Antonia Solar Public Feed

Antonia Solar Capstone

Posted by Antonia Solar in Capstone · Pulley/Giknis/Spry · Wed on

The idea for my Capstone was to create a pop-up book answering the question “In what ways can art be interactive?” My final pop-up book, Die Papiertänzerin “the paper dancer” : An Interactive Art Exhibit uses a variety of interactive story telling techniques greatly inspired by White Noise (David A. Carter), and Bauhaus Ballet: A Pop-Up Performance (Gabby Dawnay and Barnes Lesley). Bauhaus artist Oskar Schlemmer’s work was also a great influence in the designs of the pages. To create my book I mainly used Adobe Photoshop and a Cricut Explore Air 2 (which I had to learn to use). The designs of each page were drawn out and then further developed in three stages until they were finalized digitally to be cut by Cricut. Throughout the process I also received feedback from Ms. Alvarez, Ms. Leaness, and Ms. Giknis (my mentor) on the progression of my book.

Planning/Research Doc

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1pGE0_AwzNj_Me8fj-Hxxz3ytVJo3aq8dPth2_fKPVTo/edit?usp=sharing

Bibliography

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1mGC0M7ZoOg9uoZN56QouWiB4Jgt7CauExSnVdOF7VF8/edit?usp=sharing

Advanced Essay #3: Perception

Posted by Antonia Solar in English 3 · Block · B Band on

Author’s Note:

My goal for this essay is to help people realize how the angle you view culture through can change everything. In a world of opinions, perception can affect everything and immigrants a lot of the time are subdued to a negative portrayal. I am proud that this piece of writing leads readers to question if their own opinions on a culture that is not theirs are truly valid and whether or not there is something more they could do to become more educated on a variety of different cultures and not fall for the misconceptions and stereotypes set.

Perception:

In a Refugee camp in Greece, a baby boy smiles, chocolate splattered around his face like war paint. His pink gums show through, teeth not having yet emerged. Sparse brunette hair sprinkles his head, yet to have fully grown out. His eyes piercing green, reveal all he has seen but not understood. A thick worn-out blue and white striped onesie keeps him warm, so fuzzy it makes him look like a bear cub or caterpillar. The boy is held by a woman wearing a red sweater on top of a black jacket. She is looking the opposite way, facing the tents nearby. Red, grey, brown and camo scatter the dirt ground. In one of the tents, four children can be seen, looking shyly, scared but curious at the same time. Even further in the distance, three figures can be spotted wearing black, seemingly officers in discussion looking towards the camp, their facial expressions, and emotions a mystery.

Interpretations and opinions are created through one’s own experiences and personal exposure to information. From place to place, communities can vary, as they grow, they can become their own unique and independent cultures, holding different ideals and having particular cultural norms and traditions. Perspectives can be built on other cultures depending on the differing aspects of the culture and one’s own, spreading stereotypes. Most of the time, the lack of understanding and knowledge of another culture can cause ignorant opinions to be formed. With the widespread of media, it can become more prevalent what the impressions of different cultures are. Especially with developing countries, people from developed ones start to get a savior complex, feeling it is their moral duty to give people the ability to live as they do. With the development of opinions and biases, people can get lost in their preconceived notions of a culture, being blinded and not understanding the culture until they open themselves up and step out of their comfort zone to meet people they would not usually talk to.

In the film Beasts of the Southern Wild, a scene is portrayed where the Bathtub, their home is raided and they are taken to be assimilated into society. This scene is very powerful in that it shows the different perspectives people from distinct cultures can have. To the people who took them, the people in the Bathtub were not living a desirable, good lifestyle. This is why they felt a duty to bring them out of poverty, gaining a moral reward by assuming the people of the Bathtub would be grateful. Instead though, the people of the Bathtub are unhappy, wanting to return to their lifestyle that was familiar, safe, and their own, being acclimated into society not being something that attracted them. This shows how just because sometimes a given culture can be seen as not desirable for oneself does not mean that it should be seen as inferior to another culture. Another example of this in the film is when Hushpuppy, the main character mentions how in the “dry world” (society,) “Daddy always saying…they got fish stuck in plastic wrappers, they got their babies stuck in carriages, and chickens on sticks and all that kind of stuff.” This specific quote highlights how the “dry world” is viewed as a place that has limited freedom compared to the Bathtub. Thinking of the world today in these terms can really change your point of view and make you realize the importance of perspective and the risk of assuming without a better understanding.

The book Enrique’s Journey discusses a unique and under-told view of how Central American immigrants are perceived by Mexican locals during the dangerous trip to the United States. During the journey, when the 17-year-old boy named Enrique, the focus of the book, gets beat up and jumped, he goes around the town nearby asking for help. When the county seat Adan Ruiz passes by, and he is asked to help Enrique, he responds with “This is what they get for doing this journey.”(pg. 47) In the many of the nearby Mexican towns on the path taken to the United States, the local people do not help migrants passing through, mainly either for the fear of gang members or for the idea that Central America is sending them all of their problems. In this kind of situation, where getting help from someone can mean life or death, having a negative image portrayed and pushed onto immigrants can be dangerous. At the same time, this brings up the question of: Should the local people there have the obligation to help passing immigrants? As in that area, Central American immigrants are seen as inferior, they do not get much help or sympathy as they struggle to escape adversity and reach a place of opportunity. The strong negative perceptions of immigrants without documents clashes with the immigrant desire for a better life leaving them more vulnerable.

Humans naturally build opinions on topics. Becoming exposed to a culture that is different than yours either through talk, imaging, or experience can cause you to compare your culture to the other. A negative outlook can become especially problematic as anything different will appear as something bad, setting roots for stereotypes and discrimination. Staying open-minded can lead to a real understanding and helps form more educated opinions. In society, immigrants are viewed negatively a lot of the time, judged and not accepted for being different and having other traditions. All societies are built on traditions, which can be a key part of one’s identity. In the end, looking at something through another lens and perspective can help you better understand your own culture and others as well as, what a community’s role is in society.

Beasts Of the Southern Wild. Beverly Hills, Calif. :20th Century Fox Home Entertainment, 2012.

Nazario, Sonia. Enrique’s Journey. Random House Trade Paperbacks, 2014.

J, Peter. “16 Children – 16 Photos: Click the Black Background and Switch on Their Reality.” Politiken, Politiken, 28 Feb. 2017, https://politiken.dk/fotografier/art5849931/Click-the-black-background-and-switch-on-their-reality.

Advance Essay #1: Long Distance

Posted by Antonia Solar in English 3 · Block · B Band on

Introduction:

My goals for this essay were to write something that would really stick people and make them realize something and see things differently. I wanted it to be memorable for them and for the essay’s idea to develop into a bigger, deeper topic by the end. I am very proud of how the essay turned out, I think my theme ended up developing into something very interesting: objects, memories, and connection and I think the descriptive writing in my scenes really immerses the reader. Although I had a hard time coming up with my scenes as for some reason I couldn’t remember anything as soon as we were assigned to write about memory, I think the scenes fit into my essay well and take the readers by surprise as there is not much foreshadowing to what happens in them. For my next paper, I would like to improve how much analysis I have in my essay because even though I liked having my scenes, I could have written more analysis to really go even deeper on the theme.

Essay:

Frequently moving has left my house lacking in sentimental objects. I hold very few things at value as I’ve learned not to get too attached to them. The few items that I have that matter to me contain the story of my life, past, and family. At the same time, my memories have been the main thing that I have been able to take with me wherever I go.

In my house, I have a palm-sized alpaca, which is made from wire that can only be seen in the feet, where it is looped for each foot so it can stand up. It is covered in real fur, which is apparent by the smell that’s similar to that of a pine tree. Over the years some of the fur has fallen off, revealing the white leather beneath. The details of the face are made with black string sewn onto the leather in a caricature style noted by the big eyes. Placed around its neck is one of the decorations put on llamas’ ears, the size of a bracelet, which stands out by its bright green, yellow, fuchsia, and maroon colours.

I can still remember when I got my little alpaca. It was during one of our trips to the North of Chile, a few days before we traveled to Peru. Right when I saw it, I knew I had to have it. It became a real pet to me and I would take it everywhere with its yellow leash that I had made from yarn. After visiting Peru, we were afraid that on our plane ride back Chilean customs would confiscate it, thinking it had been made in Peru and brought to Chile. So, to get it across we hid it between our clothes and were able to safely get it back to its rightful home.

For many years, my alpaca had a special place in my room, where I could look at it and remember all it had taken for it to be where it was. As I grew older, I stopped paying as much attention to it, getting used to its presence. Years later, when I moved to Canada, I left my beloved alpaca behind. There it stayed for five years until I finally returned to Chile and rediscovered it, abandoned in an old box. Now that I live in the U.S., my alpaca has reclaimed its spot in my room, where I can fully appreciate and recall its story.

My memories from Chile are limited since I left when I was so young. It takes a lot for them to resurface and even then it almost seems like they were a dream and part of somebody else’s life. This is especially because the moments feel far away, and are mostly foggy to me. Most of what I remember are either small, random details or surreal, almost movie-like experiences, dramatized by my young mind. One of those moments shares a lot of similarities with the getting of my alpaca.

A year after the alpaca debacle, we were at the airport ready to travel again. Canape, my hamster was buzzing in his cage. He was grey with a dark stripe running along his backbone and crazed eyes almost bulging out of his head. We had no one to care for him while we were away, so we couldn’t leave him behind. I took him out of his cage and placed him in his travel box, his little whiskers wiggling as he took in the new scents around him. We knew that if we checked him in with the airline he would be put in the cargo hold of the plane and we were afraid he wouldn’t survive the trip.

We checked in our suitcases and it was time to go through security. My eyes trailed along the line of people placing all their belongings on the grey trays and preparing to pass through the tall metal detectors. Our turn came to be inspected. I looked back to my dad who had placed Canape’s cage in a bag, but the little grey ball of fur was nowhere to be seen. “You can go,” said one of the officers. I walked across the metal detector, fearing that it would ring even though there was no reason for it to. My parents both made it through without any alarm and as we started to get our things from the grey tray, my dad opened his hoodie pocket and inside two small eyes stared up at me, it was Canape.

Overtime, the stories my parents have told me of my childhood, have become so ingrained, they have become my own memories. This was one of the few events that I needed my mom to assure me that it had really happened. Almost like a movie or a TV show, it seems unreal. Because we lived far away from the rest of our family, we would visit frequently, mainly staying in my grandparents’ home. We would spend Christmas there, and wait until midnight to open our presents together. I have many memories like that from that house like how my cousins and I would hide under the long-legged bed and would light up whenever one of our parents gave us money to get candy from the store next door. The most memorable one though being a time that brought us closer than we ever thought we could be.

That night I remember not being able to fall asleep. We had just arrived to visit my grandparents after a long trip and I was sleeping in my dad’s old room. It was a small room with a twin-sized bed and some shelving whose outline could vaguely be seen. It was dark but the light from the window caught my attention. Through the curtains I could see as the streetlights lit the pavement, creating a shadow of the contents of the street within the room. Movement caught my attention. The telephone pole outside almost seemed to be vibrating, moving of its own accord. Was I just imagining this? I passed it off as me just being tired, closing my eyes and letting sleep wash over me…

“Wake up!” my parents jolted me awake. Rubbing my eyes I realized something was wrong. Everything was shaking. I could hear the voices of my uncles, aunts, and cousins outside the room. My parents pulled me up and took me downstairs where we found the rest of our family huddled in a corner in the living room. It was still really dark and I realized I must not have been asleep for that long. As I took in my surroundings, I realized it was shaking harder now and I could hear the breaking of glass as some of my grandmother’s decorative plates were falling. It was the only sound I could really hear other than the creaking of the wood of the house. I’d felt earthquakes before but never this bad, still fear never crossed my mind as my parents held me tight. There we stayed the whole night, in that corner, waiting for the shaking beneath our feet to come to an end.

My memory from that moment is still vivid and although I don’t get to see my family very often—in fact, I haven’t seen them in the last three years, which in and of itself seems bizarre—I still miss them and feel connected to them through my memories. Regularly moving from country to country has made me feel detached from places and people, like I’ve had four different lives and no deep-seated roots. My family is the one thing that has stayed constant and I know that they are always thinking of me just like I am of them. Being away, the most precious thing are those memories that even though they seem like a dream, they are the connection to my origins and childhood.

LOTF Essay// Power Through Fear

Posted by Antonia Solar in English 2 · Pahomov/Rhymer · D Band on

Antonia Solar

Ms. Pahomov

English 2

25 March 2019

Power Through Fear

How is leadership established? There are different forms of leaders all around, some leaders with more power than others, but what should be done when people are ruled by the one they fear? At times, desperate followers can assist towards insecure people asserting fear-based leadership. The hopelessness of the followers leads to them not having the confidence to stand up to their leader due to the terror they have of the outcome if they can’t guide and support themselves. The coercive power of leaders keeps people in line by creating a sense of powerlessness, obedience, and dependency.

In William Golding’s, Lord of the Flies, Jack presses the group of boys to listen to him as he plays into the fear that they will be stuck on the island forever. As chief, Jack says he will “get more of the biguns away from the conch and all that" (133). Jack states  that when his tribe hunts they'll leave some of the kills for the beast so that it won't bother them. The conch, which represents a civilized society, illustrating how Jack did not think about long-term effects of staying on the island. Instead, he thought of what benefitted him and what he wanted, leading to him being able to come into rule as the uneasiness of what their future might hold giving Jack leeway to come into power. Ralph and Piggy try to tell Jack that the fire is their only way out, and throughout the book, it represents their only tie to society and their old life. As Jack becomes blinded with his greed and need for power, he blurs the goals of his tribe. The more Ralph loses his hold over the group of boys, they are left seeking for someone who will lead them in a more effective manner. Running wild becomes the only way they can stay in denial of the events that have happened.

Although it may seem almost from another world, government enforced disappearances exist as a way for leaders to establish their power over others. In an article from “Human Rights Watch,” it is pointed out that “It is impossible to determine the exact number of people jailed on politically motivated grounds due to the complete lack of transparency in the justice system, closed trials, and severe repression that precludes independent monitoring of these cases.”  In countries like Turkmenistan, where the government is very strict and the people living there have less freedom, fear of one’s family or friend being taken leads people to try to stay in line, reinforcing the government’s power. Governments can use their followers to their advantage and since they were given the power, the follower is left with nothing to do as they are unprotected by the law, which appears corrupt by the ones in power. This is revealed in the book, as Jack rules the group of boys by imposing the idea upon them that he is the only way they will survive, making them dependent of him.

Jack shows his ability to control others when he kidnaps the twins Sam and Eric to get them to be under his rule. Ralph tries to free them and they refuse to come, he says, "’Won't you come with me? Three of us--we'd stand a chance.’ After a moment's silence, Sam spoke in a strangled voice. ‘You don't know Roger. He's a terror.’ ‘And the chief--they're both--’ ‘--terrors--’" (189.) The description of Jack and Roger, who are the authority figures, by Sam and Eric who were forced to join their tribe, shows the fear that is instilled in them if they do one wrong move. It is shown that Sam and ric are too afraid to follow what they really believe and as there is no one who can challenge Jack and Roger, they are left helpless. This occurs too with government enforced disappearances as no one can help them as there is no one with enough power to overrule the leaders.

When it comes to government enforced disappearances, the fear is implanted in people by the fact that the ones who they trusted with keeping them safe are the ones hurting them, leaving the victims powerless. According to “Amnesty International,” an organization that focuses on human rights, “A disappeared person is also at a high risk of torture since they are placed completely outside the protection of the law.” Leaders can use their powers in negative ways as they are responsible and are able to influence the people who rely on them. This causes people to not be able to do much about the disappearances because they were already given control and power. Just like in Lord of the Flies, the mental hold that the leader has on the followers because of fear of being hurt, or not being able to go back to their lives, gives the leader the ability to do what they want.

Many of the events and characters can be connected to real-life events, and through this, we can understand the philosophy of humans and human behavior. Government enforced disappearances and Jack’s rule over the boys reveal the ideology that some people have where they are able to come into power through the vulnerability of the many followers. When Jack separates and creates his own tribe, his vision for the others becomes blurred with his own needs. This is apparent in government enforced disappearances as they as the government uses this technique for their convenience in a way to gain their best interest at heart. In Lord of the Flies, Jack even kidnaps Sam and Eric in a way to take what control Ralph had left. They are left without a way out as Jack’s show of strength keeps his followers loyal to him, haunting them with the fear that they too may be hurt if they do not do what they are told. Furthermore, when governments decide to enforced disappearances, they too show the control they have over their followers. As bystanders, the surrounding followers do not rebel and instead feed into the power of the leaders, helping them grow their influence. Books can be metaphors to people’s lives, leaving many lessons to be learned. Lord of the Flies can be seen as a reflection of the world, revealing the possible fear that can control people’s decisions, views, and can ultimately be the one to entrap one in their own self.







Works Cited

“Everything You Need to Know about Enforced Disappearances and Human Rights.”

Disappearances | Amnesty International, Amnesty International, www.amnesty.org/en/what-we-do/disappearances/.

Golding, William. Lord of the Flies. Penguin Books, 2006

Khazan, Olga. “Why You Shouldn't 'Go With Your Gut'.” The Atlantic, Atlantic Media Company,

20 Sept. 2016, www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2016/09/the-best-headspace-for-making-decisions/500423/.

Sada, Michelle. “Psych 256: Cognitive Psychology FA16 – 002.” Powered by Sites at Penn State -

WordPress, Penn State, 20 Nov. 2016, www.sites.psu.edu/psych256fa1602/2016/11/20/the-effects-of-fear-on-decision-making/.

“World Report 2019: Rights Trends in Turkmenistan.” Human Rights Watch, Human Rights

Watch, 17 Jan. 2019, www.hrw.org/world-report/2019/country-chapters/turkmenistan.






Antonia Solar- Printmaking Post

Posted by Antonia Solar in Art - Freshman · Hull · e1 Band on
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My element that I had to create a print of was the transition metal, iridium. It is number 77 on the periodic table. Iridium got its name from the goddess Iris for its colourful salts. Iridium was originally discovered by Smithson Tennant in 1803 in London. It was found in the residue of platinum that had been dissolved in aqua regia. It is usually used as a hardening agent for platinum alloys. It is also used in the tips of pens and in equipment that has to withstand high temperatures.
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For my print, I got the idea to do the skeleton of a dinosaur. The reason why I picked this was because of the Alvarez Hypothesis. This said that an object collided with the earth 65 million years ago, making many species extinct (dinosaur's being an example.) During the time when this object is said to have collided with the Earth there are high levels of iridium in the Earth's layer. Because of this, I decided to do a print of a dinosaur skeleton to symbolize the hypothesis of the extinction of dinosaurs. To create my print, I really tried to create a drawing that would be easy to see but eye-catching at the same time. I really tried to make the lines deep so that they would stand out in my print. After, I had to trace my drawing so that it would be backwards on the foam but forwards in the end. We then rolled a layer of paint over our foam and put a piece of paper on top to smooth it onto the paper. If I could do my prints gain I would take more time making sure that the lines didn't have paint in them and that they are bold so that people can really tell what my print is of. I would also add the atomic number of my element way bigger because it was really hard to make a print in which you could see the number clearly. A step that I really enjoyed was the actual printmaking process because it was really fun to be trying to create a good print and testing different paint colours.

Making an Impact on The Illegal Animal Trade

Posted by Antonia Solar in English 1 · Giknis · D Band on

For my last two posts, “Illegal Animal Trafficking” and “New Information on The Illegal Animal Trade” I wrote about illegal wildlife trafficking and everything I had learned about it. I found out about the magnitude and consequences of animal trafficking, the conditions animals are kept in when they are traded around and about how animals that are endangered are more valuable in the trade since they are rarer. I also talked about my interview with the Vice President of the Wildlife Conservation Society, Susan Lieberman, and how the laws on illegal animal trading are too lenient. I now continued my research to the next step of the You and The World Project, my Agent of Change, where we have to actually make an impact on our topic.

For this post, I wanted to learn about what was being done to combat this issue. I knew about big organizations like World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), which I previously talked about on my other posts. The WWF is educating people about illegal animal trafficking and trying to make sure legislation is followed. Also, they “research illegal wildlife trade routes, the effects of wildlife trade on particular species and deficiencies in wildlife trade laws. This information is essential for CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) and supports new plans for confronting illegal wildlife trade.” They do this to make sure stricter laws will be put in place to protect animals. During my research, I also discovered a new organization called Conservation International (CI) who is working to help animals that were trafficked and prevent wildlife threats. There are many organizations working on preventing illegal animal trading and hopefully with our help they will be able to stop animal trafficking.


Image result for wwf helping animals

For my Agent of Change, I was not sure what I wanted to do for it in the beginning. I finished my last post with the idea of maybe creating a poster to inform people about the illegal animal trade. After getting feedback from my peers and teacher, I decided to create a poster to place all over my school (SLA) Philadelphia so that people could learn more about the issue of illegal animal trafficking. My hope is that people will become as captivated with this topic as much as I have and will learn all they can about it as it is not a well-known topic. I also hope that the people who read my poster and even my posts will share their knowledge with others to spread the word and help animals.

Here is my illegal animal trade informational poster.

Here is my illegal animal trade informational poster.


Even though I had created my poster and gave people the opportunity to learn more about the issue, I still wanted to do more. After doing more research on the websites of big organizations that work to help protect animals, I found symbolic adoptions on the WWF website. I had heard about these before and instantly became interested. As I learned more about the adoptions, the question of what animal I would adopt appeared. I filtered my search results on their website to find the most critically endangered animals. Then, I decided to do some research to see what the most endangered animal in the world was, the Sumatran Rhino. Rhinos are greatly affected by poaching and their habitats are also being torn down. There are also only about 300 Sumatran Rhinos left living in the wild. It was the perfect animal for me to adopt. From adopting the rhino, I received a picture, an informational card about the animal, and a printed and online adoption certificate. The money from the adoption is used to help fund their organization (WWF) and help them to protect wildlife. I was particularly excited about adopting an animal especially since I had wanted to do something like this for a long time. I think it is great that people can make a change in this way. I will forever cherish my rhino and remember about illegal animal trading and how even though I am only one person I can make an impact in the world.




My adoption certificate for the Sumatran Rhino I adopted.

The illegal animal trade is an issue that I didn’t know much about in the beginning but I am happy to have picked. I came into this project not knowing what I wanted my topic to be. When I got the idea to do illegal animal trafficking, I barely knew anything about it. I learned so much from doing this project and from seeing other students’ projects. This evolved so much as I continued the project because I was able to learn about the many layers of my issue. I saw the horrifying images of the results of illegal animal trading, I even had the chance to interview an expert on the subject. I think that I could have managed my time better during this project, but overall I am really happy about how it turned out. This project has been a journey for me and I hope you have enjoyed my posts and will take this knowledge to help make a change because I know I will.



Annotated Bibliography


Antonia Solar- Negative/Positive Space Cut Out

Posted by Antonia Solar in Art - Freshman · Hull · e1 Band on
What is negative space?
Negative space is the space around and between an object and is used usually to make an object stand out. In negative space, two different colours are used. 

Explain how you found negative space in your cut out.
I found negative space in my cut out by imagining the opposite of my image in the colours. This is a sort of reflection of the image but at the same time its opposite. I looked at all the lines in my image and saw which ones combined with each other.

Why does it help an artist to see in negative space?
It helps an artist to see in negative space because then they can understand how the lines and colours work together. This can also help them to enhance an image by making the object in the image the centre of attention. 

Does seeing in negative space enhance drawings, why or why not?
Yes, I think it does enhance drawings because of the contrast the two different colours opposing and figures reflecting creates. 

New Information on the Illegal Animal Trade

Posted by Antonia Solar in English 1 · Giknis · D Band on

In the last post, I talked about my You and The World Project and how I picked illegal animal trafficking as my research topic. I learned how the rarer an animal is, the more demand there is going to be for that specific animal or animal product. Also, the reason why there isn’t that much information about the people selling these products is because they are big industries that provide financial support. Furthermore, illegal animal trafficking is also usually done by people who are local and who live in low income neighbourhoods, which is why they end up turning to illegal animal trafficking.


 Image result for illegal animal trafficking
Ivory being cut from a rhino to be illegally traded. © MICHEL GUNTHER / WWF-CANON

When live animals are trafficked, they can suffer from malnutrition, stress, depression, loneliness, and even death. According to an article from PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals,) animals have a mortality rate of 80-90%. From the same article, I also found that 90% of reptiles trafficked die within a year. When wildlife animal buyers realize they cannot care for animals, they abandon them by setting them lose to the wild or leave them outside of a zoo. This can cause animals to either die of starvation or to end up becoming an invasive species. Buying an exotic animal can not only be harmful to the animals themselves but also to humans. The article states, “Parrots and other exotic birds can transfer potentially deadly pathogens such as psittacosis, salmonella, and even avian tuberculosis to humans.” This shows how humans can gain all kinds of diseases from the wild animals they buy. It also says that “With the number of inspectors, we are able to physically inspect 25% of wildlife shipments.” Even with the regulations that are put to protect wild animals from being illegally traded, the laws are barely enforced.


Related image
Baby orangutan found in backpack being illegally trafficked. (Photo: WCS Wildlife Crimes Unit)

One of the biggest contributors to the illegal animal trade is people who buy exotic animals to keep as pets. According to the The National Humane Education Society, “For one, many owners do not have the knowledge or financial ability to adequately replicate a wild animal’s habitat within their own homes. Second, many exotic pets, such as hedgehogs and sugar gliders, are extremely small and can be easily crushed by furniture, closing doors, rowdy children, etc. Birds, specifically have the unique ability to fly away, only to die in temperate climates once the outdoor temperature drops in the winter. Third, not all veterinarians treat exotic animal patients.” This shows how just because people want to have a “cool” pet, they can end up hurting both themselves as well as the animal they are taking care of.


Related image

Tiger cub being smuggled in suitcase. Photo credit: "Wildlife Checkpoint, Suvarnabhumi Airport."


After all this new research, and learning so many new interesting things about wildlife trafficking, I decided to conduct my own research. I interviewed Susan Lieberman, the Vice president of the WCS (Wildlife Conservation Society.) In the past, she had also worked for the WWF-International as the Director of the Species Programme. She also worked for the US Government at the US Fish and Wildlife Service. She has a PhD in tropical ecology. Dr. Lieberman has also worked on the intersection between science and law. This is why I thought she would be the perfect person to interview.


Susan Lieberman, PhD

For my interview, I really wanted to ask questions that would either expand my knowledge about a certain topic or teach me something completely new. From my interview with Susan Lieberman, I learned many new aspects of wildlife trafficking as well as got a more insider look on what things were really like and on how deep and widespread the problem is. Here is a transcript of the interview I did. I also learned more about the ways that both individuals and government institutions could help stop this illegal trade. Some questions that I am now left wondering about is why don’t people know more about this issue and why don’t governments enforce the laws more to protect animals?


Picture of interview questions during phone interview.

All of these new things that I learned make me want even more to help stop this horrible trade. Now I know that there is more that needs to be done because if we don’t do anything, animal species could become extinct. For the last step of this project, our Agent of Change, we have to physically do something that is going to help end the problem that we picked (illegal animal trade.) For this, I am not sure what I want to do. I am thinking of maybe posting a video or poster on social media to help inform people about the problem. Finally, I hope you learned about the problem of the illegal animal trade and you help spread the word because we can all help make a change.



Annotated Bibliography


Illegal Animal Trafficking

Posted by Antonia Solar in English 1 · Giknis · D Band on

I have known about illegal animal trading for a long time but I never really thought about it. When this project was introduced, where we were told to pick a problem in the world to research and become an expert on; it was hard for me to find what topic I would pick. I finally concluded on doing my project on illegal animal trading. I would not be able to even imagine a world without animals and the fact that many of them are becoming extinct makes me really sad. I thought that I should try to bring awareness to people. When buying products in a foreign country, tourists can sometimes be the contributors to the illegal animal trade as they buy an exotic animal or something made from animal. After doing some research, I found out that animals are smuggled in all different ways and that endangered animals are more popular since they are more rare.


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Animal products being illegally sold in in China’s Laomeng Market. Photo credit: Alpha. 7


Animals that are endangered have a higher demand in illegal trading. According to the, Official Web Page of the U S Fish and Wildlife Service, “Illegal wildlife trade is also often unsustainable, harming wild populations of animals and plants and pushing endangered species toward extinction. Endangered animals and plants are often the target of wildlife crime because of their rarity and increased economic value.” The fact that endangered animals are the most wanted in illegal trading, causes endangered animals to be even more vulnerable. This can bring them to the brink of extinction and also makes it harder for conservation organizations to help raise the population numbers of endangered animals as they are either killed or traded off.

The reason why illegal animal trading is such a massive industry is because of the low risk the task pertains. The World Wildlife Fund says, “Corruption, toothless laws, weak judicial systems and light sentences allow criminal networks to keep plundering wildlife with little regard to consequences. These factors make illegal wildlife trade a low risk business with high returns. The poachers—often poor locals—are the usually the only ones caught, leaving the real masterminds and their network safe and operational with the ability to strike again.” The big organizations rarely get caught trading illegally because local people are the ones selling illegal products and who end up getting caught. As reported by The U.S. Department of the Interior, “Poaching wildlife is viable because the monetary gain often exceeds the income that would be available from legitimate sources. Last spring, the Associated Press reported that a poacher can earn $180 for the tusks of a forest elephant and $6,000 for its meat in an area where the average legally earned income is $1 a day.” Traders that work for big corporations usually live in countries with low income, where their income can increase by them trading animals.


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When animals are traded they are treated really bad as they are hidden in many different ways. As stated by Smithsonian, “Animals ripped from their habitat suffer, of course. They are smuggled in thermoses and nylon stockings, stuffed into toilet paper tubes, hair curlers and hubcaps.” Traders hide animals in all different ways to be smuggled and transported to be sold. Even when alive, the animals are put in uncomfortable situations so that they are not found.


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Yellow-crested cockatoos hidden in plastic water bottles. (Image: Jefta Images / Barcroft Media)


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Live turtles being illegally shipped in potato sacks in Vietnam. (© CI/photo by Peter Paul van Dijk)


Illegal animal trafficking is a big problem that contributes to the declining of animal populations and to species to extinction. Big corporations employ people from countries of low income to work for them and sell animals. When animals are transported, they are stuffed into all kinds of places so that they are not heard or seen, which often causes injuries and the death of these animals. Illegal trafficking is one of the main factors driving wild species to risk of extinction. While was looking for pictures to put in my post, I ran across many that showed animals being shoved in all different places, and rhinos with their horns cut off. It was really heartbreaking to see how these animals were being treated. I hope that this will change because even though this problem seems like a circle hard to break, we can help by avoiding buying illegal wildlife animal products.


Annotated Bibliography



Antonia Solar- Tech slide 2

Posted by Antonia Solar in Technology - Freshman · Hull · e2 Band on
Slide
From the critique of my slide I learned that I was on the right track with the design. Some people suggested changing the background to blue or moving the title to the bottom or just getting rid of the title all together. I asked people what they thought of the changes that I did. The almost everyone said that the original looked better than the new ones. 
In the end, I decided to keep my slide just like it is. I decided to do this because people disagreed in the different changes that were suggested and in the end the original was the most pleasing. It is simple but informative and clear to read and understand. The colours pop and the font is big, all elements that are part of design. 
My research helped me create a better slide because it taught me concepts of design that I could use to attract more people to my slide. I used colour wheels to pick the colour of my slide and made sure to pick complementary colours that contrasted. I also used presentation Zen and all of the other resources given to me to learn about design. While researching, I even made a list of design elements that I wanted to incorporate in my slide. This made it easier for me to create something that had a good design and showed something about me.

Antonia-Single Slide

Posted by Antonia Solar in Technology - Freshman · Hull · e2 Band on
Slide

In my slide I wanted to incorporate one point method. It is simple but informative at the same time by having both visual things and a minimal amount of writing. The lines leading from city to city show movement to lead the viewer’s eyes around the entire slide.  I also chose for the layout of my slide to have the main things centered and the rest of the things to show a rhythm. The big font was purposeful so that people would stay engaged in my slide and so that the slide would be clear and easy to read and understand. I also wanted to use very vibrant colours and for the colours to show a contrast to attract people to my slide. The colours I used in my slide are in what is called a triad which is three colours that compliment each other. Even though the colours have darker value, they still have bright intensity.


Home Network- Antonia Solar

Posted by Antonia Solar in Technology - Freshman · Hull · e2 Band on
1. First, I have my house connected to the worldwide web by my XFINITY wifi router which comes into my house by a coaxial cable. The iPads, phones and laptops are then connected through my wireless network that comes from my router.

2. I thought it was interesting making the whole thing on lucidcharts and finding out everything that is connected to my home network.

3. I learned where my wifi came from and that my router was connected by a coaxial cable. I also learned that bundles are not good because they become more expensive as time goes by. I would tell other people to be smart about what they pay for and to take into consideration what they are going to mainly use their wifi for.


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