Coldest Winter Ever Cyber Reflections Chapter 4-8 pp. 31-107. It might seem like a lot, but the book is not a hard read. Post your reflections here. I'll post questions later on you can respond to.

We met in the classroom Monday and decided students needed time to work on their essays, so Tuesday is a day you can do this; however, I am available in my office for anyone who would like assistance. Wednesday, students are to bring in their essays. We meet in the L-202E. Make sure you have an essay to share, even if it is rough.

Keep reading Coldest Winter Ever and keep a reading log for each chapter discussing the themes, characters and where you think the story is going. Why is the book called: The Coldest Winter Ever?

Jeff Chang, DJ at KALX, UC Berkeley
I was checking my mail this evening and found this interview with Jeff Chang where he speaks about how he got into the music scene: http://www.trueskool.com/video/1464587:Video:5787

There is a lot happening this week for Hip Hop fans and scholars, from Chuck D to KRS-ONE, MCLyte and Mutabaruka, and of course Jeff Chang. I hope you get to something, and don't forget the extension of the run for "Angry Black White Boy" at Intersection for the Arts. Make your reservations on-line at theintersection.org sooner than later.

We read up to chapter 3 in The Coldest Winter. I forgot to put a link up for comments re: this last reading. Winter has escaped to the ghetto and the ghetto is now in Long island via the weekend parties her mom throws.

How long do you think she'll be able to deceive her dad re: her innocence? Do you think her escapades will catch up with her? What will be the cost she'll pay?

Again list slang terms and their definitions, and summarize the sections we've read. List the characters we've encountered so far and their relationship to Winter. What do you think about these characters. Do you think the author depicts them realistically?

Are their any other metaphors at work here? What are they? Remember, Sister Souljah is in town at Marcus Books Dec. 6.

Continue reading this weekend as you work on your social entrepreneur papers.

Frontline World Cyber-Assignment Post
Visit http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/socialentrepreneurs.html

This is an exercise to help students identify social entrepreneurs and what kinds of projects or work they are involved in. This exercise will help you develop your own essay. Even if you are a continuing student, do the exercise. There are new posts. You don't have to respond to the assignment until 11/10 unless you want to get a head start on the project/research essay.

Respond to 3 stories
Post your Frontline World Responses (3) here.

Don't forget to answer the following questions in your response to the program.

What is a social entrepreneur?
What is a philanthropist?

Outline:

1.Who is the social entrepreneur profiled?
2.What problem did the person profiled identify?
3.What is the name of the organization they started?
4.Describe their relationship to the community that they serve?

• Why they decided to address this issue?

5.What is the local component?
6.How does the community own the process?

Worksheet for The Social Entrepreneur Essay

Women in Hip Hop
This is your final big paper, which will look at a woman in hip hop and how she uses art for social change.

The question you want to ask after you have identified a person or two:

1. What motivated this person to want to change something in society?
2. How did this person get the community's support for the project?
3. What did the community gain?
4. What did the social entrepreneur gain?

Your essay needs to answer all of these questions; you can structure it like a typical problem/solution essay or cause and effect.

The person has to be alive. Try to find someone local, who is living in the San Francisco Bay Area or in California. The person has to have been doing this work for 10-20 years. You need to locate 5-10 sources on your subject to form a bibliography; you don't have to cite 10 sources. The sources can be published or broadcast interviews, books, articles, and films or you can interview them yourself. The person cannot be a relative. You can work in groups and share data. In fact, I encourage it.

Due dates
The planning sheet and 5-10 sources are due Monday, November 10 to share.

An outline is due: Wednesday, November 12.

An introduction and conclusion are due Thursday, November 13.

The first draft is due Monday, November 17.

The final draft is due Wednesday, November 19. This draft needs to include a peer review and a meeting with me somewhere in the process to review the essay. Ask the tutor or writing center teacher comment on the five areas we consider when reviewing another’s work (Hacker handout) or specific questions you might have.

You will post the essay, the planning sheet, and all the works cited and bibliography pages on the blog that day in class. We will meet in the lab. You will also email the essay to me.

Angry Black White Boy Script
See the link in comment. Read the Adam Mansbach pp. 92-101. The play is at Intersection for the Arts, 446 Valencia Street (betw. 15th/16th) Thursdays-Sundays, 8 p.m. through Sunday, Nov. 16. I am hosting a theatre party Nov. 16, 8 p.m. if you are interested I need your ticket money by Nov. 13, so I can purchase tickets in advance. For information visit www.theintersection.org or call (415) 626-3311. Thursday performances are pay-what-you-can. Reservations are required.

The Coldest Winter Ever
Who is Winter? What's her story? Talk about the writing style, the presumed audience and the world Winter lives in.

Winter speaks a lot about her dad in this first part. Talk about her dad and their relationship. Do you see any contradictions between the parenting styles of her parents?

Are you uncomfortable with the language? Do you know anyone who lives this type of life? Where do you think the story is going?

Make a list of the words specific to the community Winter resides and give the definition. Now, choose a passage and rewrite it in Standard English.

Who are some of the other characters mentioned we probably need to pay attention to? Use the text and reference the descriptions Winter gives with the page number.

Sister Souljah uses lots of analogies in her writing. Give ten citations and page numbers where she uses analogies: metaphors and similes.

What does the move to Long Island foreshadow? What isn't Santiaga telling his family, yet clear in from what the author includes in the dialogue?



Keep reading.

Today student presentations were outstanding beginning with Ashley's followed by our only team left: Queyn, Matthew, Irene, Khalid, Esther. Tomorrow we'll hear from the remaining students. Please post your feedback here for the presenters. Presenters, please reflect on your presentation and post them here also. Students can also post their homework responses to one of the three handouts: Public Enemy's "Fight the Power," NWA's "Gangsta Gangsta," or the song "Self-Destruction" featuring KRS-One, MC Lyte, Kool Moe Dee, MC Delight, D-Nice, Ms. Melodie, Doug E. Fresh, Just-Ice, Heavy D, Fruitwan, and Flavor Flav.

For the second presentation, I think thye award for longest goes to them: We got out of the class after 1 p.m. The presentation was very well structured technically; although all aspects of the presentation were not audible. The concluding montage of images connecting the concerns and values and problems hip hop confronts and is trying to resolve as a global issue was quite powerful. A rehearsal to practice the more difficult names, finalize technical needs -- I could have gotten a microphone for the presenters if asked in advance. Also, the presenters noticed typos as they read the from the PowerPoint documents.

I noticed that students dis not challenge Chang's interpretation of events even those clearly controversial such as the incident with Rev. Jesse Jackson which cost him his chance at the White House. Someone mentioned or stated that the Jews were oppressed...not in America they aren't. Jews own Hollywood and most of the major news outlets, which means the images used to control popular thought are theirs to create and manipulate. The Jewish block is rich and powerful and influences what happens in the White House. Think about this every time you drink a cup of coffee at Starbucks and consider for just a moment the Apartheid wall going up in Palestine.

We meet in the classroom Tuesday, Nov. 4. We have a lot of presentations scheduled. We meet in L-202E every Thursday this month.

Homework is to find your woman in Hip Hop for your research essay. The essay plan and document search is due Thursday. Chack the assignment sheet for the specifics and I'll give you more details Wednesday. Bring Coldest Winter Ever to class on Wednesday, along with Elements of Style.

We're looking at a field trip to see the Angry Black White Boy, Sunday, Nov. 16, 8 p.m. at Intersection for the Arts in San Francisco. Tickets are $10. We are also looking to attend the conference on Race plenary, with Jeff Chang, Friday, Nov. 14, in Oakland, in the morning. Details will be forthcoming. I want you to attend both. Let me know if you can and if you cannot, how can we make this happen.