Blog Post #12

Towards the end of the final product of the building Hoerni becomes sick and Mortenson has to go back to Pakistan to document the school for Hoerni to see. They finished then building they finished the school on December 10th 1996. Before Hoerni passes away Mortenson lives with him in Seattle. Moerni left an endowment of $1million to the organization to build a school a year. It seems perfect that before he passed away he could see something so amazing that he helped to make, and it is great the Mortenson's idea of a school in Korphe would go beyond that to inspire more schools like this.
Religious groups in Pakistan began to fight against this school because it was offering girls to be taught in a school. In Mortenson's response he traveled back to Korphe to compromise with the people, he finds a man named Parvi to go against the fatwa set up against Mortenson's school. I was curious to what a fatwa was so I found this site that explains what went on with Mortenson and the school: http://islam.about.com/od/law/g/fatwa.htm.
After this period of time Mortenson has been able to oversee the building of three more schools under the organization. Mortenson has gotten the organization up and running and has a board of people to control the group. This is the official site of the organization today:http://www.ikat.org/. 
While back in America Mortenson recieves a red velvet box from from a shiite religious groups and as told that they have gotten rid of the fatwa placed against the school. Mohammud Aslam Khan comes to Mortenson to request a school for his village, Hushe, because of what he heard of the program and the Korphe school.
Once that school is built the people of these villages begin to realize hiow important and benificial it is to educate the girls. The CAI begins to go beyond schools and provide fresh water sources for villages. Next they build a school in Skardu for girl's educations after what happened to a girl named Fatima during fights between Pakistan and India.
It is amazing that for so long he couldn't get the school in Korphe together, but within a year of its completion he was been able to get multiple schools and other facilities to help villages up and running. Things are going well for him and what he desired to do to help the villages.
Looking back on the beginning it is amazing to think that at first Hoerni was hesitant in selling his money out for the cause of the school, but what came from it was so many things that are helping central Asia, especially in places where they desperately needed it. The theme of this book seems to simply be that when tough times are upon us that eventually get better, and since the time he tried to originally raise money there didn't seem to be many misfortunes in Mortenson's work of helping these people.

Blog Post #11

They reach Korphe with the supplies, but Mortenson realizes it is getting too cold and that they will need to build a bridge to reach the area to build the school, so he raised another $10,000 from Hoerni. In the process of getting the remaining money, though, Mortenson comes across issues such as losing a girlfriend and a job for having gone to help the village for the school.
When Mortenson returns to Pakistan to build the Korphe bridge a man named Ali Chargarzi helps him with connections and the building of the bridge. While they have to wait for the bad weather to end Mortenson starts to learn more about the villages culture and how they deal with personal life issues. While spending time with some of the men Mortenson meets the most intelligent man of the village,Houssien, who he begins to imagine as a perfect teacher for the future school.
It seems that for a few months since Mortenson raised the money that he has so many obstacles to overcome that he never thought would get in the way of his process of building the school. He thought it would be simple after he raised the initial sum of money from Hoerni that in no time the school would be up in running. After he gets to Pakistan he finds that he deals with a lot of literal boundries and emotional.
Once they finally begin building the bridge a group of Americans come across them, including famous climber, George McCown and Faisal Baig.

The Braldu Bridge built in Korphe

This time when he returns the the U.S. he has a more successful, joyful visit. He has gained a new job at the E.R. and McCown and Hoerni have decided they will fund his trip back to Korphe and his living for the next year. At an event Mortenson meets his hero that did much the same type of project as him, Sir Edmund Hillary. A site of the achievements Sir Edmund Hillary has made and his biography. At this same event Mortenson meets Tara Bishop, who he marries after less than a week of knowing her.
After a trip back to Pakistan and back Mortenson is asked by Hoerni to form an organization in which they build a new school each year after what has been going on in his school in Pakistan. But during the time of Mortenson's next visit Haji Ali, the head of the village, tells him that Mortenson is being far too impatient about the building of the school. During this time, as well, Haji Mehdi, the leader of the village near to korphe named Askole, tries to interfere with the building of the school and how the children are to be taught.

Map of where Korphe is in Pakistan

Blog Post #10

While working I came across the children's book called Listen to the Wind. It turned out to be by Mortenson written in the village's point of view about the things he did for their village and the school. The book stayed true to what is in Three Cups of Tea.

While reading the section about how Mortenson and the truck driver, Muhhamad drove across the dangerous mountain on the way to Skardu I thought of the Passage in The Motorcycle Diaries in Whch Ernesto and Alberto were going through Chicuicamata, the Chilean mining town. "With the regularity of mile markers, white shahid, or "martyr" monuments honoredthe death of Frontier Works Organization roadbuilders who had perished in their battles with these rock walls." (Relin 81) This quote and experience was very similar to Guevara's experience,"... As they wait for the soulless arms of the mechanic shovels to devour their insides, spiced as they would be with the inevitable human lives -- the lives of the poor, unsung heroes of battle, who die miserably in one o the thousands of traps set by nature to defend its treasures, when all they want is to earn their daily bread."

Blog Bpost #9

Mortenson has now raised enough money because of Hoeni and travels to Pakistan after a couple years waiting. When he arrives there he stays in a small makeshift motel where he meets a helpful motel guard, Abdul Sha. Over time they gather building material that could help create the structure of the school. He is told by Abdul that the cement and lumber industry in Pakistan are run like a mafia, so it is hard to find quality building material for the school. He is also told that he has to have two new Shalwar Kamiz so he can wear it in the mountainous climates.  Mortenson is also introduced to a man named Khan who shows him how a ritual works and then how the prayer works. After taking part in this, Mortenson realizes how important community is and being able to have faith.

(shalwar kamiz)

After getting the supplies together they load it into a truck and a crowd of people are there to see Mortenson off to Korphe once again. Even though he has taken such a large step since he was in the U.S., Mortenson is  still worried of the dangers of traveling there and still having enough money for the actual process of building it after having spent so much money on the lumber and cement. He had reason to worry though, because halfway through his trip his truck is stopped because their is a brawl between the Pakistani army and gunman.

While reading this section I was reminded of other fundraising projects I have either taken part in or witnessed. Very similar to the "Pennies for Pakistan" my church did a "Penny Power" project for children to get clean water in South America. I have also done other various coin denominations to help third world countries around the world, similar to the Penny Power fundraiser.

Blog Post #8

The first part of this section was very disheartening and uninspirational. This was a time when Mortenson spant months trying to follow up with his promise, but had just barely enough money to live off of. He was sending out letters to people with money that seemed willing to  help with the trip and the school. The whole time he was painstakingly writing letters to each person individually (he was computer illiterate) until he came across a man at a copying shop that helped him. The man found out his reason for needing to write so many letters and was touched because he came from a village near to the one Mortenson working to help and had the same hardships living there. Mortenson seemed to be almost envious of a man that did nearly the same thing, but instantly gained endless support and sponsorships, Sir Edmund Hillary.  

Unfortunately, none responded except for Tom Brokaw who only gave a hundred. After months a rich man, Jean Hoerni, who discovered the silicon chip contacted Mortenson about wanting to support him. This man made hundreds of millions for selling his discovery to companies such as Intel. I looked him up and he is very famous for the discoveries he made. http://www.computerhistory.org/semiconductor/timeline/1959-invention-of-the-planar-manufacturing-process-24.html  Hoerni asked the aount he needed and Mortenson said 12 grand, Hoerni was amazed by how little, while others would be astounded by the amount.

Blog Post #7

In the Chapter "580 Letters, One Check" Relin writes of Mortenson's experience of raising money.
"Jerene Mortensonhad been anxiously following her son's odyssey... After finishing her Ph.D., she had been hired as a principle of the Westside Elementary School. Jerene convinced her son to visit, and to give a slideshow and speech to six hundred students in her school. 'I'd been having a hard time explaining to adults why I wanted to help students in Pakistan, but the kids got it right away. When they saw the pctures, they couldn't believe that there was a place where children sat outside in cold weather and tried to hold classes without teachers. They decided to do something about it." (Relin 52)

Relin describes all the struggles Mortenson came across trying to reach out to people to donate money for the Korphe school. He sent out hundreds of letters to celebrities, organizations, and anyone he thought would be capable of donating money for his cause. Very few responded to his request, but upon hearing about the children, the school kids wanted to help.
Mortenson hadn't even requested it, but the children decided to organize a project called "Pennies for Pakistan. They raised over $650 for his trip. I thought this was amazing because none of the people he contacted that had ridiculous amounts of money were willing to donate, but young kids wanted to help as best they could so other kids could have what they had.

IRP Post #6

After we are told about what happened in the village, Mortenson heads back to the states. While there he puts off the funding for he school. He finds a stuffed animal and thinks back to when he was younger. He was born in Minnesota, but then his parents brought their children to Tanzania, where he live for a majority of his childhood and he was the happiest there. When they moved back everything was unfamiliar to him and people bullied him terribly at the high school for how kind he was to everyone. We are told of how when his youngest sister was born he took care of her because he was so concerned of her health condition, his care for her inspires him to do many of the things he did, like become a nurse and care for the struggling children in Pakistan.
When he was older his father got cancer, making him consider time as more important because within months his father deteriorated and he insisted on doing whatever would be best to make his father feel better. After that he decided to venture out more and moved to California and took up mountain climbing, he became very skilled in a short amount of time. While living in California, his youngest sister, Christa, died from a seisure, inspiring him to take her bracelet to the summmit of K2, the second highest point of elevation on earth.

I noticed while reading this section that there are many similarities in The Motorcycle Diaries. Like Ernesto, he decided on a whim to leave his successful life behind in a medical career to venture out. Mortenson even had an unreliable way of transportation, which he called "La Bamba". Similar to the Motorcycle Diaries, as well, people take him into their homes without question, like when Mortenson arrived in the village he was mistaken for Korphe.
I wonder if all travel/ adventure memoirs happen in the same sort of way. So far they seem similar in these ways.

The Tibeten butter tea that Mouzafar made for him, a delicacy to them.

IRP Post #5

Mortenson was once again separated from his group while climbing the mountain, but he came in contact with his porter that was transporting Mortenson's things from the mountain for him, Mouzafar. Mouzafar is one of the tribal people from Balti. They are explained to be small people who are terrific at climbing, and with short tempers, but despite their temper, amazing and generous people. Despite these traits that are described, it is obvious that Mouzafar cares very much for Mortenson's safety, and we are also told that they staff friends throughout his journeys to Pakistan
After giving up on the climb Mortenson attempted to go to Mouzafar's village for shelter, but went in the wrong direction and ended up in a village called Akole. He is greeted by Haji Ali, the chief of the village. The people of the village treat Mortenson to luxury items of their tribe, offering him things that are so rare.
After arriving in the village they get into contact with Mouzafar, and he comes back to see Mortanson.While staying in th village, Haji Ali shows him their school, which is barely a school. This astonished Mortenson and he promised their village that he would go back to fund this school in America, so all the children could get an education.

IRP Post #4

"' May the nation, the country, and the state shine in glory everlasting. This flag of crescent and star leads the way to progress and perfection.'
During his recuperation in Korphe, Mortenson had frequently heard villagers complain about the Punjabi-dominated Pakistani government, which they considered a foreign, lowland power. The common refrain was how a combination of corruption and neglect siphoned off what little money from Islamabad, the capital, to these distant mountain valleys. They found it ironic that the Islamabad government would fight so hard to pry away this piece of what had once been Kashmir from India, while doing so little for the people" (Relin 32)

This was when Mortenson was shown a local school, which wasn't really a school at all. There were about forty kids on the ground outside doing work, without a teacher. The man told him that the teacher only comes once a week, the rest of the time they have to attempt ton teach each other. What's ironic of this, is that the girl is thanking her country for all it provides, even though while saying this she is without basic tools for the school she is attending. After seeing this he swore to that mountain village that he will build a proper school from the ground up so all the children can get an education with more than one teacher, and all come daily to teach their students.

R.A.F.T. #1

R - Communist Couple

A- Me

F- Opinion Editorial

T- People

Correo de Valdivia,

Although this open opinion may get us in possible trouble with the government, my wife and I could no longer hold back our feelings towards Chile and its people. We understand that this newspaper can do nothing about or predicament, but maybe those reading will understand our views and see our side of things. This country is so harsh towards those with their differing opinions against democracy. We are in favor of revolution, changing Chile into a communist state. Our country though, being backed by the democratic U.S., has persecuted us for our communist views under the Law for the Defense of Democracy.
This country has treated us terribly. I was put into prison for three months, leaving my wife without food, starving. Though my wife hasn't been taken from me, my close friends have disappeared under uncertain conditions. Now we search for work at any place that does not question ones beliefs on a political system and their past. Now we plan to work at a sulphur mine, because nowhere else will hire a man having gone through jail for unjust reasons.
So, please, understand and join us as the "Communist Vermin" we are called, because obviously those in power cannot treat all human life with respect.

IRP Post 3

While reading the background of Mortenson's life I got very excited to see that he was born and raised in the Twin cities in Minnesota, like myself. He also went to one of the colleges my father went to around the same time, making both huge coincidences.

When the section about the mount climbing came up I noticed how similar it was to 180 South that we watched in class. It was much more intense in comparison to the movie, though. Both groups of people were attempting to reach a goal, but Mortenson's goal was to put his younger sister's bracelet at the highest peak of the mountain in memory of her. I am not sure if this applies to many mountain climbing experiences, but it seems from the stories I have heard and read about that the get so close to the summit, but for safety reasons they can go no farther.

From what I have read thus far I can tell that this book is about a modest man. He seems to want to do anything for anyone who needs, and unlike most he doesn't do it to make himself feel better for having done something for a person in need.

I wonder what other, if any, other places he has gone to do missionary work.

IRP Post 2

In the introduction we are introduced to the writer of the book, David Oliver Relin, who joins Greg Mortenson on his missionary work as a teacher in the Middle East. He says that although he is the one that technically wrote the book, in every way Mortenson was the writer. He was the one who went out and did amazing things for hundreds of children by helping them and teaching them.

The book starts off by describing a scene in a helicopter through Pakistan with Mortenson. They landed in Korphe greeted by ecstatic children offering them tea. Mortenson is known to have an "orbit" that attracts people into his life. There were multiple given examples of how within a moment of meeting him people would join him to become "dedicated fixers". Soldiers of the Taliban ended their violence simply meeting Dr. Mortenson.

After our introduction of Mortenson we are told of his first time encountering failure. Him and a large group of other climbers, including a close friend,Scott Darsney, attempted to climb K2, the second highest point on earth. While climbing up he lost the rest of the group and reflected on how lonely it was during that time. When he found the group again they were held back because a man became sick from the elevation. Only 600 meters from the top they had to climb down, encountering failure.

IRP Blog Post 1

"Reaching into his pocket of his shalwar , he fingered the necklace of amber beads that his little sister Christa had often worn. As a three-year-old in Tanzania, where Mortenson's parents had been missionaries and teacher, Christa had contracted acute meningitis and never fully recovered. Greg, twelve years her senior, had appointed himself her protector. Though Christa struggled to perform simple tasks -- putting on her clothes each morning took upward of an hour -- and suffered severe epileptic seizure, Greg pressured his mother to allow her some measure of independence. (8 Relin)

I thought this passage to be important because it shows an early example of Greg Mortenson's life and how caring he is. Not only does he now build schools in the middle east, but at the age of fifteen after a traumatic incident he absolutely insisted on taking care of his sister. It goes on to talk about how every year he took her out to see and do amazing things with him such as going to Yosemite or go on road trips. Unfortunately on her birthday right before she went to visit him she died from a severe seizure.

Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin

"It's like the quest for the holy grail. Who gives a [darn] what the grail is, its the journey that counts...its the transformation that is within that is important."

Jeff traveled to Patagonia by boat with surfers and mountain climbers. He explained that he always wanted to and finally got the chance in his busy life. They came across issues traveling there, such as the mast breaking along the way. They stopped at Rapa-nui to get it fixed, but didn't realize they would also learn things about the land and had just as beautiful nature as the areas in Chile. When they reached Chile Jeff noted that there were so many industrial buildings there ruining the natural world in the country, such as working to build a dam in Patagonia. Jeff didn't realize that he was going to learn so much about the land and the people. He ended the documentary saying how that if you care about a place you have a right to take care of it. In his journey with the others he came across so many example of how people weren't taking care of their natural world. Although Tim and himself didn't finish the climb (Holy grail) I'm sure they all learned the same sort of lessons in their transformation of going there, as Jeff explained.

In school we are taught that we have to work hard for grades to get that 4.0 GPA as our "holy grail", but in school I have also realized how I work. Despite how some courses may have been annoying, in retrospect I leaned how to bring thoughts together and in school I have met people that have helped me grow in my ability to think things through. Even though half of my high school career I didn't have the grades I was told to have I did change through those years and I still definitely am.

Essential Question

We have read Invisible Man and The Great Gatsby, both of which have main characters that are conscience of those around them and how they affect those people, and where that will get them.

Gatsby shows that he has intentions to swoon a woman from his past and has had this deep care for her after years of being apart. He believes as if for most of the novel that he has unselfish intentions for everyone, but blindly acts on love for Daisy. The acts of Gatsby show a rise in what he becomes, simply for this one woman. But with the rise he quickly falls in a matter of days, ruining the other people’s lives of those he befriended during this time.


Much like Gatsby, the Narrator of Invisible Man does things to help improve his life. But Gatsby can be somewhat seen as a leader for people such as Nick and Daisy, while this Narrator tends to follow what people order him to do in his life, believing that is what is best for him. Similar to Gatsby he doesn’t see how his actions will affect people around him. He is blind to why he is be ordered around to do the tasks he is given by many of the characters. Until the end he doesn’t seem to consider what he has to offer people, until he lives underground and reflects how working for the brotherhood allowed him to be a traitor to everyone in Harlem.

Arts and Academics Post #4

Our schools are lagging behind the rest of the world. 
http://www.newsweek.com/2010/12/20/gates-and-weingarten-fixing-our-nation-s-schools.html

3. Schools in other countries have longer school days and longer schools years, and in other countries they often times are much more competitive.


In other countries they focus on helping their teachers, and that's why this country has stayed in the same place while the others have surpassed us. 


We spend a lot of money in the wrong places when it comes education. We aren't making the right investments. They also say though that ist isn't monetary issues, its that on a quarter of the teachers are very good, and we need to the rest to be just as good.


2. How do they know who is a good teacher and not? what are the qualifications of that, and what ways are people hiring that are helpful in finding the appropriate teachers?


What types of investments with money do other countries make when it comes to education that is making them so successful? 


1. http://abcnews.go.com/2020/Stossel/story?id=1500338 The journalist says that the problem with how public school classrooms are run if is that the kids don't stay interested and the classes are just bull.

Entertainment Post #4

   
Harry Potter plagiarism case dismissed

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-12134288

3. Adrian Jacobs accused J.K. Rowling for plagiarism of his work from Willy the Wizard in her book, Goblet of Fire. 

The judge said that the differences were so obvious that there was no way she could rule Rowling for being guilty of plagiarism. His only claims were that wizards had a game and they rode on trains.


Jacobs also filed a claim that another author stole his ideas.


2.
I don't understand how you came make such accusations on such broad subjects, as the idea of wizardry.


What would have happened if Rowling was sued for this, would they stop selling her books worldwide? 


1. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1193283/JK-Rowling-sued-500m-plagiarism-lawsuit-family-late-Willy-The-Wizard-author.html. This article says that Willy the Wizard was a very small book with little distribution, the likelihood of Rowling getting a hold of this book and stealing ideas is slim.

Politics, History and Current Events Post #4

Health care repeal's cost: $230 billion to deficit

http://money.cnn.com/2011/01/06/news/economy/health_care_repeal_cost/index.htm?hpt=T1

3. They say that if the bill is repealed it will cost the U.S. hundreds of billions of dollars. Those Republicans who want to repeal this bill are also saying they will decrease the deficit but because of the cost of repealing the bill, it won't help.

If the legislation stays there will be a definite debt reduction from saving in health organizations.

Republicans say the reason they want to repeal it is to propose legislation that makes more sense fiscally.


2. How will repealing the bill cost the nation so much?

What kind of legislation would they propose that would be more helpful to the U.S. seeing as nobody can really agree upon any proposals that both parties have made.

1. http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/256349/obamacare-end-beginning-avik-roy. This person, agrees that coming to an agreement is difficult when everyone is so split in American.