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Entry #5 |
january 9th, 2008 |
| Happy New Year! The
HW web page as been finally updated to account for the snow days missed
before break. Please note you will have a test on the 1970's
next Tuesday, 1/15. I have, however, provided you with a detailed
review sheet which can be downloaded from the page.
--Mr. Booth |
|
Entry #4 |
December
12th, 2007 |
| So who holds the Olympic
Record for dozing off in ACS? One Mr. Black seems to be the
undisputed king after today's episode. And hitting his head on the
locker? If he was at Three Mile Island, he would have drained the
water from the core and we'd all be in trouble. Still, scary stuff
there in the late 70's. Even worse in 1986 when the Russian
nuclear reactor at Chernobyl (now in the Ukraine) melted down...75
million were exposed to some form of radiation around the globe.
Soviets set up a 19 miles radius where no one can live.
Soviet scientists argue that 30,000 people will come down with cancer
all due to the radiation of Chernobyl.
Check out these
photos and brief story from National Geographic to revisit this
horrid event. |
|
Entry #3 |
November 5th, 2007 |
|
Hey, the first quarter is done and you've come to realize at the very
least, this class is better than you expected. But let's be
honest, how easy is it to teach the 50's, 60's and 70's...I mean, there
are so many great topics and events to choose from--even a Russian space
monkey could get it done... I hope you are glad that you've
finally read major parts of the Feminine Mystique. "One of
the most influential books in American history"--I'd agree with that
statement and yet, not many high school students read the book and in
college, it tends to be assigned only in women's studies courses.
Not that you won't take a women's studies course in college but I think
the words of Freidan are important for all and important to read and to
understand at a young age.
So it's on to the second quarter where we've got about two weeks before
we wrap up the 1960's with a test. In the meantime, you'll be
watching a 60's classic, The Graduate, reliving the wild year of 1968
and visiting Woodstock (without dropping the requisite acid).
Groovy...very groovy, man...
--Boother |
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Entry #2 |
October 5th 2007 |
|
First things first...I fixed the homework
assignments to reflect the fact we spent two days on the Cold War.
That means your test on the decade of the 50's in now set for Monday,
October 15th. I am getting to your Dharma Bums essays. As is
tradition, I will spend the long weekend up in the Adirondack
Mountains--what a perfect place to read about your ideas regarding
Kerouac's book. Really enjoyed the lesson on McDonald's yesterday.
For some reason, you are all very interested in the birth of the
company...it was a nice and relaxed class on a very hot day.
Please keep in mind that I will expect you to look beyond the facts of
Mr. Kroc's great rise and see the cultural changes he caused with his
McDonald's craze. Hope you're still "loving it"...the course that
is!
Enjoy the weekend and we'll be back
at it on Tuesday with a look at the great invention of the television.
--Boother |
|
Entry #1 |
September 11th 2007 |
It is hard to believe it has been six
years since the attack on the World Trade Center. So many memories
and random connections to 9/11 seem to keep popping up in my head...I am
sure all of you will experience the same sorts of flooded memories as
you go through your day today. I think of the guys I played hockey
with over in Rye, New York--guys who never made it out of the building
that fateful day. I think of all the brave people who ran into the
Towers to help victims of the attacks. I think of my brother, a
First Gulf War vet whose birthday so happens to be on September 11th.
I think of my wife and my kids and how great life is when compared to
the hardships currently endured by those who lost a loved one in 2001.
Six years later these are still scary times to say the least...
And yet, back in the 1950's your parents
and grandparents lived in scary times as well. No, they did not fear an
threat from the militant Islamic World but rather from the Communist
nations of Soviet Union and the People's Republic of China among others. They
did not fear "dirty" bombs but rather full blown nuclear holocaust.
Over the next few weeks we'll go back in time and try to understand the
hopes, dreams and yes, fears of the American public in the Post-World
War II Era.
I welcome all of you to American
Cultural Studies...I will try to keep a running blog of my thoughts
throughout the course. You might even find yourself mentioned in a
given entry or two over the semester. At times I'll be serious
while other times I'll try to keep us all loose.
So sit tight...I hope you enjoy
the ride. |
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