Developement of my Website

I have to say that my fear of creating and completing a website was defiantly abolished after I figured out how to work all of the particular tools that Google sites had to offer. Navigation through the website editing option was particularly very user friendly as I was able to easily pick and idea of what type of background would be applied. I was unsure of how to insert images and text without erasing it every time I leave a page so I backed up all of my writings by using Microsoft word. At first when I took a look at the requirements of what was needed for the website I noticed that we had to insert at least 1000 words in the site. At first I thought that this was a little too much to try to express my ideas, but as I started writing a became so interested in the subject of Geronimo that I soon became addicted to writing as much as I could to fulfill the history of his presence. Forgetting about the type of content to place into the site was a problem that I had ran into two weeks before the site was due. I guess starting earlier on the site gave me the opportunity to manipulate and add to the content that was previously placed into it so that I could increase accuracy as far as what rules to follow.
The pictures that were chosen for the site were carefully selected to display the seriousness of Geronimo character, since he was known to be one the most fierce Apache warriors of the western frontier. A black an white photo of Sherman Alexie was selected as well, which displayed him wearing his hair long and straight displaying his Native American decant in a fashionable and effective way. A “YouTube” clip was added as well that focused on the history of Geronimo and the Apache Indians so that visitors could have a slight break in monotony of not having to read all of the information pertaining to the focus of the website.
If I could change anything about the site it would be the ability to have more option when selecting a theme to the site. Though I am ok with the site itself as a whole, being able to change the background color to what ever I desired in a more user friendly way would be about the only option that I would change If I had created the Google Sites editing options. Again I feel as though a lot of hard work and effort went into this site to make sure that every aspect as far as giving visitors insight of who Geronimo was and what he accomplished in an easy and understandable way. I have to also remember the fact that this is my first Website that I had created and finished in a fairly short time period so perfection can not be expected as of yet.

Link to Geronimo Website:

Hey folks come check out my website @ http://sites.google.com/site/legacyofanapachewarrior/

The strory that I chose to highlight on written by Sherman Alexie, was titled "Because My Father Always said He Was the Only Indian Who Saw Jimi Hendrix play 'The Star Spangled Banner' at Woodstock".This particular story expands on more details about the main character Victors father and his experiences in the 1960’s that were described to be very significant. The story begins by Victor describing his father to be a “hippie” present at a protest against the Vietnam War that took place in Spokane. The scene takes an abrupt turn towards violence as the demonstration transforms into an all out slug fest that leaves a National Security Guard severely injured and unconscious. Soon after the incident Victors father was imprisoned for two years for assault with a deadly weapon. In addition he was also said to have been published by the media for right before his initiation of physical violence. For instance, the author states, “…a photograph of my father demonstrating in Spokane, Washington, during the Vietnam War. The photograph made it into the wire service and was reprinted in the newspapers throughout the country. In fact, it was on the cover of TIME.”(Alexie pg 24) After imprisonment, Victors father attended a concert that the featured Jimi Hendrix playing his rendition of “The Star Spangled Banner”, which change his perspective of the world in a negative way. Victor describes his father to be an alcoholic that would continuously play the recording of the song each day while consuming alcoholic beverages until he passed out at the kitchen table. The relationship with his wife was said to be deteriorating throughout the story which eventually led to them becoming divorced. Victor’s mother explains to her son that society was the driving factor that lead to the divorce and the change in character in his father. A segment in the story reads, “On a reservation, Indian Men who abandon their children are treated worse than white father who do the same thing. It’s because white men have been doing that forever and Indian men have just learned how. That’s how assimilation can work.”(Alexie pg 34).

After reading the two articles about Jack Baurer’s character played by Kiefer Sautherland, I was not able to get over that fact that America would stoop so low as to even use torture as a method of punishment. I still remember the day as clear as yesterday when President Bush had announced the use of extreme interrogation methods were going to take place in the prison location of Guantanamo Bay. At fist just like any American at the time I felt as though this was a method that would be used to send a message to those who had intentions of harming U.S. citizens. But if we were to use these types of methods on a more long term bases the consequences may turn right around and bite us in the rear. First of all the show of 24 is not a built on real life events that had already occurred and are replayed for viewing purposes. Second we have to remember the show is fiction, and two take examples of the use of torture from a temporary television drama would make the country of America look like absolute morons in the end. Second the use of torture is not a morally just way of handling prison from other countries. It has been said that the use of torture was used on prisoners of Guantanamo Bay even if they were not guilty of terrorist act themselves.
Shortly After President Obama had stepped into Presidency he announced that the use of torture was an unjust and unmoral way dealing with prisoners associated with terrorism. A comedy by the name of “Harold A Kumard: Escape from Guantanamo Bay”, poked fun at the torture techniques used to deal with detainee of terrorism, but I reality this is not laughing matter. Many prisoners have already been released from Guantanamo Bay and are currently back in Afghanistan, plotting more effective and devastating attacks on our country. Was it a mistake to let these potentially lethal men go back to the country were we currently struggle to enforce efforts of peace. It may be , but the bottom line is why did we even enforce this policy to begin with if we didn’t think about the long term effects of these actions in the first place. It may be true that some of these torture methods were used and in fact saved many lives by exposing a potential plot to blow up a mall located in Ohio near Columbus, and many other potentially threatening terrorist plans. But, the use of homeland intelligence and the CIA agencies across the U.S. is another option that has to be upgraded and more heavily present during this day and age, which may take a way a little privacy, but may protect our country from major devastation. We can not rely on fictional television that exposes extreme violence and immorality towards one or many people to save others, besides we need to start trying to clean our image and start setting good examples for other countries in the world by using brains over brutality.

Id have to say that reading “The Great Gatsby has been a truly exciting experience and gives the class a break as far as the cowboy and Indians topics that we have been highlighting since day one. The beginning of the story takes the reader through the fine details of the surrounding settings. This gives the reader a better feel of what type environment and people were present during this time period. For example, the main character of the story by the name of Nick Carraway describes the details of his college friend by the name of Tom Buchannan and his wife Daisy’s Georgia style mansion when he decides to stop by for a visit. Nick also, takes the reader through an emotional roller coaster filled with multiple climaxes and turning points that the attention of the reader at an all time high. For instance the character by the name of Tom Buchanan seemed to be a happily married man whom was content with his relationship. Shortly after the introduction to tom’s wife we witness Tom committing acts of adultery with a woman by the name of Myrtle Wilson who is also married. The two are eventually involved in a domestic dispute which leave Myrtle with a broken nose. I noticed that the use of alcohol was seemed to be very avid during this event which probably led to the violent conclusion.

The character whom this book was named after made a shocking entry that surprised both the main character and the reader as well. Gerald Gatsby, seemed to be a well spoken, wealthy and mysterious man who has obtained multiple accomplishments through out his life. Few people seemed to know the truth about how Gatsby came to be even though they would frequently attend his house parties, drink his beverages, and spread rumors about him both good and bad. In short Gatsby was just a normal character that had weaknesses like every other human being that were eventually exposed through time. Later in the story we find that his riches were inherited instead of earned which resulted in the main character’s loss of some respect towards Gatsby. In addition we also find out that the love he has for Daisy is expressed as he and Tom have a temperamental debate on who she truly loves. Even though Gatsby was able to convince her to leave Tom she eventually comes back to him towards the end of the story. In actuality we find that Daisy is nothing but a gold digger that has no interest in a man unless it involved money.

Eventually Gatsby passed away leaving his mansion and memories behind. We were able to see both sides of emotion after Gatsby’s death from different perspectives of people who were personally involved with him. Some people such as Tom, viewed him as a murderer that got exactly what he deserved. Others such as his father Mr. Gatz viewed him as a trendsetter that had the potential of over coming great accomplishments. It just goes to show that no matter how great a person may appear to be, there is always a possibility that their mistakes made in the past could come back to haunt them.

Possible Website Plan

After the monotonous conversations about the American side of how the frontier was discovered by the Europeans, I think its time for the situation to switch gears in anther direction. I will avoid discussion of another American figure and try to elaborate on anther perspective of how the American Frontier was viewed. I think I will take Patricia Limerick’s approach and attempt to center in on the Native Americans point of view in the website that I will be creating. The figure that I am intending on focusing my attention on will be A native American by the name of Geronimo. After doing a quick background check on Geronimo I found that there were plenty of resources that I can obtain to put together a website filled with information and facts about him and the events that he was involved in. I even found that there was a movie named after him that stars a younger “Gene Hackman” as a main character. There are books that are available as well that break down the details of this courageous figures life and his struggles against the American Pioneers that killed his children and family. I also found that Geronimo was part of the famous Apache tribe whom was well known for there confusing and effective combating skills that were responsible for numerous American casualties. I just think that it would only be fair if we were to highlight on the other side of the wars of the American Frontier, since we spend endless amounts of time glorifying a culture of people who basically stole the land from innocent Native Americans that were guilty of no crime other than protecting their family, home, and other belongings. This will open the opportunity to see the ugly side of the American culture that we have to learn about and accept along with the adventures and excitement that the Western Frontier offered.

Observation of Two Pioneer Web Sites

After observation of the website addressed www.buffalobill.org, I noticed that it lacked the quality and detail of up to date websites of the present. The History portion of the website seemed to be the most informal which gave readers details about Buffalo Bills time period of inhabitance. A segment that caught my attention the most which was found in the History page states, “Today there is a lot of confusion about the relationship between Buffalo Bill and the Indians. Cody treated his former foes with great respect and dignity, giving them an opportunity to leave the reservation and represent their culture when many were trying to destroy it.”( http://www.buffalobill.org/history.htm). This statement derails the readers mind of the typical violent relationship that all the Americans and Indians had during the Westward movement. Unlike many others who viewed the Indian tribes of the Western Frontier as “savages”, Buffalo Bill viewed them as American citizens and was able to comprehend that they were only fighting to protect their families. Later in the readings I was also able to find that Buffalo Bill was also experienced in the business aspect as well. For example, towards the bottom of the history page the paragraph titled “Buffalo Bill in Colorado” reads, “In addition to performing, Buffalo Bill had business dealings in Denver. In 1911 Cody acquired some horse halters from the Gates Tire and Leather Company in Denver. He liked them so well that he provided an endorsement for the product. This gave the fledgling firm such a boost in sales that it became the largest halter manufacturing firm in the U.S. It eventually became Gates Rubber Company.”( http://www.buffalobill.org/history.htm). Yet this website turn out to be very informal, it seemed to be more towards steering tourist towards a possible vacation spot for the family.

On the other hand Annie Oakley’s website addressed http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/oakley, was both more informal and up to date. Her site was able to share more details that were oriented for discovering the history and events that took place in and around Annie Oakley’s life and environment. The most significant factor that I noticed that separated Anne Oakley’s website from Buffalo Bill’s was the timeline page. Spanning approximately two pages and covering events in such great detail that the reader can almost feel the type of vibe that the Western frontier had to offer. For instance a statement on the timeline dated 1885 reads, “March 9: After his shooting equipment is lost in a steamship accident, Bogardus quits Cody's show. Oakley promptly renews her request for a job. Buffalo Bill is still skeptical, but he agrees to an April try-out in Louisville, Kentucky. While preparing for the audition, Oakley catches the attention of Cody's business manager, who hires her on the spot. That season she appears before 150,000 people in 40 cities, and Oakley will perform in Cody's Wild West show for almost all of the next 17 years.” (http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/oakley/timeline/index.html). Even though Buffalo Bills website is not as detailed and organized As Annie Oakley’s, they both mention the pairing up of the two in his wild west show where she is able to promote Bill and her self as well with her amazing talent of marksmanship.