Assignment 6- Angelica Malkowski

Prompt #1: Write about an activity that has changed your life or perspective in some way.

Prompt #2: If you were any periodic table element, which would you be?

Prompt #3: If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be? (Including physical appearance, personality, likes, dislikes, talents, etc.)

1. An activity that both infuriates and motivates me is marching band. I both hate it yet could not live without it. I have never invested so much time nor energy into something else in my life. And by energy I mean emotions and pieces of me. In many ways, I would not be who I am today without marching band- many of my close friends, my plans for the future, and my personal growth over the past two years would all be different. I have learned so many lessons because of marching band. One of the most important being putting a group above yourself. Marching band is one of the few activities where everyone participates. There are no “bench warmers.” There is no, “Sorry, I’m just having a bad day, put someone else in.” Everyone- instrumentalist, guard member, or percussionist- is irreplaceable, with no one waiting to “sub” in for them. If someone misses rehearsal, it makes everything harder for everyone else. For example, if a trumpet player is missing, there will be a hole in the drill where they should be. This makes the job of everyone around them that much harder, because they can no longer depend on that person. Of course, a good marcher should be able to march an entire show all by himself. But in order to properly “dress a form” (make a straight diagonal, a correctly curved arc, etc.) there cannot be holes from people missing. So even if I’m exhausted and I have a ton of homework, and it’s hot out, and there are a million other things I’d rather be doing, I come to practice anyway, and I give it my all. Because that is the only way the group can get better. I say all this not to boost my own self-importance, but rather to demonstrate how marching band has taught me to put the group before myself.

Henry Macfarlan assignment 6

What do you find yourself wanting to do most often in your free time?
If you could change one decision in your life what would it be?
What is something you want to accomplish before you get out of high school and why?
While I am in high school i want to maintain a 4.0.  This is a goal of mine as it is something that is accomplishable but, very difficult.  I do not want to set a goal that I could accomplish without trying, there would be no point.  This is also a good goal as it is something that is clearly quantifiable, you either do it or you do not, there is no middle ground or close enough.  I also like this goal as not only will it be satisfying personally but it will help me immensely in the college application process.
It is important to set goals for yourself as they allow you to always be striving to improve and never allow you to idle in life.

Assignment 6 Philip Allison

Prompt one: What is your goal in life?
Prompt two: If you could go anywhere, where would you go? Why?
Prompt three: Who has influenced your life the most?

Prompt one response: My ultimate goal in life is to be content with what I have a achieved. I would like to be as successful as I can, but everyone does. Apart from success, I want to have fun throughout my life, not stopping at high school or college. I don't want a job I hate. I don't want to loathe going into work every day. With the money I (hopefully) make, I don't want to throw all of it on pointlessly expensive items. I want to use that money in ways that best benefits others and myself. Vacations, classes, experiences, adventures. Charity. These are useful. A penthouse that I use once a year? Maybe not. I also want to make sure not to spoil my kids, and to make sure they know how to use their money wisely.

Assignment 6- Shelby Amato

Future Shelby, please choose one of these three prompts to respond to:

How would you win the Hunger Games? Include combat, survival, and ally tactics.

If you could identify as any scented candle what would it be and why?

You die. Which religion/mythology was correct about the afterlife? How do you deal with it?


Answer 1:

I am "Cozy by the fire" by Yankee Candle.

Since I love pumpkin pie so much, I think it is fitting that my essence should contain ginger and clove. Additionally, I feel that I have a fiery and tenacious personality that is well represented by fire, while tempered by the coziness of my warm personality- if I know and like you as a person. I've always loved scented candles and everything they can represent. Scented candles are warm nights after cold days, crunching leaves and crunching snow, windy pumpkin patches and bitter frost, and nights by the fire. Fall and Winter are my favorite times of the year, I was born at the transition between them in early December, and I've always identified myself strongly with the atmosphere of the season. I recognize the associations between my hair color and the things that I have chosen. I cannot tell you whether they are related, and no I don't think it is funny.

Assignment 6 - Ella Franklin

I'm into pop culture, as vague as that sounds. By that I mean I mourned when Mary Hart left Entertainment Tonight and complain about how they moved Access Hollywood to only a mid day talk show so I can't watch it at dinner. It's all stupid to pay attention to, whatever, I've been reading Us Weekly since I was young so there's no turning back now. Given this category, my three questions would be...

1. What celebrity do you hold a personal grudge against?
I'll answer this one.
I hate Jenny McCarthy. She's such a nobody you probably don't even know who she is, good for you. She's best known for thinking vaccines cause autism and being in Playboy. She's kind of like the Kardashians in that she's on reality TV now but we kinda don't know why? She isn't on TV because of Playboy and she doesn't get positive attention for the autism thing so who knows.
Regardless, every year she co-hosts Dick Clark's (God rest his soul) Rockin' New Year's Eve. Every year I have a New Year's Eve party because my birthday is close to New Year's Eve. I always have Dick Clark's Rockin' New Year's Eve on, and every year, like clockwork, Jenny McCarthy is there, with Donnie Wahlberg (Mark's brother), counting down to the New Year. I don't know how to describe it but she is always so annoying and just there. For no reason, just there. She's like a middle schooler trying to get the boys' attention. I won't let her ruin my New Year's entirely, though, God willing. I can't articulate what gets me so much about her. I'll meditate on it.

2. There are two types of people in the world: Seinfeld and Friends. Which one are you?
I'm Seinfeld

3. If you could be the child of any celebrity couple, past or present, who would it be?
Don Henley and Stevie Nicks

Assignment 4- Taylor Hodges

This is a picture of the victims of Hurricane Katrina. They were stranded here because the water was rising and there was no way to escape. No one thought about a hurricane causing THIS much damage to a whole state, but the damage is much more than that. The people who were impacted by this event could have family in other places, who are also impacted by this. The damage from this is still there today. There are still homes that are destroyed and have never been rebuilt for many reasons.
In this picture, you can see so much emotion on these people's faces. You can see the word "help" in huge letters and the waving of American flags. This was the only way people would know or see that they needed help and were stranded. The looks on these people's face show so much emotion. They didn't know if anyone would be able to see them or if they would ever find help.
There were many people who also felt this way. Many people were trapped in the waters, but some managed to find a way out. This was an event that shocked America and the effects of it are still here and people are still feeling the pain of what happened to them or maybe a family member that was caught in this.

Rebekah George Assignment 6

1. What is your favorite moral dilemma? Which side would you choose and why?

2. What would you do if you were truly the last person on earth? Is everything still up and running and everyone just mysteriously vanished or is a Fallout-esque wasteland?  

3. If you worked/lived in a company/country that was doing something terrible and you were, without a doubt, one of its greatest employees/citizens would you oust them or climb the latter to the top instead?   

If you met someone that you were sure was your soulmate, and they were immortal because their family drank from the fountain of youth without knowing it, would you drink too so as to become immortal? If you did, then everyone you know would eventually grow old and die. You would never see them again. If you didn’t, you would condemn your soulmate to an eternity of loneliness.

If I were put in this situation, there is no doubt in my mind that I would choose to be immortal. First of all, that would be super adorable. I would get to be with my one true love for all of time, and we would have the opportunity to do so many cute things. Furthermore, his family is immortal, so it’s not like we’re completely alone. People die. If I am alive for the span of the normal human life, I’m going to see a lot of people I love die anyway. I mean, being immortal “I’ll never see you again” really is never, but I think that I’d probably get over it eventually. That sounds ridiculously cold, I’m sure, but I’d always have my one true love with me.

There are, however, some questions that I have about this dilemma. The main one would have to be “what does this immortality entail?” Because, if it’s a Captain Jack Harkness kind of immortal, I’m skeptical. I don’t ever want to be just some giant floating head. Then again, he did just randomly decide to die…so, I don’t really know if he was in fact immortal. It’s all very confusing, really. I want to be young and awesome for all of eternity. I want to stop aging entirely as soon as I make this decision. Actually, the girl in the newest season of Doctor Who whose name I’ve forgotten is a perfect example. I don’t, however, want a human-sized memory. I kind of want to just be the same, forever. Another question I have is must I eat and drink? I mean, theoretically, the answer should be no. The same goes for breathing. We could totally build Atlantis. Would we be able to feel pain? It would be cool if the answer to that question is no because then I could try that one Tumblr post about cutting off my foot and swinging at another person (am I hitting or kicking you?).  My final question about this is would our children also be immortal? If not, that’s cool because I don’t want children, anyway. But, if yes, we can have an immortal empire; that would be cool too.

Assignment 6- Quinn Andrews

1. If you could learn one thing without any trouble what would it be? 2. Do you feel like school is actually beneficial past teaching you that you are nothing if you can't put productivity over health and happiness? 3. How do you relax when you feel really stressed? 3. I don't have much down time.I easily spend as much time doing homeowrk as I do in school, plus extracurriculars and family. This means I can't just randomly run off for a forty-five minute coffee break considering I usually keep scheduled to at least every half-hour. So I build it in. Two hours a week I help teach dance classes. This makes me feel good because I like being up and moving around and helping little kids. I spend most of my time stationary and just being on my feet for two hours is a blessing- even if it involves giving band-aids to three crying kids, explaining to parents that their presence distracts their children form the calss so "no, it would be better if you could stay in the waiting room, they'll be out in five minutes," and having to chase down the children who try to make a break from it. My life has to be constantly scheduled so I can get everything done. Kids are so spontaneous that it is nice to surrounded by that for a couple hours. Now, my 30 minute designation to do my blog posts is almost up, so I must go. I have to leave for dance in ten minutes.

Assignment 5- Quinn Andrews

I watch a ridiculous amount of TV. I admit it. Most of the time I simply leave it on as background noise while I read or do homework. Yet there are some shows that I do give my full attention. Shows like Criminal Minds, or Bones. I like the shows that have some kind of mystery to them, but the bad guy is caught in the end. I will admit that I dislike when my favorite characters lose. Mostly though, it's just nopt interesting enough. I prefer a book, where I can get lost imagining the settings and situations. With TV, that's already done for you and that takes some of the entertainmnet out of it. The kind of TV shows that use it's airing to simply waste your time are dumb. The one's with no real plot and simply character just running around on screen. I feel it's disappointing that we put so much emphasis on award shows for actors, singers, etc. They are doing their jobs. Simple as that. It's great to give them recognition but there are other impressive things going on that deserve attention as well. I really don't need to know who designed Jennifer Lawrence's dress. The idea that TV is inherently bad for you has been an interesting topic: it rots our brains, makes us lazy, and desensitizes us to violence. My TV intake should probably decrease but all of these don't sit very well with me. I don't understand how it can rot our brains.... It's a visual and auditory stimulus that we process just like anything else. Going to a concert is worse, with the sounds so loud it will actually damage your ears. I don't hear cries from all sides bashing concerts though. Maybe I'm just not paying enough attention. TV gives me a way to be lazy, it has never made me lazy. That's like saying books make you smart. It's what you make out of it that matters. It desensitizes us to violence- this one urks me the most. It is not TV itslef that does it- what desensitizes us is the constant reporting on violence IN THE REAL WORLD. We hear of bombings or school shootings at leatst once a week. Stories of rape culture on college campuses and absive celebrities/athletes nearly as often. We deserve to know what's going on in our world, but when hearing about all the violence that we might face at one point, how do we stay sensitive to it, and not be scared of our own shadow?

Assignment 7: On This Date

September 12th through October 11th. Those are the dates for your blog entry this week.

Pick one of the dates from the past four weeks and look up historical events happened on that date. Choose the event of your liking and answer the following:

What happened? Was this good or bad?

What influence did this have on the world? A nation? A city? Your existence?

Do you appreciate this event? Do you loathe it?

Continue to editorialize as you see fit.

Due Sunday, October 2nd at 11:59 pm

October 16th is the last day to make up blogs 1-8

Assignment 6: Claire Telfer

1. How much of an impact can one person create in your life and how much has that person shaped you into the person you are today?

2. If you could make an appearance on one TV show, reality, competition, or scripted, what would it be and why?

3. What was your dream job when you were a kid? How has your future career choice changed as you've grown up?

3. When I was a little baby Claire, I either wanted to be a fashion designer or a hairstylist. When I had dolls, I would chop their hair off and hide the hair from my mom because I knew she would get mad at me for violating my dolls. My desire to be a fashion designer also stemmed from my dolls. I would always love dressing my dolls because those Barbie outfits made them look like a million bucks. I also used bed sheets and curtains from my dollhouse to make dresses for them. I've still never learned how to sew or cut hair, so those dreams have died. I don't really have a dream job anymore, I just know that I want to help people. My ideal job has become more altruistic because I want to feel like I'm beneficial to society. Over the past couple of years, my idea of a career has changed from being a pediatrician to a researcher to being a biomedical engineer or a geneticist. I'm interested in being able to not just care for sick people but also be able to prevent sickness and disease.
I still really want to be a fashion designer though.

Assignment 5- Colton Warner

Television has for sure changed my life, but I think the pros outweigh the cons because I try to use TV not only as a source of entertainment, which it no doubt is, but also for some educational purposes.
I used to be more into TV than I am now- I would have one or two shows at any given time that I was binging. Now, my motto is: if it isn't a good show, at least in my standards, watching it is a waste of time. For example I try not to watch reruns of 2 Broke Girls because Veep, Arrested Development and Silicon Valley are significantly smarter and funnier to me. I find shows by reviews which sounds snooty and annoying, but I'm not going to waste time finding shows I like if there are databases online showing which others like. I usually trust premiums to make good stuff, so I watch Thrones (show of our generation), Homeland, and some Netflix like House of Cards and Chef's Table plus sports. These are for entertainment primarily and I'll watch them when I have time.
I think TV can be used in educational ways too- I always learn something new watching Sunday Morning on CBS also most things PBS or documentary are worth time. Rick Steve's is my Homie. My dream is be him- going around Europe with a short-sleeve button down and a fanny-pack making the locals feel uncomfortable with Dad jokes and lingering. I love TED also. At the end of the day, TV is not a great thing, so I try to make the most out of it, and I try not to watch NCIS: Los Angeles (No offense).
For the Emmy's, I'm conflicted- it rewards the shows that are actually trying to be art, but it also has all of the stupid Hollywood fanfare that plagues everyone watching. The Nobel Prize is definitely more important, and I think it is not as recognized because the general public (including me) thinks it is all over their heads, and some of it may actually be.

Assignment 3- Chelsea Avery

To say that there are only two extremes, good and evil, would be absurd.
To begin, people are not born with good or bad morals, they are learned and picked up as we grow older. That being said, it is not possible for someone to be born exclusively good or bad. Events in our lives shape who we become, whether that is a person who would return a lost wallet or a person who would pocket the cash is up to you.
When faced with a situation in which one's morals are tested, you must also consider what else is going on. I'm sure that there are generally nice people who usually will return a dropped wallet who on occasion take 5 when the sign says "take one, please." Or when someone is having a horrible day, decide to take it as a sign from the universe when they find cash on the ground.
For example, one day at work when I found $10 on the ground, I decided to pocket it. Why? Well you see, I like to think of myself as a generally good person. However, when I was forced to work an 11 hour shift at a place that does not pay minimum wage nor overtime, I decided to keep the cash. It just goes to show, people can be good, but that doesn't mean they are always good.

Assignment 5- Angelica Malkowski

Society today revolves around media more than it ever has before. Teens today are often criticized for being glued to their smartphones. In fact, teens spend an average of 9 hours using media (including listening to music) per day, according to CCN[1]. But the media consumption doesn’t end with teens. As a society, we pay far more attention to news surrounding celebrities (usually referring to an actor, singer, entertainer, or other person involved or related to media) than we do leaders in the field of academia. A perfect example of this is the huge number of people who watch the Emmy awards every year, compared to the small number who pay attention to Nobel Prize winners, which are released a few weeks later. The Emmy’s receive tons of coverage, with celebrities, gossip, and advertisements broadcast to millions of people. Contrastingly, Nobel Prize winners are quietly announced in the news, with no one excitedly watching. This demonstrates a sad truth in society today: leaders in academic fields are almost always not recognized or celebrated. Yes, the job of entertainers (the type of people found at the Emmy’s) are very important to society. They have the power to bring a county together in hard times. They can make people laugh despite a recent tragedy. They can deeply effect a society’s views and opinions on a certain topic. But, not all media is like that. In fact, most media is pointless and asinine. And whether you agree with that or not, you must agree that society has the ability to survive and grow without things like the Emmy’s. However, society cannot survive or grow without the type of people who win Noble Prizes. These people are the ones who push society forward through inventions, scientific breakthroughs, etc. So unless you’d prefer to live without African American civil rights (Martin Luther King, Jr.-Nobel Peace Prize winner, 1964), equality in female education, specifically in science fields (Marie Curie-Nobel Physics Prize, 1903), or still practice apartheid in South Africa (Nelson Mandela- Nobel Peace Prize, 1993), give Nobel Prize winners the recognition they deserve.

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[1] CNN article can be found at http://www.cnn.com/2015/11/03/health/teens-tweens-media-screen-use-report/

Assignment 6 - Naylan James

Prompt One: If you were to wake up on an island with two items - a matchbox and a knife - how would you survive, what would you do? Is there any friend you think would be able to help you survive?

Prompt Two: What national event has impacted your life with the most magnitude (whether positive or negative)?

Prompt Three: What does a normal day in your life look like? What would you like to improve?

Prompt three response: Every morning I wake up, force my dog out of bed, and take him out to use the bathroom while I struggle to stand. Then, after I get ready for school and leave, I park down by the apartments and try to nap. After I get in school and attempt to stay awake through my first three classes, I go home and hit the xbox and play some FIFA. Then, I look at my homework for a good 30 seconds and decide to do something else. After sitting and watching whatever I find on TV, I do homework and attempt to give my dog enough attention for him to be a happy fella. I usually try to go to sleep by 1030 so I won't be as miserable about waking up at 630, but, as we learned in the Teenage Brain, teenagers don't produce melatonin until like 4 in the morning or something.

Rebekah George Assignment Five

I would like to begin by saying that I could easily write a series of novels on the television shows that I love, complete with movie adaptations, and even a television series of its own that is a spinoff of said movie and novel series. Not that it would be particularly interesting, but that’s approximately how much I have to say on the subject. Here, I shall be brief.

First and foremost, as I believe myself to have mentioned in a previous post, I am a diehard SuperWhoLock. I.e., I love Supernatural, Doctor Who, and Sherlock. That, in and of itself, would probably be my first novel in the aforementioned series of novels, movies, etc. In sticking to my promise of brevity, I love them all for endless reasons; however, one would be simply the writing. Steven Moffat, though evil, is a brilliant writer. The same goes for Mark Gatiss, who I suppose is less evil than his coworker.  These two men have caused me so many tears and so much emotional pain. They write for both Doctor Who and Sherlock (in which Gatiss plays Mycroft Holmes) which is a beautiful tragedy. As for Supernatural, literally none of the writers give a single—well, sometimes, I think they have contests to see who can outweird the other because some completely insane plots have gone down in Supernatural. That show is a too-many-seasoned train wreck of epic proportions that shocks, amazes, and obviously captivates because we’re on like the eleventh season with no end in sight.  

As for other television shows, I happen to really like anime as well. Vampire Knight, Shugo Chara, Fruit’s Basket, and Fullmetal Alchemist, just to name a few, also fall under the “you’ve destroyed my heart and emotions, and I have suffered, but I want more” category. They’re all just too darn cute, but also emotionally destructive. But, honestly, there are so many instances in anime in which the first or the first two seasons are a beautiful gift from God in heaven above that we should love and cherish for all eternity, and then they just don’t even bother to make any more seasons. Ouran Highschool Club and Fruit’s Basket are excellent examples of this happening. Also, Shugo Chara got super weird in the last few seasons. There was this strange, real-life fan club thing. I gave up long before that, but I did peak ahead and found that absolutely bizarre nonetheless. And Fullmetal Alchemist ended in a movie. Bleh. Anime is wonderful, but they honestly are kind of terrible when it comes to ending things well.

I don’t like, I obsess. My latest obsessions have been Mr. Robot, Breaking Bad, and American Horror Story. I enjoy Mr. Robot because it has really complex characters and many moral dilemmas that I find interesting. The main character, Elliot, has (if my little medical training serves me at all) schizophrenia and does drugs in an effort to curve the symptoms of his depression. The show centers around our young somewhat antihero hacker. He has major beef with E Corps, which he refers to as Evil Corps because they killed his father by their negligence to him as an employee. In Breaking Bad—which, shame on you if you haven’t seen it—Walter White decides to start cooking crystal meth with Jesse Pinkman after he is diagnosed with lung cancer. His brother-in-law is a DEA officer in New Mexico, where the show takes place, so once he finds out that there’s a new kingpin on the streets known as Heisenberg, he hasn’t the slightest that he’s trying to hunt down his own family member. Dealing with drugs often becomes violent, so what was once one crime becomes many: murder, assault, larceny. It’s beautiful. As for American Horror Story, it really is just hard to explain. It has complicated plots that are always interesting, a slew of diverse characters, and a sub-focus on horror elements. Every season is a completely new story, with a new theme and new characters played by the same actors. Jessica Lange, always at the forefront of this captivating drama, is a phenomenal actress. She always plays a character that exudes complexity. Always willing to do whatever it takes to get ahead, family usually seems to get in her way. From her insane children to her freaking adorable, serial killer boyfriend to her forever love that helped her out when she was in need, Lange always must take a second look at a situation for her family or what she perceives to be family. I eagerly await season six.

Shelby Amato- Assignment 5

I don't think that a nobel prize is as worth our attention as the Emmy's. Our society is built upon fair distribution of wealth according to the importance of your job to society, thus clearly actors and actresses in television are the most worth our time. The amount of talent required to entertain the masses is miles above the abilities required to secure a mere nobel prize.

The glorification of scientists has gone on far enough. They cannot make millions of stay at home parents cry about children on Law and Order, they cannot make girls swoon over doctors on Grey's Anatomy, and they cannot make millions laugh over six broke twenty somethings living in New York City apartments in the 90's.

I'm tired of everyone pretending that earning the highest level award possible in science or literature or peace is actually difficult. Our focus on the Emmy's is entirely justified according to the effort necessary to the achievement. Go ahead and watch those hours of the red carpet fashion- do your country a service.

Assignment 4- Colton Warner

(http://all-that-is-interesting.com/kevin-carter)

This photograph stood out to me the first time I saw it. I want to stop looking, but I feel like I should keep looking. It is cruel and disgusting but necessary.

On a trip to Sudan in March 1993, Kevin Carter documented a starving toddler supposedly trying to make her way to a feeding center when a vulture lands by her. Carter says he took the photo, chased away the vulture then left. It gained immense press after being sold to the New York Times and spread across the world news.

Seeing a vulture preying on a human being is startling and eye-opening. It is so easy to neglect the horrible things happening in the world when you don't have to see them every day. While the Sudanese famine took place in the 90's, starvation is still prevalent throughout the world, and I like how this photo brings such a sense of struggle and morbidity in starving areas. The fact that a vulture is looking at this alien human reminds me how lucky people are in the first world. Everyone (or almost everyone) in the United States got lucky in a birthing lottery to not be born in these conditions. It simultaneously makes me grateful for what I have and also desiring to help those struggling.

Kevin Carter after winning a Pulitzer prize for this image the year before, committed suicide in 1994.

Philip Allison Assignment 5

People watch television because it is an entertaining and easy way to spend time comfortably. You don't have to do anything. People sit down in their lazy-boy and air conditioned living room and eat chips. It sounds pretty good, but it isn't pretty good for you. People could accomplish much more if they spent their time being productive rather than watching "One Tree Hill." Nonetheless, we all watch television. Most people watch fiction television instead of National Geographic or Discovery Channel, so their time is even more wasted. I also think that television is a good entertainer because it essentially turns the masses into zombies, being brainwashed by endless commercials. Even though some people fast forward through the commercials, they are still hidden in our sports games and variety shows. If you watch television, you will see commercials, and there is no way around that. And I am not sure if that is ever going to change.

Assignment 5: Charlotte Kessinger

I rarely watch cable television or even sit down in front of the TV at home. For one I feel like I don't have time and I also enjoy Netflix over cable television. I feel like "TV" is almost a time of the past. It is so easy now days to catch a new episode of something online and watch it for whenever you want. I think that our generation has replaced TV with social media. When I have time to catch up, I would much rather know what my friends are up to via twitter, instagram or snapchat rather than spend time watching reality TV about irrelevant people. I feel like today TV is infested with commercials trying to sell you something stupid. There is usually what feels like 2 minutes of the actual program you want to watch compared with almost 5 minutes of commercials. No wonder people use Netflix! Which brings me to the point that the only point TV still exists is for advertisers to get their messages out to the masses. Other than the news, I feel that TV is a waste of time and there are many other ways for somebody to spend their time.

Assignment 4: Charlotte Kessinger

This picture was taken in Haiti just after the 2010 catastrophic 7.0 magnitude Haiti Earthquake on January 12, 2010. For some reason I remember hearing about this earthquake clearly I think because it was right before the day I turned 10. It made me realize that other people in the world live lives so differently from me and I could be having the best day ever (such as my 10th birthday) while other people just lost everything they owned. I can't even begin to imagine how the the brother and sister feel in the photograph considering I have never lost my parents, relatives and home all in one day or even ever. The little girl is young enough to not understand what is going on and the older brother probably realizes his life just changed for forever and that he has to step up and help out. Around these two young children I bet that they see things young children should never see such as dead bodies, injured people and total destruction of their home. This photo provokes feelings of sadness and even guiltiness to me.

henry macfarlan assignment 5

Prior to the Emmys, every type of media, from television to twitter, is flooded with hype for the upcoming award ceremony.  As a result, when the award show finally comes rolling around it is met with massive amounts of viewer turn out.  Millions of americans watch the Emmy Awards every year, but far fewer watch the Nobel Prize ceremonies.  Fewer people watch the Nobel Prizes given away every year as few people even know it is happening at the time.  While the Emmy awards are given so much media coverage it would be almost impossible to not be aware of it.  But even still, why do those who know about the Nobel Prizes miss it for the Emmys anyway?  The answer says a lot about the way media is set up in our society.  It is far more entertaining to watch attractive and funny celebrities get arbitrary awards on their works of entertainment in the past year, then to watch an average seaming person get an award for something that is truly important.

Assignment 5 - Ella Franklin

First of all, no one watches TV anymore. If you look at the Emmy nominations, streaming and non-cable services like HBO, Netflix, and Amazon dominate. So, in its original sense, "TV" is out. This has altered the American identity in association with television - it used to be the place to be for prime time, now it's just whenever we have time.

Regular TV viewing has expired. The only people I know who watch TV regularly are grandmas. Like one of my friend's grandmas who promptly watches reruns of Reba or The Big Bang Theory nightly. Or my own grandma who lives for her weekly Dateline episode.

Our generation has replaced TV with social media. I would much rather spend half an hour jumping from Instagram to Twitter to Snapchat than watching one episode. Pin it on the attention deficit of our generation. But, in fairness, we are consuming more, and I would argue that's a good thing. I could spend half an hour wrapped in the nonsense misadventures of the Kardashians and learn nothing. In five minutes on Twitter I can learn that "'My Name is Earl' star Jason Lee ditched Scientology" (@enews), find out what I should keep and remove from my social media pages when applying for college (@ThePrincetonReview), and, though I'm not Catholic, I can get my Sunday dose of religion after skipping church in, "As Christians, we are called to be missionaries of the Gospel" (@Pontifex, Pope Francis).

So, no I don't really watch TV. In a free moment, I'd rather find out what's going on in the real world than get wrapped up in a fictional one. But, of course, sometimes we'd rather ignore the real world for good reason, which is understandable from time to time. Sometimes I'll watch an episode of Seinfeld if I really have nothing to do, or see what trash is on E!. Maybe I'm just not doing TV right.

Henry Macfarlan assignment 4

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/38/Th%C3%ADch_Qu%E1%BA%A3ng_%C4%90%E1%BB%A9c_self-immolation.jpg
This image depicts a tibetan monk who has poured gasoline on himself and then proceeded to light himself on fire in a public place.  This photo was taken in 1963 in vietnam.  The monk was protesting the prosecution of Buddhist in south vietnam.  This image is importent as it is extremely disturbing, in the photo a man is killing himself in one of the most horrific ways possible.  However, as a result of his sacrifice he was able to call attention to his cause, and try to alleviate some of the persecution of the Buddhist faith in south vietnam.  Outside of the frame of the photograph there are other monks and many people gathered around watching in horror.  This again is important as it brings light to some of the atrocities that few people knew about in south vietnam.  By sacrificing himself, this monk was able to call attention to a subject that was falling by the way side, and he was able to try to help some of his fellow monks and free them from persecution.

http://cdn.thedailybeast.com/content/dailybeast/articles/2015/01/20/tibet-s-self-immolation-outbreak-will-not-be-shared/jcr:content/image.img.2000.jpg/1421757030961.cached.jpg
This image depicts a tibetan monk who has poured gasoline on himself and then proceeded to light himself on fire in a public place.  This photo was taken in 1963 in vietnam.  The monk was protesting the prosecution of Buddhist in south vietnam.  This image is importent as it is extremely disturbing, in the photo a man is killing himself in one of the most horrific ways possible.  However, as a result of his sacrifice he was able to call attention to his cause, and try to alleviate some of the persecution of the Buddhist faith in south vietnam.  Outside of the frame of the photograph there are other monks and many people gathered around watching in horror.  This again is important as it brings light to some of the atrocities that few people knew about in south vietnam.  By sacrificing himself, this monk was able to call attention to a subject that was falling by the way side, and he was able to try to help some of his fellow monks and free them from persecution.

Assignment 6:Create Your Own Adventure

What interests you? What is your point of exigence? What's on your mind?  What do you want to chat about? Rant about? Learn about?

'Cause really, isn't it all about you? <wink wink nudge nudge>

This week, create three writing prompts that you find most intriguing. Then, choose one prompt and respond to it.

Note:
Please don't make the other prompts "dummy" prompts - I'll be revisiting these options later next semester.

Ready...

Go!

Due Sunday, September 25th at 11:59 pm

October 16th is the last day to make up blogs 1-8

Assignment 5: Claire Telfer

I watch TV to give my brain a break after school or just to relax. I could read a book, but it's just easier to sit down and binge watch shows. When I was younger, watching TV stimulated my imagination because I could dream about what could be. I always liked animation shows because they presented an alternate universe that made you want to live in it. I love shows that everyone can relate to in one way or another. For one, I love watching Spongebob because you could probably make a Spongebob reference in a high school room and the majority of the class would laugh. I also like watching reality TV. I know it's trash, but it's too good to stop watching. One in particular, Keeping up with the Kardashians, has a special place in my heart. I've been watching it for about two years and I love watching the reruns the most. Watching the older episodes compared to the present ones reveal the evolution of each of the Kartrashian's character. We see them struggling through divorce, depression, health scares, etc. I feel like I'm watching something that can genuinely happen to anyone.

Assignment 5 - Christian Lauritzen

     I cannot speak very well on the topic of Television and its merits because I do not watch much TV. I find that it is quite simply inferior to being subscribed to cheaper and higher-quality content available on the internet, or otherwise through it.  Regular TV today is utterly horrible to use.  You can only watch what TV stations decide will be running that day.  You can record your favorites but even those recordings require the show be aired at some point, which only ever happens when business executives identify it as a profitable running choice.  My family personally has Dish TV, using a satellite, and that is even worse because when a spout of bad weather passes through our area, signal can go out for hours.  You also have to make sure you own the subscription to the channel you want to watch shows on, and these packages can bring cable subscriptions up into hundreds of dollars a month.  And I haven't even mentioned the fact that you can't get a lot of movies or shows on regular TV packages period.
     Meanwhile, my families Netflix subscription costs less than 10 dollars a month for all 4 of the people in our family to have customized collections of hundred and thousands of media at our finger tips, compared to a 70 dollar cable subscription which gets me select shows at only a certain time on a single device.  I also have a Chrome extension that makes my computer appear like it is in different countries, so I can have access to services like Britain's iPlayer, which has a huge amount of content created by the BBC available to anyone "within the country".  There is also the factor that you don't have invasive advertisement every 10 minutes for 2 minutes when watching streaming services. Online streaming services are just superior to TV in every way. As an example, I love the show Game of Thrones.  The HBO channel package costs 15 dollars a month on TV, and that's only if your provider offers it.  The scheduling is random and mandated by a group of people sitting at computers deciding what is profitable, and you still have to watch commercials.  All the while HBO Now for the same price gives you all HBO content whenever you want without intrusive advertisement.  It's no wonder that so many people are dropping cable services in favor of the superior content-viewing experience.

Assignment 4 - Christian Lauritzen

     This image of the world famous "Pillars of Creation" in the Eagle Nebula presents a powerful perspective of humanities place in the Universe. Taken by the Hubble Telescope in 2014, even such a beautiful picture cannot explain how truly, mindbogglingly massive this structure is.  The left-most pillar is 4 light-years tall. That is the distance from the Sun to the nearest Star, Proxima Centauri. And even this structure is a tiny part of the even more massive nebula it resides within.
     Comprehending how large space is presents a profound challenge.  Another even more-so challenging feat is understanding how small our little section of space is compared to the rest of the Universe.  The farthest we have ventured into space (a little over 240,000 miles to the far side of the moon) is a relative nothing when put beside our visible Universe.  We are incredibly small.  Another famous picture presenting the same thoughts, a Pale Blue Dot made famous by Carl Sagan, and numerous other projections from deep space show that every single even in the history of known life is irrelevant to the rest of existence.  It just goes to show that sometimes we need to understand that human efforts could be put toward so many more positive efforts than fighting, among other things, to better ourselves and perhaps someday see these pillars with our own eyes.

Assignment 4 Rebekah George

 

This picture, entitled simply “Mandela Walks Free”, rocked South Africa to the core. Nelson Mandela was finally free. After 27 years behind bars for peacefully demanding equal rights in South Africa, some feared his release and the end of apartheid would spark civil war in South Africa. What I find interesting about it, however, is neither the great things that he would go on to for South Africa—as bad as that may sound—nor is it that he became a symbol of peace and reconciliation. Both of these things are ridiculously phenomenal, and we should absolutely celebrate Mandela’s life and his accomplishments, but there is something far more interesting that I find about his release.  

The Mandela Effect: the name given to the phenomenon of collective misremembering of specific facts or events, named such as many of Mandela’s fellow prisoners believe him to have died in prison. (David Emery, Snopes) That is what they remember. Another example would be the “Berenstein Bears”, which I found out maybe a couple of months ago are actually the "Berenstain Bears". My life is a lie, and we live in the Matrix. The entirety of the internet is in an uproar about the blatant evidence of Neo’s universe in this one blast from the past. The theories about why this happens are incredibly strange, but also really interesting. My personal favorites are all conspiracy theories, of course.

1.      Parallel Universes

2.      The Matrix

3.      Aliens (I haven’t read anything that says that this is a theory, but I’m sure someone believes it.)

4.      Cognitive dissonance

Examples of this happening are everywhere: Star Wars, Forrest Gump, and even McDonalds.  I do not know why this happens, and no one else really seems to either, but I hope that it’s one of the not boring, science-y reasons.  I want parallel universes, the Matrix, and aliens. *Cries*

Assignment 4- Angelica Malkowski

This photo, taken by Joe Rosenthal in 1945, has become one of the most reproduced photos of all time. It depicts the raising of a flag after an American victory in Japanese Iwo Jima. This small victory was a bright light among five days of intense battle, and was therefore an emotional event among the soldiers present. Soon after being taken, the picture appeared on the front cover of newspapers across America. For many it represented a hope that Japanese forces were close to being conquered and that victory and peace were near. In fact, it evoked such a strong emotional reaction that millions of Americans bought war bonds to help the nation remain financially stable. Some could argue that this simple photo helped the Allies win the war. Although I was, of course, not alive during WWII, this photo still conveys a sense of victory and American pride. I have a lot of family members who have served in the military; this photo reminds me of them, and all who have served this country. I am forever grateful to them. This photo is also a reminder of all the loss of life that came with WWII, and that comes with any war. All the wreckage on the ground helps convey this. But, the clear sky in the background and the five men working together to lift the heavy flag also convey a sense of fraternity and hope for the future. That, along with the rising American flag- which stands out due to the sharp diagonal line of the pole, and expresses the American spirit- are what people related to most when this photo was published in 1945.

This photo can be found at http://www.cnn.com/2015/02/22/world/cnnphotos-iwo-jima/index.html

Connor Haney Assignment 4

This is a picture following the acts of September 11, 2001. Before this picture was taken, one of the planes ran into one of the World Trade Center buildings in New York. Outside of the picture is either the live building or a screen showing the World Trade Center on fire. Through this picture, you can tell that the immediate responses to the actions on 9/11 were shock, sadness, and worrying. People in the streets are crying for the lost ones and potential future lost ones. People were shocked over the attacks that conspired on this day and that day was a time for grieving over the events and remembering lost ones. Overall, this brought a sense of unity within the United States, and it gave airports across the country a stronger security system, on top of bringing families closer together.

Connor Haney Assignment 3

Good is the ability to do right by someone or by a community. Evil is the exact opposite. Evil is the ability to do wrong by someone or by a community. There really is no way to perfectly describe someone as good or evil. Only actions can be labeled as good or evil. For example, Leah Kleppinger's actions to return the wallet was good. She could've kept the wallet with full intentions, but she did the good thing and returned it to the rightful owner. However, on the other hand, she could have kept that wallet and spent that entire amount of money for herself, which definitely would have been an evil action. Neither good nor evil will eventually "beat" the other one out but, to an extent, the two actions can cancel each other out in one person. Someone could do a good thing and an evil thing(within reason) and would be even keel and wouldn't be labeled as good or evil.

Assignment 4: Claire Telfer

This photo depicts a soldier rescuing and feeding a kitten during the war. In times of war, we expect photos to show the reaction to destruction of civilization and the anguish caused by so much death. Instead, in this picture, we see compassion in the simplest of ways. In the midst of fighting for his life and his country, this soldier takes the time to feed an abandoned kitten. It makes you realize that among all the despair in the world, all you need is a glimpse of hope for your faith to be restored. It defines that, as humans, we can experience things that make life unbearable, but at the same time, there's still good in the world that shines through the pain. It's comforting to see the unexpected in times of grieving and sorrow.