Annotated Bibliography

Africanamericanculture.org

This is the official website for the Reginald F. Lewis Museum. On this website you can find all the things the museum has to offer. This websites provides the history, and background of Reginald F. Lewis and the museum. It also provides a wonderful description of the museum and  the exhibits it houses.

"Why Should White Guys Have All the Fun?" by Reginald F. Lewis, and Blair S. Walker

This is the title of the autobiography, which recounts the life of Reginald F. Lewis. This book tells about the struggles Mr. Lewis had to overcome and the boundaries he had to break through on his way to success. This is where I learned about Mr. Lewis' childhood, and the work ethic instilled in him by his parents. This is also where I learned about the billion dollar business empire, and Wall Street law firm he created.

The Reginald F. Lewis Museum

This is the actual museum, where I learned a great deal about the cultural effect, and influence African Americans had on Maryland. During my visit I had the opportunity to see, and touch some of the artifacts the museum has to offer. I also had the chance visit the museum's library to listen to and read some of the documents that are important to the African American community.

"Monument to Magnate" by Robin Green

This article touches upon the history if the museum, and gives a brief description of the museum.  This is where I found some information about the cultural effect, and significance of the museum's color, structure, and location.

The Reginald F. Lewis Museum

The Reginald F. Lewis Museum is one of the most important sites in Baltimore, Maryland. It is important to the history and background of Maryland. It is important because it provides facts about the impact and influence African Americans had on Maryland.  It tells how blacks created their own style of music, dance, and artwork that is still around and has great influence on todays world. More importantly its a place where generations to come can turn to to explore the history of the African American heritage. It is essential that we  have this museum because there aren't many other ones like it. Without this museum the data, and artifacts inside it would have been lost forever.

The Reginald F. Lewis Museum is definitely an eye catching building. It is a four story building made with black granite, red brick and gold accents that reflect the colors of the Maryland state flag. The structure is said to "convey the spirit of Maryland's African American experience: complex, contradictory, and diverse. The location of the museum is also significant because it is located near the inner harbor, which is the main tourist attraction in Baltimore. The state of Maryland can benefit from this because it is the golden opportunity for Maryland to get into the tourism market.  The inside of the museum is also very interesting starting right at the front entrance. 

Beginning on the first level there is a information and ticket booth, a cafe, and a gift shop. The second level contains a 200 seat theatre, and two temporary galleries that gets changed every six months or so. The first gallery is where you can listen to the stories of some of Maryland's most popular and not-so popular African Americans. Peering just across the hall in the second gallery is where the magnificent artwork of a few Marylanders are on display. The third level has the permanent exhibits, which are broken up into three galleries. Things Hold, Lines Connect, "tells the stories behind the families of  Maryland's African Americans. Despite slavery, they managed to maintain familial and community bonds."  Building Maryland, Building Baltimore, "states the role African American labor played in building the state and national economy, particularly in areas such as iron-working, fishing, and agricultural." Strength of Mind, "focuses on music, art, storytelling, and literature. The fourth and final level is the Learning Resource Center. This is where the library books, papers, oral histories, and other educational resources about the African American experience of Maryland are located.

The Compact Fluorescent Light Bulb

Description: 

At first class the compact fluorescent light bulb reminds me of a soft ice cream on a cone. Upon further examination I noticed that the bulb starts from being small to gradually getting bigger as the different sections are attached, beginning with it's round silver tip. The bulb's tip is outlined by a black plastic strip, which is connected to a shinny and silver piece of tin that has a coiled screw type design. The mid-section is a white plastic structure the contains the warning and caution label. On the top of this are two holes with protective glass tubes coming out that intertwine together to form a very small tip. Inside the glass tubes is some kind of other material.

Central Questions: 

The compact fluorescent light was created in the early 1990's by Peter Cooper Hewitt. Since then there were a few others that came along and made modifications to Hewitt's bulb, which has helped form the bulb we have today. The light was made to last longer, save money, last and be bright longer, but most importantly save energy while still being powerful. This particular bulb was constructed out of glass tubes coated with fluorescent chemicals which contained mercury vapor. The reason these materials were chose was because the light could be very bright while giving off less heat.

Research:

All of these links provided me with the information I will share in my paper.

http://www.ideafinder.com/history/inventions/lightbulb.htm 

This site provides information on Thomas Edison and the incandescent bulb.

http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/bl_fluorescent.htm

On this site you will find information on the creator and modifiers of the fluorescent bulb.

http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=cfls.pr_cfls

This link will take you to a website that has information about how much energy and money you will save by using this particular bulb. It also has a chart comparing the fluorescent bulb to the incandescent bulb.

http://www.popularmechanics.com/home_journal/home_improvement/4215199.html 

This is the site that provided me with the background of the fluorescent light bulb.

Argument:

The light bulb has come a long way in the past century. The first sources of light were candles, oil lanterns, and gas lamps. It wasn't until 1879 when Thomas Edison created the first incandescent bulb. The incandescent bulb works when a filament is heated to incandescent by an electric current. The creation of this was such a big advancement and milestone that no one worried about the life of the bulb or the amount of energy it needed. The people of this time were content with having something to effectively light up the night. The creation of the fluorescent bulb has taken the light bulb to a different level and has shown that the sky is the limit when it comes to the creation of new technology. Today the fluorescent bulb is taking slowly the place of the original one. The new bulb saves more energy, money, and the life expectancy is nines times that of the original. This change represents a change in society and in the world. 

More to come!

Beauty OR Beast

An object that I really dislike is makeup. The reason I dislike it is because it is very messy and I think unnecessary. I think there is nothing better then a women's natural beauty. I understand that at times makeup may be needed for jobs, television, modeling, work, or any other personal or special reason but some people completely over do it. There is no reason a person should have on so much makeup that you can see a significant color difference between the person's neck and face. When I asked a couple of friends why they wore makeup almost all of them said for confidence. Some of them believe that without it they are ugly or less attractive. It has become a habit in is now a part of their daily routine when getting themselves together in the morning.

Makeup has come a long way. Back in the 1880's paleness was considered good and makeup was frowned down upon and considered a big no no. The only people that were allowed to wear it was actress and that was strictly for work. It wasn't until 1886, when Harriet Hubbard Ayer, started promoting the use of face creams, and various anti-aging products. Before then majority of the products available were either chemically dubious or could be found in the kitchen. Women use to use burnt matches to darken their eyes, berries to stain their lips, and young boys urine to fade their freckles.

Today makeup has a big effect on culture. There are now makeup ads like Cover Girl influencing the ideology of people into thinking they need makeup in order to get a celebrity or hollywood look. It also influence people into buying certain products or makes them believe that one products is better then the other. Makeup has gone so far as to cater to all the different races/shades of women. Women can now buy makeup that is suppose to "work better" for their skin complexion whether its white, light, or dark. Women can even find makeup/mac stores, and mac counters in the mall where women can go to get their makeup done.

There are a lot of reasons why women wear make and there are a lot of reasons why they shouldn't. There are a lot of harmful effects of makeup the very few women know about. They solely go by what the product says or by what they see on television. The makers of cosmetic products only tell the good. They won't tell you that makeup has a link to different kinds of cancer the main one  being breast cancer. It also causes aging of the skin and clogs your pores. Why do you think certain makeup effect different people? The reason is because the chemicals used the different types of makeup.

The Love of Money

Another big object that represents a big aspect of my life and I'm sure the lives of many others is money. The reason I chose this is because I'm always thinking and looking for ways to get money, legally of course, without having to go out in search for a job. As a college student money is definitely a necessity so I have to get it. 

Money has been around for a long time even before it came in the form of coins and paper. Money is anything that is commonly accepted by a group for the exchange of goods and services for another good or service. Commodity money was the main form used. It was the exchange of goods such as rice, salt, tea, etc. The problems with this was that sometimes the things were to hard to carry, people couldn't agree on what something was worth in terms of other objects for exchange or they didn't want what the other person had. 

In 700BC the Lydians became the first in the western world to make coin money. This allowed people to assign the coins with a specific value. This made it easier for people to carry and most importantly be able to compare the cost of items. The earliest use of paper money dates back to China 1960AD. The first paper money was issued in the United States on March 10,1862. 

The cultural effect money has is monumental. You can easily find and see "get rich quick" schemes circulating on the internet and on late night infomercials. Isn't the thought of never having to work, worry about money, and being able to avoid whatever your heart desires appeasing? This thought indeed can cause a person to do the unthinkable. "The reason I rob banks is cause thats where the money is" Willie Sutton.

Money can also cause stress. It can stress a person who is worrying about paying bills, buying food, buying clothing or buying any of the necessities they need.  It also can cause stress for people who are in debt or are easily influenced or have a problem with social acceptance. Money rules the world. Society rates a person's success, power, and influence based off the amount of money someone has. 

Money can also make a person's life very comfortable. It can inspire a person to work hard and do all the right things in life. There are a lot of "rags to riches" stories out there to serve as motivation. Money can also open up plenty of doors and opportunities for someone to make a positive impact on the world and to help others in need. " You sleep a lot better knowing your going to wake-up paid" -Fabolous

Significant Object

The main object that represents an aspect of my life is a football or the actually sport in general. The reason I chose this object is because it had a big influence on my life along with an everlasting effect on it. I started playing football at the age of six and I played until my junior year in which I suffered a severe and devastating injury, which left me paralyzed. An injury of this magnitude someone would think it would drive a person away from the sport but surprisingly it brought me closer.

Not only is the sport of football significant to me but it has a much greater cultural significance. A football can be found in the fields where kids play, and in the houses, arms, and schools of children all over the world. The game of football has been around for years and has touched and affected the lives of millions of people including the athletes and their families. Football wether being played or watched is a form of entertainment and excitement. It is a time where you can get together with friends and family to scream, cheer, and even cry for your favorite team and players. Two examples of the cultural effect football has are the Super Bowl game and the new gambling environment. The Super Bowl has the largest amount of viewers watching than any other televised sports event (http://www.tangomag.com/20083456/cultural-significance-of-the-big-game.html). Meanwhile gambling is starting to become more of an issue and accessible even on the internet (http://www.betus.com/marketing/default.aspx?PageName=nfl-football).

 

Football started as a form of entertainment and has expanded into a multi-million dollar business.  If the game of football continues to progress the way it is how will things be in the next 20 years. We already over the years have  seen how the game has become a lot faster, the players are a lot bigger and stronger, and the hits are a lot harder. This leaves me with the question of: Is there a limit/height the game will reach and stay at or will it continue to be elevated?

Intro

Hello everyone! My name is Van Brooks. I was born and raised in Baltimore City. I graduated from Loyola Blakefield in 06 and I'm now currently a sophomore at UMBC. My interest are sports mainly football and basketball. I wanted to be a professional football player but that goal is now unattainable due to an injury (Kennedy Krieger). My newly found interest is public speaking, communications, and sports talk. After  graduating I hope to get a job in one of those fields.