3b "Beaches"

I am comparing Ocean Beach in San Diego to Dark Cove Beach in Little River/Mendocino Village

1. Contains a title using the format listed above .25 points
   
2. Contains a web link to your locations. (eg you can use the tools in your blog where you paste your work; there is a little icon that looks like a link) .25 points
   
3. 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        Beaches connect with the study of humanities in that since California is bordered by the Pacific Ocean on one entire side, running from the very northern most parts of the state down to the very southern most areas, it is quite obvious that it has become a very huge part of California culture. Humanities deals with studying cultural expressions within their own cultural context, and the beaches of California definitely make up part of our cultural context. Obviously, California culture has been based a great deal on beaches and the coast and differs greatly from inland states such as North Dakota or Idaho.
   
4. Contains the following elements that will be used in upcoming projects for analytical purposes:

1. What are some assumptions/stereotypes you think people have of each location: 1 point        Stereotypes regarding Ocean Beach in San Diego include the fact that many people assume its the hangout place for the young, beautiful and rich. That all people do in San Diego is hangout at the beach and play volleyball and suntan. This is not true as Ocean Beach offers a great deal more recreational activities and family outing opportunities as well as a dog beach. There is a great deal of restaurants and shopping nearby that reenforces the stereotype regarding the region. Stereotypes associated with Mendocino Village and the nearby beaches of Dark Cove Beach in Little River are that they citizens are hippies who are overly concerned with the environment and are against chain businesses and giant corporations. Also the people who live there are all artists. 
2. List 3 things that make each location similar: 1 point        Both locations are extremely proud of their beaches and their association with having them in their community. They take great care of them to protect the beaches, the inhabitants, and their livelihood. People in both locations derive their livelihood from the beaches themselves. Both are great tourist attractions that bring people from all over the state and nation. 
   
3. List 3 things that make each location so different: 1 point        The weather in Ocean Beach is quite a bit warmer than the weather in Dark Cove Beach in Little River as it is in the northern area of the state. Ocean Beach is a great deal more populated and offers a wider variety in restaurants, hotels, and shops, whereas Mendocino Village offers small, privately owned (mom and pop shops) that offer unique gifts and organic foods. Ocean Beach also offers a wider variety of recreational activities, probably due to the warmer weather that attracts a great deal more people, such as surfing, volleyball, sunbathing, pier fishing and Sea World just down the road. 
   
4. 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 know that Mendocino Village residents own and operate the businesses in that area and are set against letting in chain businesses or corporations yet I would like to know how they accomplish this feat, as there are a great deal of small towns getting run over by big business that would like to know their secret as well. As for Ocean Beach, I realize it is an extremely popular vacation spot for many, what is it that drives people to come there and what are they doing to protect the environment from all the damage that amount of people must inherently cause?
   

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              Both Leanne and I came up with the same stereotypes for people who live in Los Angeles. We both thought that people perceived them as all being blond, tan, driving expensive cars and hanging out with music stars. I find it extremely interesting that so many people have this same view of Los Angeles and I, too, wonder what it would truly be like to experience life in Los Angeles.      

http://leannesjoen.blogspot.com/2009/03/3a-world-cities.html

http://www.beachcalifornia.com/ob.html

http://www.beachcalifornia.com/mendo.html

3a "World Cities"

1. Contains a title using the format listed above .25 points
   
2. Contains a web link to your locations. (eg you can use the tools in your blog where you paste your work; there is a little icon that looks like a link) .25 points
   
3. 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                                                                                                All aspects of these cities connects directly to the study of humanities because they are the products of the people themselves. People, humans, create the cities in which they live, they create these environments and everything about them. The cities, Los Angeles and San Francisco, represent the ideas, visions, creative aspirations, and products of the residents. The art created in each city represents the current issues that each area struggles with and the architecture represents the unique atmosphere and lifestyle that each region offers. The cultural representation of the cities flows from the varying influences produced by each area and the issues that affect those people. 
4. Contains the following elements that will be used in upcoming projects for analytical purposes:

1. What are some assumptions/stereotypes you think people have of each location: 1 point                     Some stereotypes about Los Angeles include that the city is full of blonde, tan, rich, people who have been shaped by plastic surgery, drive sports cars, and party twenty-four seven at clubs and do drugs. It is also a city swamped with gang violence and overrun by gangs, full of celebrities who go shopping and lay on the beach. Stereotypes about San Francisco include that the city is a picture perfect postcard with the trolley going up the hill and the fog settled around the Golden Gate Bridge in the background. The city is seen as being full of homosexuals and liberals. 
2. List 3 things that make each location similar: 1 point        Three things that make each location similar include the fact that both are located extremely close to the ocean, both are hot spots for artistic expression through the mediums of art, music, entertainment as both cities provide a great deal in terms of inspiration through the diverse culture, beliefs, and lifestyles each city embraces, as well as both offer a variety of credible educations through universities, private schools, and art schools. 
   
3. List 3 things that make each location so different: 1 point        The architectural style of Los Angeles proves to be more on the gothic style with some modern buildings thrown in the mix as well as a great deal of Spanish style buildings whereas San Francisco is know mainly for the Victorian style architecture and brightly colored homes. The weather in San Francisco is quite a bit colder than the weather in Los Angeles which produces a drastic difference in style of dress. Lastly, the population difference also produces varying issues for the community to deal with. The population of Los Angeles is 3.6 million dollars whereas the population of San Francisco is 744,230 people. 
   
4. 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 know that Los Angeles is a greatly populated area and has a great deal of negative association towards it, yet I love the warm weather and atmosphere but I would like to know more about the lifestyle and history of the city. San Francisco is an amazing place and I absolutely love it yet I would love to know more about the history of the city as well as more about the political affiliation of both cities and the significant issues affecting each area. 
   

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     According to Michelle's blog the California Mission Chain was started in 1769 because King Charles of Spain wanted to establish a means to keep control of his land and people in the new world. There are a total of 21 missions along the Camino Real in California. This is actually quite comical to me as during one extremely frustrating road trip with my family which happened to be right along the Camino Real drove me nuts as there were so many bells. It was interesting to me to learn how the missions came to be built in California and what their significance was. During elementary school we briefly touched upon the subject but never really delved into it. Michelle was interested in learning about the missions in relation to her heritage and I think that is a wonderful idea and has made me want to learn more about my history and heritage. 

http://michelle-assignment1a.blogspot.com/2009/03/2c-california-missions.html

http://www.sfarts.org/#tab=Home

http://www.vcarious.com/Travel-Guide/UnitedStates/California/SanFrancisco.html

http://www.visavismag.com/content/view/439/77/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los_Angeles#Demographics