Updates on Blog/Christmas Day

This blog post is specifically about Updates to my blog (what I'm going to post) and about my Christmas Day.

Updates to Carlee Em's Writing:
-I won't be blogging as much, since I'll be busy with school and work (hopefully). Also, I'm no longer in English, since I passed all the English classes at the college. So, if I post it'll be stories about my life as a college student. Which is writing of it's own.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Christmas Day:

On Christmas Eve, I spent my evening with my boyfriend's family. Basically, I opened up the presents my boyfriend gave me, as well as handed out my Crappy Santa gift to the person I had (Boyfriend's sister). For her, I got her an Insulting Parrot. My boyfriend got me:

1) Dalek Plush. It even speaks.
2) Baymax figurine (Pop! by Funko) from the movie Big Hero 6
3) Mini Tardis that lights up

From my boyfriend's sister I received a lava lamp that is pink lava with a zebra print base.

After opening presents with his family, his family and I played Karaoke (since they have a karaoke machine). It was fun playing Karaoke with them, and they seem to enjoy my voice quite a bit. Since I'm self-conscious about my voice, it was nice to hear that. After playing Karaoke for a couple hours, his family and I played a game called Heads Up!.

The next day, I had Christmas with my family. The first thing that happened was having a brunch with one of my dad's work friends for a couple hours. Afterwards, my family opened up presents. My presents for Christmas were:

1) "The Five Love Languages" by Gary Chapman
2) "Of Mice and Men" by John Steinbeck (From my cousin Marissa)
3) Dalek Hat/Arm warmers (From my boyfriend)
4) Sewing machine (Brother LS2400)

I have a couple more presents left to open, but I can't wait to start using my sewing machine.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thank you to those who have been following my blog (Domo!) and thank you to those who will read it in the future. Also, I wish everyone happy holidays no matter who you are!

Heian Period of Japan

         After the Nara period had ended in Japan there was a lot of changes. The first change was that there was a new capital in Japan. This capital would be located in Heian-kyo, known as Kyoto today. Another change that would take place would be Japan ending relations with China. There was a long period of peace and strength in politics that would last from 794 until 1185. There were a few influential groups in Japan, one of the most influential being the Fujiwara Clan. The Fujiwaras were successful in prevailing the royal family by having the females of their clan to emperors and ruling on the behalf of the offspring of the unions when the offspring assumed the throne. The Fujiwaras also prevailed in culture. The members of the Fujiwara Clan encouraged sophistication, as well as sensitivity, in all activities performed, including both visual and literary arts, as well as religion. One of the Fujiwaras, Murasaki Shikibu, wrote The Tale of Genji, which is a very important book to the Japanese culture.

            The Nara period lasted 84 years and was right before the Heian period. During the Nara period, Japan had an obsession with China and held strong relations with China. In 756, Emperor Shōmu died leaving his unmarried daughter Empress Kōken in control of the state he ruled. Four years later, the Manyōshȗ (a compilation of 4000 poems) was published. During 764, Empress Kōken had Emperor Junnin disposed and exiled. Later on, Empress Kōken would have Emporer Junnin strangled. After disposing and exiling Emperor Junnin, Empress Kōken would resume her role as Empress Shōtoku, while maintaining her status as a nun. Twenty-nine years later, during 793, there was a decision to move the capital again to Heian-kyo (10 miles away from Nagaoka). This was decided because of a death, several major calamities, superstitious beliefs about placing the capital in Nagaoka.

            During the Heian period, one of the most prominent clans was the Fujiwara clan. The Fujiwaras kept a close relationship with the royal family by having their daughters marry emperors so the grandsons and nephews could become emperors. The male adults of the Fujiwara clan would act as regents for the child emperors and later created the role of kampaku (chancellor) which is basically being regent for the adult emperor. During the 12^th century the family’s power waned and soon eliminated after Michinga (who married three daughters to emperors and a fourth daughter to an heir apparent.).

            There were a few reasons that Japan decided to terminate relations with China during the Heian period. One of the most important reasons Japan terminated relations was because of the Tang Dynasty declining. The reason for the decline was because during the mid-eighth century there were internal rebellions which caused a downward trend which the Tang Dynasty could never recover from. “In 894 the Japanese suspended official missions to the Tang. Although Buddhist scholars and merchants continued to move back and forth between China and Japan, no official government missions would occur for 500 years.” (colorado.edu, n.d.). Another reason for the termination of relations between Japan and China was because of Emperor Kammu  creating the Kurōdo-dokoro (Bureau of Archivists) and the Kebiishi-chō (Imperial Police). Other than Emperor Kammu creating the Kurōdo-dokoro and the Kebiishi-chō, he had government officials gradually stop conducting the census and redistributing land. The Emperor also changed the structure of his army. During the seventh century, leaders of Japan created a conscript army, made up of peasants designed to suppress rebellion, as well as defend against a possible invasion from the mainland, to strengthen central government. Within the next century, the army of peasant foot soldiers were proving to be impractical since the fear of invasion went away.

            With a lot of different countries in the past, religion made up a lot of the culture of a country. A lot of European countries believed in Christianity, the Middle East believed in Islam, and Asia believed in Buddhism (as well as Shintoism). During the Heian period of Japan, religion changed in important ways. Buddhism during the Nara period reflected a lot on Chinese traditions and would cater to the elites. During the early ninth century, two Japanese monks, Saichō and Kūkai, returned from studying in China. Saichō and Kūkai brought new texts and practices from their study in China. A short time later, Saichō and Kūkai formed two different Buddhist sects.

Sanzen-in Temple for the Tendai Sect of Buddhism. Built in 985 by Tendai Priest Genshin

These two sects would be known as Tendai (formed by Saichō) and Shingon (formed by Kūkai). When there was support from Emperor Kammu, each sect were given a major religious temple. The Tendai and Shingon temples allowed people to study for short periods of times and would offer services for a tithe. Saichō had an emphasis on the Lotus Sutra being the most important thing for a spiritual path and was rather opinionated. Saichō insisted that Buddhist traditions that didn’t recognize the predominance of the Lotus Sutra were mediocre. However, Kūkai had different opinions.

Toji Temple of Heian period Japan.

      Kūkai believed that any person could achieve wisdom if they studied with him. Kūkai accentuated the importance of arcane rituals and the direct conveyance of secret teachings from master to disciple rather than particular texts. “Those rituals included special meditative hand positions (mudras), paintings (mandalas), and mantras (chants).” (colorado.edu, n.d.). Another difference between Kūkai and Saichō, was that Kūkai enjoyed having positive relations with the Nara sects. The reason for having positive relations with the Nara sects of Buddhism was that Kūkai believed that all aspects of Buddhism traditions had something positive to offer for Japan. Something else that Kūkai believed in was helping others and was adept at various things, including engineering.

      Earlier in the essay, the Fujiwara Clan was discussed. Other than their interest in marrying their daughters to emperors, they had a major interest in the arts. Because of their major interest in the arts, art was a very important part of the Heian period culture. Some of the arts of the Heian period dealt with calligraphy, poetry, stories, and painting. These art styles would be known as kana script, waka poetry, monogatari, and yamato-e.

Other than Kūkai being a monk, he would do calligraphy. Kūkai would write with a few different styles of calligraphy. There’s a traditional style of calligraphy called fushinjou and then there’s a flying white style known as hihakutai. Hihakutai style calligraphy would use a technique of dry strokes with quick movements of fude. Kūkai would use fushinjou style to write letters to Saichō. Kūkai, Emperor Saga, and courtier Tachibana no Hayanari were known as the Three Great Fude (also known as the Sanpitsu). The Sanpitsu’s calligraphy styles would end up becoming a foundation for the Japanese culture in the next era.

Naishinnou Ganmon was written by Tachibana no Hayanari. This is an example of kana script.

     During the Heian period, kana scripts would emerge as a major calligraphy style. Female writers around the circle of the imperial court would become very successful with the kana script. There were essays, as well as literaries, written about the alluring lives of imperial lords. Those essays and literaries would become very popular among the imperial nobles. While the culture with the kana scripts developed, there was a need for a special kind of fude (a fude is the pen that was used to write calligraphy) needed.

During the early tenth century, waka began its rise to eminence with the royal command to compose the first waka compilation called Kokin Wakashû (Collection of Early and Modern Japanese Poetry) during 905. Within the Kokinshû there were a variety of rhetorical devices, themes, and imagery that was associated with the seasons that would become norm for conventional poetry. Another thing that the Kokinshû had was the balancing of concerns for the precepts of the kokoro (heart) and kotoba (mind). “In the kana preface for the Kokinshû, the chief compiler Ki no Tsurayuki set the standard of excellence upheld for centuries through twenty subsequent anthologies.” (simplyhaiku.com, 2006). While Chinese poetry (kanshi) received sponsorship from the royal court, waka survived the dark ages of native verse in the intimate mode of love poetry. The standard for waka poetry were the associations of love, spring, and autumn. Spring was associated with the early stages of love, since spring was known as the season of new beginnings. The last phase of love was affiliated with autumn because autumn was considered the season of trite and the onset of winter and blight in nature.

      During the years 794 through 1573, works of fiction were created by the women at court in Japan. These works of fiction were known as monogatari.  There were many subgenres of monogatari known as uta monogatari (poem tales), gunki monogatari (military tales), rekishi monogatari (historical tales), and setsuwa monogatari (didactic tales). The ise monogatari (composed during 980) embodied uta monogatari. The ise monogatari contained a total of 143 episodes, with each episode containing one or more poems as well as prose description of the matters of composition. Murasaki Shikibu’s masterpiece Genji Monogatari (composed during 1010) exemplified tsukuri monogatari (courtly romance). Gunki monogatari developed during the end of the 12th century when the militaristic samurai would come to power (meaning women would lose favor). One of the most famous gunki monogatari tales was called the Heike Monogatari, which described the warfare between two clans.

     A genre of painting that developed during the Heian period of Japan was called yamato-e. Yamato-e translates to “Japanese painting” in Japanese. It was meant to characterize paintings concerned with subject matter of Japan from those featuring themes sent from China, known as kara-e. The different subject of yamato-e could be tales from Japanese literature and Japanese history and motifs associated with the four seasons of Japan. You could tell a painting was yamato-e if the painting used bright, thick pigments, large clouds that abstruse and break down space, and if a technique called fukinuki yatai was used. Fukinuki yatai means “blown off roof” meaning that the roof of a building would be taken off to provide as a canvas for a yamato-e painting. There are only a few yamato-e paintings left over from the Heian period because a lot of the paintings were created on folding screens and folding panels, which got lost or destroyed over time. Yamato-e influenced different genres of Japanese painting during the Edo period (Rinpa style and ukiyo-e woodblock prints). Yamato-e has endured as an extraordinary style of art in Japan, because each generation is drawn in by the attraction of a golden age of the culture of Japan.

The Fujiwara Clan was one of the most influential clans of Japan. However, two other clans were also very important to the Heian period of Japan. These two clans were known as the Genji (Minamoto) Clan and the Heike (Taira) Clan. The Genjis and the Heikes were very important at the end of the Heian period because they played power games to establish political superiority. Because of the central government having a lack of potent military power, whoever wanted to keep their land would have to keep the land by their own responsibility. So it was natural that local leaders would have to arm by themselves. The Genjis and the Heikes were a couple of local leaders who were successful in establishing military power.

     The Genjis refined their military power in the eastern region and the frontier of the northeast. The central government ordered the clans in the east region to fight with the north, so the Genjis cooperated with a few other clans and won a few battles (including the final victory). In the end, the central government didn’t pay enough war rewards to those that fought in the east, so the Genjis ended up splitting their rewards with the clans that helped out, which made the Genjis famous.

     The Heike clan became famous by gaining political power from fighting in a few wars. During the first couple wars the Genji clan lost many members that were important to their clan, whereas the Heike clan lost a couple of their lesser members. Minamoto no Yoshitomo, the leader of the Genji clan, thought that it was a trap set by the Heikes. Minamoto no Yoshitomo collaborated with some of the Fujiwaras and had a war based on revenge, which resulted in a loss. In this war, Minamoto no Yoshitomo lost his life and Yoshimoto’s sons were sent away to different places in Japan. One of the sons (Minamoto no Yoritomo) was sent to Izu, where he would form the Kamakura Bakufu (Samuri government). The youngest son of Yoshimoto (Minamoto no Yoshitsune) was sent to the Kurama-dera temple where he would become a Buddhist priest. Eventually, Yoshitsune escaped to the northeast where he would grow up as a skilled military leader under the patronage of a local leader at Hiraizumi.

     During the early 11th century, The Tale of Genji was written by Murasaki Shikabu. Murasaki Shikabu was a Japanese Noblewoman. The novel deals with the son of an Emperor of Japan, his love life, and the imposts of elegant society at the time. The Tale of Genji was known as the world’s first novel to be considered a classic. The novel was meant to be read by the women of the yokiboto (aristocracy) in Japan, and possesses many traits you will find in novels today. There is debate going on about the novel, where some people believe that Murasaki Shikabu didn’t finish the novel and that her daughter Daini no Sanmi completed it for her mother. The people that believe the daughter finished it, have evidence of rare continuity errors and that The Tale of Genji ends abruptly in mid-sentence. The novel was written in Hiragana script, which was considered a feminine script at the time.

     After the Heian period was the Kamakura period. The transition of periods was caused by the Fujiwara girls being unable to produce sons during the mid-eleventh century. When a wife of an Emperor was unable to produce sons to carry on the family line, an emperor who wasn’t relatives with the Fujiwaras could come into power. The new emperor was able to weaken the Fujiwara’s hold on power. When the son of the newest emperor, became emperor, he was able to weaken the line even further by relinquishing his authoritative position to his own son, but was able to retain power by being a retired emperor and head of the imperial clan.

     Three retired emperors were able to keep the power out of the Fujiwara line from 1087 until the end of the Heian period. During 1156 there was a dispute between the emperor and the retired emperor over succession, which led to both parties calling upon warriors to settle the conflict. Three years later, Taira no Kiyomori was the pre-eminent warrior leader. Taira no Kiyomori won by defeating the adult leaders of the rival warrior clan (the Minamoto) and sending the young boys of the clan into exile. Amid the 1160s and 1170s Taira no Kiyomori gradually rose his status in the capital. In the year 1167, Taira no Kiyomori was appointed to grand minister and four years later, Taira no Kiyomori had one of his daughters marry the imperial prince. Taira no Kiyomori was able to someday get his grandson to become emperor, which seemed to secure his ability to stay in power

However, there was another imperial prince who was upset that he was being passed over. This imperial prince issued a call-to-arms, where all of his loyal warriors were to rise up and try to overthrow Taira no Kiyomori. One of the Minamoto boys joined forces with the Taira clan and fought a series of battles that lasted five years, which would be known as the Genpei War (1180-1185). Yoritomo would eventually become leader taking the title called Shogun in the year 1192. Kyoto’s imperial court maintained authority over the civilian affairs, but shared military power with a new government in the city of Kamakura, which would mean the end of the Heian period.

The Heian Period was a very elegent period, which remained peaceful for the majority of it’s era. There was a change in government, where there wasn’t ties with the Tang Dynasty of China. Adjustments in religion where two new Buddhist sects were created. Modifications in the line of power, which would be protected for the majority of 391 years. New art forms, as well as literary forms were created. The final important part of the Heian period was the creation of The Tale of Genji, which would become one of the most important literary works created today.

References

Fujiwara family. (2014). In Britanica Concise Encyclopedia. Retrieved from

             http://www.original.search. eb.com/ebc/article-9365038

(n.d.). Retrieved November 6, 2014, from http://www.shikokuhenrotrail.com/japanhistory/narahistory

Heian period | Fudenosato Kobo | Kumanofude. (n.d.). Retrieved November 4, 2014, from http://fude.or.jp/en/kumanofude/space/heian/

Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. (n.d.). Retrieved November 7, 2014, from http://metmuseum.org/toah/hd/heia/hd_heia.htm

Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. (n.d.). Retrieved November 6, 2014, from http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/yama/hd_yama.htm

Hulvey, S. (n.d.). Female Waka Poets: Love poetry in the Kokinshû. Retrieved November 4, 2014, from http://simplyhaiku.com/SHv4n3/features/Hulvey.htm

Monogatari. (n.d.). Retrieved November 6, 2014, from http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/389857/monogatari

Segal, E. (n.d.). Heian Japan: An Introductory Essay. Retrieved November 4, 2014, from

             http://www.colorado.edu/cas/tea/curriculum/imaging-japanese-history/heian/essay

Gillespie, J. (2009). The Tale of Genji: The World’s First Novel. Retrieved December 8, 2014,

from http://jaitra.srichinmoycentre.org/blog/archive/2007/01/27/tale-of-genji

[Untitled photograph of the Sanzen-in Temple]. Retrieved December 9, 2014, from

http://www.taleofgenji.org/sanzen-in.html

[Untitled photograph of the Toji Temple]. Retrieved December 9, 2014, from

http://www.kyojapan.com/sightseeing/tozi.html

Naishinnou Ganmon [Photograph]. (2013). Retrieved December 9, 2014, from

http://www.ink-treasures.com/history/calligraphy/japanese-calligraphy/history-of-japanes

e-calligraphy-part-1/

APA formatting by BibMe.org.

Living Life With Autism: Definition Essay With Sources (10/23/2014)

Living Life With Autism

Carleen Brandenburg

Throughout my elementary school years and part of my middle school years, I wondered why I was different and why I did the weird things that I did. I knew that I wasn't like any of my classmates, and that made it a bit more difficult to make friends. My mom took me to various doctors because the schools I went to wanted her to get an opinion on what was different with me. In eighth grade, my mom found out that I had a mild case of Aspergers syndrome. “Asperger’s syndrome, also called Asperger’s disorder, is a type of pervasive developmental disorder (PDD). PDDs are a group of conditions that involve delays in the development of many basic skills, most notably the ability to socialize with others, to communicate, and to use imagination.” (WebMD, n.d.). When she was given the diagnoses, which was confirmed by more than one doctor, she told me. This made a little more sense, but I had to figure out how I would cope with being Autistic. Although I'm diagnosed with a 'disorder', I have my positives as well as my negatives.

            My social life is different because I can't figure out and live by different social cues, since I have Aspergers. People with Autism may have some difficulties understanding others’ point of views and even if the Autistic person has good language skills, there may be a difficulty with having back and forth conversations. One aspect is that I can't understand sarcasm very well as well as other social cues.  I tend to pick up sarcasm as seriousness, especially on the internet where tones of what's said are hard for me to figure out. People have to tell me exactly how they feel about what they're telling me, or else I may mistake something negative as humor and laugh at the sad event. There are times where I can detect sarcasm, but it isn't a lot of the time. Usually, people have to tell me that they're being sarcastic. Unlike a lot of other people, when people use sarcasm towards me, I find it rude because I associate sarcasm with negative or hate instead of being funny. Since I can't figure out various social cues, I come off as socially awkward amongst others.

            A lot of Autistics have various talents. Some Autistics are good with art, others are good with learning things at a faster pace. For me, I have a few fortes. The first talent I have, is a talent with technology. Objects are easier to figure out than people are for me. The concept of an object has a beautiful concept. Through my knack with technology, I'm going to college majoring in Information Technology today. I can also learn a language faster than most people. Because I learn things at a fast pace, foreign languages are no exception. When I have an expertise, it's usually because I have some form of obsession with the talent. If my obsession is a true obsession, it helps to learn it easier, which turns my obsession into a skill. If my obsession is true enough, I’ll also practice on it more. My biggest obsessions are Korean Pop Music, Japanese Pop Music, and anime. These three things have inspired me to learn how to speak and write in Japanese and Korean.

            Being an Autistic, means that I'll have more difficulties socially. People with Autism have different mannerisms, which seems weird to a non-Autistic. I have obsessions that majority of people wouldn’t think twice about. Seeing that I have different mannerisms, some people may view them as weird.  Through my uniqueness and people not understanding who I am, people can be harsh to me. There was a study that took place and in that study, children with Autism Spectrum Disorders are more likely to be bullied than their peers that are developing at a normal rate. Children with Autism who could speak well vs. the Autistics who had limited or absent conversational ability were three times more likely to be bullied. Throughout high school, even after knowing that I was autistic, people never really understood why I did those weird things, which got them to talk about me behind my back and not invite me to anywhere with them. Some people would believe others, instead of getting to know me, so it made making and keeping friends difficult for me.

            When I get upset, I tend to throw tantrums usually because I'm stressed out. Stress, for me, is difficult to cope with. My tantrums last anywhere between a few minutes to a few days, depending on how stressful the situation is. When I have a tantrum, I can either argue, be passive-aggressive or even freak out (sometimes causing physical harm). It depends on my surroundings and the person/thing causing my stress.

            Along with not coping well with stress, I also can't cope very well with change. I'm a creature of habit, meaning that once I'm used to something, please don't change it on me because if you do, I won't like it and I'll throw a tantrum. If I get comfortable with where I'm living at, and end up having to move away, it would be a difficult transition.

            Along with my Autism, I have Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Basically my mind is all over the place, causing me to have everything out of place. I'm usually unorganized because of this. However, I can usually find my things even though I'm unorganized. My lack of organization would cause problems with school, but it took a lot for me to get organized, no matter how upset people were with me.

            Since being diagnosed with Autism seven years ago, I'm able to cope better with my Autism. I know why I'm different and why I do weird things. I know that I'm not like all of my peers but I'm able to make friends because I have an easier time working around my Autism. I'm glad that my mom took me to see the doctor, and multiple doctors at that rate, so she could figure out why I was different. Even though I have a 'disorder', I focus more on my positives than I do my negatives.

References

Autism Spectrum Disorder. (n.d.). NIMH RSS. Retrieved October 21, 2014, from http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/autism-spectrum-disorders-asd/index.shtml

Szalavitz, M. (1970, January 1). Why autistic kids make easy targets for school bullies. CNN. Retrieved October 23, 2014, from http://www.cnn.com/2012/09/07/health/autistic-kids-bullied-time/

What is Asperger's Syndrome? Symptoms, tests, Causes, Treatments. (n.d.). WebMD. Retrieved October 23, 2014, from http://www.webmd.com/brain/autism/mental-health-aspergers-syndrome

APA formatting by BibMe.org.

Environmental Research Paper "Hydro-Power" 9/11/2014

Hydro-Power: How We Can Use Our Water Sources for Conveniences

 Carleen Brandenburg

            Have you ever thought of the different ways that our electricity, fuel for vehicles, and many more things are created? Some of the things that give us convenience and comfort are created through non-renewable sources, for example fossil-fuels. However, there are also renewable sources that help create conveniences and added comforts, such as wind-power, solar energy, and even hydro-power. Hydro-power has been around for a really long time, about as early as the ancient Greeks. Hydro-power is a very good source of renewable energy that can help with the conveniences in our daily lives that revolve around electricity.

            There are many ways that we can use water to help with the conveniences and comforts in life. For example, hydro-power can help with providing for the electricity in our homes and the work we go to. Generators can be powered by hydro-electricity and can be used for our homes and various machinery. During the mid-1700s, a French hydraulic and military engineer, Bernard Forest de Bélidor wrote a piece called Architecture Hydraulique,  which began the evolution of the modern hydro-power turbine. In 1880, at Grand Rapids, Michigan, a brush arc light dynamo that was driven by a water turbine provided theatre and storefront lighting. During 1881, in Niagara Falls, New York, a brush dynamo connected to a turbine at a flour mill provided the street lighting for that community. Today, only about  6-8% of the electricity in the USA comes from hydro-power and supplies about 1/5 of the world’s energy per year (making it the most commonly used renewable energy source, according to Energy 4 Me).

            There are two different kinds of hydro-power, which are hydro-electricity and hydro-kinetic. Hydro-kinetic energy is similar but different from hydro-electricity. This is because with hydro-kinetic energy, the power is generated from waves or other flows of water, usually from rivers and oceans. Through hydro-electricity, the energy is generated from gravitational force falling or flowing water.

If we use hydro-kinetic energy, there is enough energy that could be captured from the waves of the USA to power more than 67 million homes. Hydro-kinetic energy is equal to displacing 22 power plants that are dirty coal-fired. Hydro-electric power is about seven percent and produces a total of 19% of electricity.

            Hydro-power is created in a power plant, but most projects for hydro-power use a dam and a reservoir to retain the water from the source. According to Energy 4 Me, “when the dam gates are opened, water flows through a pipe called a penstock and applies pressure to turbines, making hem turn. Just like other kinds of power plants, the spinning turbines power a generator to produce electricity (Energy4Me.org, n.d.)”. When a hydro-power plant project doesn’t require a dam, the force that comes from the river current that’s diverted to canals or pipes applies the pressure to the blades of the turbine to produce electricity.

            Even though there are various ways to create the electricity, hydro-power is the best way to go. The ancient Greeks would create water wheels and use the wheels to grind wheat into flour as well as saw wood  and power textile mills as well as manufacturing plants. Since the ancient Greeks used a method of hydro-power, we should be able to as well. This will be a good way for civilization to create electricity without putting pollutants into the air.

References

Energy.gov. (n.d.). History of Hydropower. Retrieved September 4, 2014, from http://energy.gov/eere/water/history-hydropower

How Hydrokinetic Energy Works | UCSUSA. (n.d.). Union of Concerned Scientists. Retrieved September 4, 2014, from http://www.ucsusa.org/clean_energy/our-energy-choices/renewable-energy/how-hydrokinetic-energy-works.html

Hydroelectric power water use. (n.d.). Hydroelectric power and water. Basic information about hydroelectricity, USGS Water Science for Schools.. Retrieved September 4, 2014, from http://water.usgs.gov/edu/wuhy.html

Hydropower. (n.d.). Energy4me Hydropower Comments. Retrieved September 4, 2014, from http://www.energy4me.org/energy-facts/energy-sources/hydropower/

Hydropower. (n.d.). Energy4me Hydropower Comments. Retrieved September 4, 2014, from http://energy4me.org/energy-facts/energy-sources/hydropower/4/

APA formatting by BibMe.org.

All About My Summer

So, my last blog post said I would post updates on my summer and add photos. But...I didn't (obviously). Please don't mind my few errors in writing, since it's my first early morning in a long time. Anyway, I did a lot over the summer, even though I didn't take a lot of photos.

At the beginning of June, I went to Iowa to visit relatives with my brother and my mom. On the way to Iowa, we stopped at Winona, MN so my brother could see his friend from his freshman year of high school.

View of Winona, MN 1. The lake is called Winona Lake.

View of Winona, MN 2. I took this photo on what's called Sugarloaf.

So, I only stayed at Winona for a day or so, and then it was off to Northeast Iowa to visit my grandma. It takes about an hour and a half to get to NE IA from Winona. Once I got to NE IA, the first thing I did was chill with my cat and play card games with my grandma.

This is my cat Smokey. Not the best photo of him, but I love him so much.

I spent a couple weeks in NE IA before I went to Ames, IA. While I was in NE IA, I spent some time hanging out with my friend Monica and her boyfriend (who's one of my cousins). Hanging out with her is something I hardly get to do, and so I had a lot of fun with the time that I had with her. Another thing I did with my mom and brother, was eat at Don Jose's (it's a Mexican Cuisine restaurant) in Decorah, IA. The food was so delicious there, and it made me happy.

This is the chip and dip. The chips were very warm, and the salsa was pretty spicy, but they were both very good.

Burritios, spanish rice, and black beans. I couldn't eat it all, which meant that I would have some leftovers to eat later. I have a tiny appetite (so that's how it goes whenever I eat somewhere nice). Overall, I could tell that the chefs put time and effort into making something delicious for their customers to eat.

Throughout my time at NE IA, I worked on making a bead work piece. I ended up making a hair clip for my cousin Naomi.

This is the front of the hair clip. I started off doing kirigami, which is a form of origami. Next thing I did was use my skills that I learned in my bead work class the first semester I spent at Sitting Bull College.

Here's what the back of the clip looks like. Yay for my kit from beauty school (otherwise I wouldn't of been able to make this clip possible). It took me a long time to send it off to Japan (where my cousin lives), but I finally sent it off a few days ago.

On June 18, my cousin Ryan, his fiance at the time (now his lovely wife) Lindsey picked up my cousin Matt, Monica, and I to go to Ames, IA (a day before my mom and brother came on down). Being at Ames was a fun time. I got to see some of my other cousins. On the 20th, there was a rehearsal dinner for Ryan and Lindsey's wedding. 

On June 21, my cousin Ryan and now cousin Lindsey, got married. It was a very beautiful wedding. I enjoyed being there for my cousin's big day. The wedding was an outdoor wedding, which was my first. This wedding was a bit different than all the weddings I went to in the past.

My uncle George, aunt Donna, the bride Lindsey, the groom Ryan, my dad Melvin, my mom Rita, my brother Cedric and I before the wedding ceremony.

On June 22nd, which was my 20th birthday, my mom and I went back to NE IA for my cousin Beth's baby shower. It was a fun day that day, filled with good memories. My dad would bring my brother to NE IA a day or so later.

On June 27th, my mom, brother, and I went back to North Dakota. Going back home, we took a pit stop for about an hour so I could see my friend Jazmyn and her daughter RaeLyn. It was a very good hour with her, one that doesn't happen very often as well.

Fast forward to a couple weeks ago, my family went to Yellowstone to visit my sister and my brother-in-law. That whole week was a very cold and rainy week, but it was a good week since it was a whole year since I last seen my sister and brother-in-law.

My sister Helen, brother-in-law Dallen, brother Cedric, my mom Rita, and I.

Today, I'm sitting in the computer lab, waiting for my day of school to start. This summer was mostly busy, and very fun.

Summer 2014

Konnichiwa (Hello)!

This summer is going to be an interesting summer. I'm finally done with my freshman year and received my grade. I ended up with a 3.19 GPA for this term and overall I got a 3.41 GPA. So I wonder if I ended up with honors this year.

For my plans this summer I want to be as productive as I possibly can be. My summer started on Wednesday and I haven't been productive since the start of break. Tomorrow I'm going to change that. I'm going to do better on learning Japanese, cleaning house, keeping in touch with my friends, keeping up with the blog (which will be just entries about traveling and life, until school starts up again in August), as well as traveling.

Next Saturday, I get to celebrate end of my Freshman year with my family and my boyfriend by going out to eat at Hu Hot Mongolian Grill. My favorite food is Asian food, so this will be a treat for me.

I may not post all that often this summer, but when I do, it will be full of stories about my adventures, before I get in the motion of actual Information Technology classes, in which I will be super busy.

Oyasuminasai (Goodnight)!

Who I Am

Who I am

Carleen Brandenburg

My name is Carleen Brandenburg. However, I go by Carlee Margaret. In my writings I'm Carlee Em. On June 22, 1994 in St George, Utah, I was born to a wonderful mother and father. I would end up being the younger sister to an amazing woman, yet an older sister to a unique brother. When I was 1 1/2 years, I moved to Iowa, where I would spend most of my life so far. I experienced a mixture of good and bad events in my life. My theory of all the hurt I've dealt with is that it makes me into a stronger person. In fact, that's what I think of hurt for anyone. Hurt makes us stronger, even if we don't feel like it.

Currently I'm going to Sitting Bull College. I was originally going to do General Studies, but earlier this term (Spring 2014), I decided to do a major switch, to Information Technology. Throughout this year, I've had a variety of different experiences. I've become better with my grades, formed an Anime Club with my friend Hunter, learned about Lakota and Dakota culture, and went on a conference called AIHEC (American Indian Higher Education Consortium). When I compare college to high school, with all the experiences and everything, I personally think that college is way better than high school. 

I have a lot of favorite things. My favorite things to do are watching movies, singing, learning languages, learning instruments, dancing, art, reading, crafts, computers, and quotes. I also love hanging out with my friends and my family. My favorite music is K-pop (Korean Pop), metal, and pop music. My favorite shows are Doctor Who, anime, House M.D., and Sherlock. I consider myself to be a nerd. I have this huge theory that nerds are ultimately the coolest people you'll meet.

The languages I've learned any bit throughout any part of my life are Spanish and Japanese. When I was in high school I took Spanish class for a couple years. I've haven't practiced Spanish since my Junior year of high school (which was about three or four years ago). Since my Senior year of high school I've been learning Japanese. My motivation is my cousin Naomi, who was born and raised in Japan. She's married to my cousin Steven, so that's how she became my cousin. She has helped me so much with learning Japanese. As an example of what I learned in Japanese I'll give you this sentence:

わたし　は　ﾆﾎﾝｺﾞ すき　だよ。

Watashi wa Nihongo suki dayo.

I like Japan.

I have a few conditions. I have ADHD, Autism Spectrum Disorder, and when I was young I was diagnosed with depression. Living with these conditions can be difficult sometimes, but I figured how to empower myself anyway. In fact, I think all the conditions I was diagnosed with has made me into a fighter and a believer of being the best you that you can be. When I was in high school, I don't think any of my classmates really knew about all I went through, so I was deemed as the weird kid.

So who am I? I'm a 19 year old. I'm a college freshman. I'm a daughter and a sister. I'm a nerd. I'm one of 68 who have autism. I'm amazing. I'm the person who will defy labels. I'm a free spirit. I'm a person who doesn't let people tell her no. So who are you?

My Favorite Place (College Prep Writing) 10-3-2013

My Favorite Place

Carleen Brandenburg

When I’m in Ames, Iowa, I’m at my favorite place to be. Ames is nice because it can be both lively and relaxing. I can go to the parks all over the city, go walk on the trails, go shopping at the mall, as well as watch movies at the theatres. Whenever I go out and about, I see diverse groups of people. Sometimes, I’ll go out to eat at the various restaurants like Asian, Mexican, American, Bar-B-Que, fast food, and even pizza. In Ames, there are a lot of entry-level and professional job opportunities that would provide a better life style. My favorite part of Ames is my relatives that live off of Lincoln Way; I enjoy visiting them. These are the many reasons why I like Ames, Iowa.

Important Relationships in My Life (Classification and Division Essay) 4/10/2014

Important Relationships in My Life

Carleen Brandenburg

Everybody has a few important relationships in their life that make them who they are. Sometimes their children and friends are their relationships that help them be who they are and sometimes it’s their family. A relationship that people have could even be their enemies, even if it’s not a good thing that the enemy of a person is what’s important for them. For me, I think of my friends, family, and significant other as my important relationship. My family, friends, and significant other are the people who have helped me become who I am today.

Family is important to me for a few reasons. My family has always been there for me no matter what I did. Because they were always there for me, I feel as though I can trust them with most everything I say. I’m glad to be as close to my family through various family bonding activities. The activities that helped me bond to my family were eating dinner and other meals together, having game nights on some Sundays, and going on vacations with them. Jane Howard once said “Call it a clan, call it a network, call it a tribe, call it a family. Whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need one.”

Just like family being important to me, I also feel as though my friends have helped me become a well-rounded person.  Friends are just like my family to me, because they helped me through so much.  My friends influenced who I’ve become and influenced my personality as well. They have helped become the best person I could be, even if what they have told me made me sad sometimes. Since they have helped me become a good person, I can trust them with my secrets, since I know they won’t betray my trust.

Having a significant other is just like a friend but I can connect with him on a deeper level. My significant other is the one person I can tell absolutely anything to and not have to worry about it. He is the person that makes me feel completely special and good about myself. My significant other is the person that I can love so much. Intimacy is important in this relationship, especially if it’s emotional intimacy.

Although everyone has different relationships that make them who they are, my family, friends, and significant other have helped me become who I am today. I’m always so thankful for these people in my life and I always will be.

References

More on Disney Baby. (n.d.). Disney Baby. Retrieved April 10, 2014, from http://www.disneybaby.com/blog/10-of-the-best-quotes-about-family/#slide4

APA formatting by BibMe.org.

American Pop vs. Korean Pop Music (Compare and Contrast Essay)

American Pop vs. Korean Pop Music

Carleen Brandenburg (3/13/2014)

All around the world, music has been an important part of culture. In the 1700s and 1800s it was classical music. In the 1900s it was jazz and rock and roll, which made the music popular today. Currently we have pop music as one of the most popular genres and every country has their own version of pop. America’s pop and Korea’s pop are trendy for teens and young adults, has large fan bases, have a mix of high energy and slow tempo songs (most of the songs being high energy), and have award shows for their music. Although American Pop and Korean Pop are similar, there are a few significant differences with how the industry is in the two countries.

With every country’s industry there is a focus on the band. Who’s the most important part of a band? In America, the focus of the band is the singer and the instrumentalists. Whether the band wants to focus on the guitarist as well as the singer or the drummer and the singer, there is some focus on another part of the band as well as the vocalist. Within the Korean pop music industry, the focus is slightly different. Korean pop still focuses on the singer, but you never see any instrumentalists on stage with the group. This is because the pop music industry in Korea focuses on the dancers. To be a famous musician in the pop industry, you must be a good dancer as well as a good singer.  There are so many rehearsals for choreography because the industry wants the dancing to be flawless.

With every band there must be a steady fan base setup. The record labels help to publicize the band, so the band can have a decent amount of fans. It also helps to have attractive people be the famous, because appeal helps sell no matter what country you live in. In America, a pop band gets to be famous worldwide really fast. Because the fan base becomes huge so fast, a pop band can do a complete world tour within a couple years. However, in Korea, the fan base has a gradual growth. The industry in Korea also helps publicize their artists so they have a lot of fans, but they have to work really hard to get to a world tour. When they go on tour, they start out with a tour all over South Korea, then eventually they get popular enough to have a tour for all of Asia, and once they get really popular they can tour at select locations in the USA (like LA and NYC sized cities) and Europe.

In every country, the songs are sung in the language that the citizens speak. Some countries will sing more than one language and for others it’s a rare thing to hear them sing in a second language. With America, the pop artists only sing in English. Rarely do they ever sing any words or phrases in a foreign language of any kind. Whereas in South Korea bands do sing in Korea as well as a few words or phrases in English. It’s rare for a song to be completely Korean in their pop industry. Once a band gets popular enough in Japan, the band will do Japanese covers of all their best songs that helped them become famous

With every country, music is important. Every country may have a different idea on how to put the music together, which makes music diverse. There are also aspects of the industry that are similar within different countries. Although American Pop and Korean Pop are similar, the differences they have are significant, but that’s what makes music interesting.

Upward Bound 2008: A Perfect Memory (Narrative Essay)

Upward Bound 2008: A Perfect Memory

Carleen Brandenburg (February 20, 2014)

                Throughout my high school years I went to a program called Upward Bound. Upward Bound is a program that is funded by TRiO, which is a series of federally funded programs that are designed for educational outreach. Upward Bound is meant for high school students who are either potential first-generation college students, meet low income guidelines, or even both. There’s a summer program which lasts for about six weeks, and then an academic year program where the Upward Bound students meet up once a month to have fun and learn about college at the same time. During the summer program, there’s a week long break where students can visit their family for the fourth of July. Some programs allow you to stay in a college dorm and others you commute to the college campus every day. The program I went to allowed students to stay in a college dorm. During the academic year portion of the program, they would hire tutors for anybody who needed help on school work (and was required for those getting any Cs or worse in school). The Upward Bound trip I went on during the summer of 2008 taught me important skills about making friends.

During late February my dad, sister, and I went to Luther College in Decorah, Iowa for Upward Bound Orientation. I felt nervous and shy at first, but after meeting Jazmyn, who was also starting Upward Bound this summer, it started to become more fun and interesting. At the Orientation I got to learn about what Upward Bound is, make new friends, and go on a campus tour. I also received a packet I had to fill out so they could set up the dorm rooms. Since I chose for them to pick out my roommate, I wouldn’t know until the very first day that Jazmyn would be my roommate. This made my summer a lot better having her as a roommate.

                June 15, 2008 was finally the day I would be moving into the dorms for my first summer of Upward Bound, which would last for six weeks. I was very nervous, yet excited to move into Olsen Dorms and for Upward Bound in general. I would be able to move into the dorms at 2 pm on that day. At 2 pm I arrived at the dorms with my father, mother, and my sister Helen. When I arrived at the dorm I had to fill out a form about any allergies and medication I was taking. Once I turned in the form, I went onto the second floor to sign-in and receive my key for my room. I also received another form I had to fill out which would explain the quality of the dorm and any needed repairs so they could fix anything. After receiving the key and the form, I unlocked my room and brought in my things so I could unpack. This was the moment I found out that my roommate was Jazmyn who I met at Orientation. This would cause me to be a lot more excited about Upward Bound.

                The next day would be my first day of classes for Upward Bound, and it ended up being very eventful. At around 9 AM, two staff members opened our door and woke me up with a good morning song. When I woke up I looked at my clock confused and then realized we were late for class. So I woke up Jazmyn and she also looked at her clock. In the end, both of us became panicked because we were late. The two staff members told us to get ready and then go to the library for tutoring. After we got ready, we grabbed a couple cereal bars and went to Preus Library. While we were walking, we got lost a few times which made the walk really confusing for Jazmyn and me. Because we were late, we were “campused”, which is basically being grounded. We had to check in at 9 pm and had a half hour to get ready for bed. At 9:30 pm, we had to be in our dorm room for the night.

                Every night before sleep, Jazmyn and I would hold a conversation. This would make me feel at peace (I eventually learned that she thought I was talking to myself). I would talk about anything and everything with her, which helped build our friendship. I don’t remember any of the conversations we shared at all, but I remember it being fun. For the first week we would sleep on the beds in our dorm room.

                After the first week, we decided that it would be fun to sleep by each other on the floor. It was a random decision, but it was probably one of our best decisions we made. We would do this every night for the rest of the summer. This resulted in better bonding and hearing the music we’d fall asleep to better. This made me feel happy and ended up being comfier than most people think.

                There was this week long break during Upward Bound for the 4^th of July. That break was really boring, so when I arrived back on campus, I was really happy. I missed hanging out with Jazmyn. During our first week of being back on campus after the break we shared a class. The class we shared was called ‘UB Idol’. This class was taught by a staff member named Eli Pollock. In this class, we learned about proper singing techniques and had to split into groups of two to perform a duet at the end of the week. Jazmyn and I chose to sang “I’ll Cover You” from RENT. I thought this class was fun because I got to sing and learned how to sing better.

                A few weeks later, it was the last day of the 2008 summer for Upward Bound. It was a very sad day because that would mean I’d have to leave Jazmyn and go home. When Jazmyn was leaving for home, we gave each other a hug and traded stuffed animals, so we could remember each other. Jazmyn gave me her stuffed cat she got when she was young named Mr. Jolly. In return, I handed her my stuffed cat I made for my 11^th birthday at Build-A-Bear Workshop. Even though we would see each other at weekend events during the academic year, it was still a sad day, since we bonded so much that summer.

                Upward Bound was still fun the following summers of my high school years, but this summer was the best because I got to become best friends with Jazmyn. Most importantly, the friendship we shared made this program fun and loveable in my view. The summer of 2008 ended up being one of my best summers ever and I’ll never forget all of the people that I’ve met, especially Jazmyn.

A Special Person In My Life: RaeLyn Rebekah Rose Walrod (Descriptive Essay)

A Special Person In My Life: RaeLyn Rebekah Rose Walrod

Carleen Brandenburg (February 6, 2014)

                A small and tiny infant can have an impact on a person’s life in ways they never thought possible. On May 15, 2012, my friend Jazmyn and her boyfriend Corey Walrod gave birth to a baby girl named RaeLyn Rebekah Rose Walrod at Mason City, IA. RaeLyn was a really tiny baby (weighing at only 5 lbs 5.2 oz), but she became so special to me because she’s a fighter, taught me important values, and has determination.

                RaeLyn is a fighter because when she was 23 hours, she had to be med-flighted to Iowa City for specialized care. While at the children’s hospital in Iowa City, RaeLyn was diagnosed with CHD (Congenital Heart Defect), a heart murmur, one functioning kidney, a defect in the liver, and Alagille Syndrome (is a genetic disorder, which affects the appearance of the person as well as major organs in the body). RaeLyn had to get a silo for her intestines (she ended up with a serious infection in the intestines), be put on breathing and feeding tubes twice, and overcome various tests and surgeries while at the hospital. When she was around four months old, she would finally be discharged from the hospital. However, RaeLyn will have to go through even more tests in surgeries in the future because of the various birth defects she has.

                While RaeLyn was at the hospital in Iowa City, she indirectly taught me various life values that are important. The life skills I gained were about being strong, keeping hope, and not taking my life for granted. I learned strength through being there for Jazmyn and Corey so they would cope better with everything that went on at the hospital no matter how much I wanted to breakdown and cry with them. I had to have hope that RaeLyn would be okay and nothing serious would happen while she was at the hospital. The most important value was not taking life for granted. I’m lucky that I’m healthy and that I don’t have all these defects. From now on, I look at life with a different (and more positive) perspective than what I had before RaeLyn was born.

                What I’m so thankful for is RaeLyn’s determination to leave the hospital. There were a few high risk surgeries RaeLyn had to go through. She would always make it through the surgeries no matter what, which always made me happy. Even when she was able to go home, RaeLyn was determined to learn everything that babies need to learn.

                Today, RaeLyn is about 17 pounds. She has mousy brown hair, with adorable brown eyes. She can do things other toddlers can do, even though she learned those things in a shorter amount of time. She’s still really tiny, as she can fit in the same size of clothes as a six month old baby. RaeLyn is super adorable and energetic. She makes all these cute faces at the telephone whenever I call.

                These are a few of the reasons why RaeLyn is one of the most special people in my life. I know that throughout RaeLyn’s life, there’ll be more reasons why she would be special in my life. I also know that RaeLyn will always be a fighter, teach me more life values, and be determined.

Advancements in Modern Technology: Positive or Negative? (Modern Advancements Essay)

Advancements in Modern Technology: Positive or Negative?

Carleen Brandenburg (January 30, 2014)

                Imagine the day where there weren’t computers, cars, phones, indoor plumbing, good medicine, or any other form of modern technology. Do you think you could survive during that time? I don’t think I could, so I believe technology has improved in a positive way. Modern advancements in the form of medicine, transportation, and social media has greatly improved the way we live our lives.

                Medicine has changed a lot over the years. Back in the 1800s, you had a really long wait just to see the doctor. The doctor would have to travel using a horse and buggy, so chances are, a minor thing would become serious. There was also a high risk of getting a disease because doctors wouldn’t have good hygiene when performing surgery, so the patient would risk infected wounds and the possibility of losing limbs. Today, we know so much about the importance of good hygiene, knowledge on various bacteria, how to keep germs from spreading. It also helps to have cars and ambulances, so we can get to the hospital faster and have less of a chance of something minor becoming something major. When I was in my senior year of high school, my friend Jazmyn had a baby named RaeLyn at Mason City, IA. When RaeLyn was 23 hours old, she had to be med-flighted from Mason City to Iowa City, because of various complications. It ended up being that RaeLyn would be in the hospital for her first few months of life, getting different treatments. If it wasn’t for good transportation, knowledge of diseases, and proper hygiene for surgery I’m pretty sure RaeLyn would have died.

                Another positive attribute to modern technology is the different forms of transportation. During the 1800s and first couple decades of the 1900s a person would have to either walk or travel by horse and buggy or train, which would make traveling longer than it would today with cars, planes, buses, etc.. Because of cars, we can get from one point to another point a lot faster. What would take a couple days in the 1800s, would only be a few hours now. It’s also good that we have various ways to travel because I can go see family in California, friends in Iowa, or even travel to different places in the world, if I have the money to do so.

                Social media is also a good aspect of today’s technology because I can keep in touch with my friends and family I don’t get to see at all. Because of Facebook, I met my cousin Naomi. Back in the 1800s I wouldn’t have been able to meet anybody new without seeing them unless I would have written a letter. Back in those days, the letter would be through the pony express which would take weeks to months to be able to hear from other people that live a far distance away from me.

                There are a lot more reasons on why I believe technology has improved the quality of our lives but for me, medicine, transportation, and social media are the most important few reasons on why today’s technology is an improvement.