renovated or largely retrofitted with green friendly technology. The mayor of Indianapolis Greg Ballard, member of the democratic party, hopes that this will provide an economic savings by cutting costs used to maintain these buildings (upwards of 1.7 million dollars in annual savings). While the initial cost will be 18 million to begin with, the overall savings will accumulate quicker than one would think. The fruits of this idea are already being recognized with the nearly complete City-County building, which has been able to cut steam consumption down 93% and electrical consumption by 35%. The democratic party has always been a beacon of hope for environmentalists hoping to see change in our society today. I mean, lets face it, no one from the Green Party or the other miscellaneous environmental parties will ever be able to win a significant election of power, Ralph Nader was our best, last hope. Our political system allows for multiple parties, but in reality, who is ever going to vote for anyone who doesn't have a chance, it's essentially throwing your vote away, which is why no one tends to do it (elections are rare enough as it is). That is why if we want to put any faith into a political party that may actually help us, I believe we should back the democratic party (sorry for the random political tangent, but this is a blog, I've got myself some free space, I'm definitely going to post on it). To sum up, Indianapolis's green shift sets a goal for many other cities to follow, cities like Dallas, Fort Worth, notorious for high levels of waste and bad air quality(this is from a personal perspective of having lived in/near the city). For more, here's the link to the article <http://www.indystar.com/article/20110919/LOCAL18/109190369/City-says-upgrades-City-County-Building-finished?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|Communities)>

Sikich, Chris. "City says upgrades to City-County Building finished." Indy Star. 19 Sep 2011: n. page.
     Web. 22 Sep. 2011. <http://www.indystar.com/article/20110919/LOCAL18/109190369/City-
     says-upgrades-City-County-Building-finished?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|Communities>.

Lord of the Rings WIN!!!!

The hobbit you just called fat? He’s skipping 2nd breakfast. The dwarf woman you called ugly? She spends hours braiding her beard so you can differentiate her from a dwarf man. The Uruk-Hai you just killed? He’s been abused by Saruman. See that Gollum creature with the gangly limbs and large eyes? For 500 years the Ring poisoned his mind. That Elf you just made fun of for crying? She just lost her wizard friend to a Balrog. Reblog this if you’re against bullying in Middle-Earth.

Future of Engines

 MISCELLANEOUS ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Alright, this is the official first post to my first blog. Seeing as this is made for my ENG 101, it will most likely be exclusive to this class, and possibly future college endeavors. Later posts will reveal any information on adjoining blogs or separate blogs of my own creation.

SUSTAINABILITY BEING PRACTICED: 
Anyway, to get to the topic on hand, I found an article today dealing with prototype engine being hypothesized and tested in Madison, Wisconsin. According to what I read, the engineering student from the University of Wisconsin - Madison, Matthew Carlson, along with associate professor of mechanical engineering Timothy Shedd, have deduced a way to make engines for household appliances such as lawn mowers and generators more efficient and a little more green. Though there are pros and cons to the engine being developed, this shows how much attention the green movement is truly getting. The innovation would be cheap and could be implemented on older generation motors, which would allow for better energy efficiency and less waste on a greater scale. For more, here is a link to the article: <http://www.news.wisc.edu/19780>

"Wisconsin engineer, entrepreneur move ‘green’ diesel engine closer to market." University of Wisconsin - Madison News. Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System, 19 Sep 2011. Web. 20 Sep 2011. <http://www.news.wisc.edu/19780>.