How to Lie with Statistics - Complete Podcast Discussion
Listen to Monisha Das, Alexis Mccormick, Alaina Silverman, and Nia Hammond talk about How to Lie with Statistics, a book by Darrell Huff.
Nia Hammond Public Feed
How to Lie with Statistics: Book Meeting 3
This is our third and final meeting podcast.
(reach chapter 8 to the end)Group Members
Monisha Das
Alexis Mccormick
Alaina Silverman
Nia Hammond
Discussed:
Chapter 8 - causation and correlation differences, making assumptions/conclusions, using big names to sound "better"
Chapter 9 - graphic on page 103, "statisticulating" family incomes, misleading percentages, graphic on p. 110-111, geometric average
Chapter 10 - questions we must ask, "does this all make sense?"
The book as a whole
Nia Hammond Capstone
Throughout the year for my capstone, I chose to explore the world of theatre and performing arts. I saw a few play productions from schools in the Philadelphia area, including Thoroughly Modern Millie performed by students at Lower Merion High School and Pippin performed by Friends Select School students. In addition to this, I read a few plays and decided to try writing my own. With the process that came with first watching theatre productions and then creating my own, I’ve learned that there are many ways to develop a story, put it onto a stage, and ways that the audience will interpret it.
Below is an excerpt from Amazing Grace, a small play I wrote following life of a modern day transgirl (in .pdf form). Enjoy!
Bibliography
Pippin. By Roger O. Hirson. Dir. Donna Romero. Blauvelt Theater, Friends Select School. Philadelphia, PA. 21 November 2014. Performance.
This was one of the first plays I saw after deciding to write one for my capstone. This helped me because it is an example of a school production that I could pull ideas from when trying to complete my own production. Though I didn’t take notes while watching, I was very mentally aware of the elements in the play that I liked (not just the story content, but also the transitions and set) and did not find as pleasing. Something I notice is that this school probably had a lot more time to make the play larger scale than the time I am giving myself, which lets me know that I probably won’t have as long or bulky a play, but that’s okay.
Thoroughly Modern Millie. By Richard Morris and Scanlan. Dir. Hana Holquist. Lower Merion High School Auditorium, Lower Merion High School. Ardmore, PA. 22 November 2014. Performance.
This is another play I saw, which was much different from Pippin. The crew was much larger and the costumes, set, design, and actors were much more available at this school because of its size and funds. I can use this play as another example of how something in writing can come to life. This will also benefit my project because, again, I can take the elements I liked from this performance and didn’t like and have mental notes to help the performance I put on to be what I want it to be. This is especially helpful because the cast is of students.
Angels in America. Created by Tony Kushner. Perf. Al Pacino, Meryl Streep, Patrick Wilson, Mary-Louise Parker, Emma Thompson, Justin Kirk, Jeffrey Wright, and Ben Shenkman. HBO, 2003. DVD.
This source is reliable because I saw it during my Sexuality and Society class with Ms. Giknis. The original writing for this film was in the form of a play, and this is yet another representation of bringing scripts to life. There are different ways to interpret what is on paper and this play had more theatrical elements that made it feel more like a play. For example, there were parts where characters were having hallucinations and instead of clearly making it a daydream-like edit, the film just continued as if nothing happened. Watching Angels in America is another example that gives me ideas of how I can interpret my script into a live performance.
Heaney, Seamus, and Sophocles. The Burial at Thebes: A Version of Sophocles' Antigone. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2004. Print.
I read this play during my Political Theory class. Though this play is not as modern as others that I have read, it is still useful because I can note the format of the script and how through only the dialogue of characters (mainly) an entire plot can unfold. The best way to learn how to write plays is to read and see many plays, so that is what I am doing. I selected this source, and it was the first play I read after deciding to write a play. The formats used in this play will be useful when I am writing for myself.
“Tom Girls.” Narr. Ira Glass. This American Life. This American Life. PRX. Web. 13 February 2009.
This is the podcast that inspired me to write a play. Not only did it inspire me, but I am creating my plot based on the people interviewed and featured in this podcast. There are two young people who were born as males but identify as girls. They are from different states, and have met through a convention for parents of children like them. Lilly and Thomasina speak first-hand what they feel like being “out of the ordinary,” which I can use to guide character development in my play. Though the lives of these girls will be later on when displayed for the play, this podcast is important because it is my starting point, essentially.
Nina Lewis. “Writing Short Stories – Tips on Narrative Structure & The Writing Process.” AWritersFountain. Web. 18 Jan. 2015. <https://awritersfountain.wordpress.com/2013/09/02/writing-short-stories-tips-on-narrative-structure-the-writing-process/>.
This web page provides many tips for writing narrative pieces. The author of the blog on which this page is posted recently started the blog in 2013 and frequently updates it with more tips. Just a few months ago, she was involved in an online writing retreat. Because I am not used to writing large amounts or writing narrative pieces, I turned to this source. With it, I can begin to draft out more knowingly what my play will be like. That way, I don’t have a confusing plot with the tips used from this post. I can plan out the script and have it succeed.
Williams, Tennessee. A Streetcar Named Desire. New York: New American Library, 1990. Print.
I read this book for Sexuality and Society class. I chose to read it because not only does it deal with a controversial topic, but is a play. The good part about this play is that it has also been performed and I can find versions of adaptations for this performance to see how I could like my play to carry out as well. This is a good source also because I can use the format of the writing and the plots to mimic when writing my own play. Again, this just adds towards my research process for widening my knowledge on plays and how they are performed and written.
Szalwinska, Maxie. "Twelve tips for aspiring playwrights." The Guardian. Guardian News and Media Limited, 16 Aug. 2002. Web. 13 Dec. 2014. <http://www.theguardian.com/stage/theatreblog/2008/nov/25/theatre-writing-plays-playwright-royal-court>.
These are tips I really needed in addition to other resources that explained the ropes of playwriting to me. This article was written on the Guardian, which is a reliable source for news and other topics. From this source, I learned that I have to learn to listen to what’s going on around me and be very wary of those conversations. It helps to write things with a more realistic approach. For example, if you listen to conversations on the train, you can build a story off of the partial story you are getting from what you hear. Also, another tip was to write more often, which I have been doing since discovering this source.
David Hare, Katori Hall, Matt Charman, Nell Leyshon, James Graham, Alia Bano, Richard Bean, Anders Lustgarten and Roy Williams. “Top Tips for Writers.” National Theatre. National Theatre, n.d. Online video clip. 15 Nov. 2014. <http://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/video/top-tips-for-writers>.
This is another display of many useful tips I need to keep in mind during the writing process. The most useful tips I picked up on was to write about what I’m interested in and what I could learn more about, which would be a driving force for the plot. Another tip was to start out with a plan, and to avoid being boring. By many writers’ perspectives from the video, boring is presenting the audience with something they already know. Additionally, it was good to know that the first draft of a play is not always going to be the greatest, and being able to take criticism is crucial or else I might not succeed.
Clem, Brian. “8 Ways Any Writer Can Get Started in the Craft of Playwriting.” Writer’s Digest. n.p. 17 Oct. 2013. Web. 13 Dec. 2014. <http://www.writersdigest.com/online-editor/8-ways-any-writer-can-get-started-in-the-craft-of-playwriting>.
Some of the tips here overlap with things I already had an idea about, but nonetheless, they were still useful. Something that I found to stand out was the tip that said to focus on character development and less about the more theatrical things. The main character should have some change, journey, what it may be between the beginning and end of the play. Also, it was said that I only need to write what is necessary in terms of stage directions and gestures for characters. This source is reliable because it comes from Writer’s Digest, which is an publication for the community of writers.
How to Lie with Statistics: Book Meeting 2
(read chapters 4, 5, 6, 7)
Group Members
Monisha Das
Alexis Mccormick
Alaina Silverman
Nia Hammond
Discussed:
Inside cover quotes
Paragraph interpretations
Articles surrounding misleading data visualizations:
- Monisha: http://qz.com/122921/the-chart-tim-cook-doesnt-want-you-to-see/
- Alexis: http://www.mediaite.com/tv/fox-news-airs-seriously-misleading-obamacare-graphic/
- Alaina: http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-32606724
- Nia: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/10625168/Treasury-rebuked-over-misleading-flood-spending-graph.html
How to Lie with Statistics: Book Meeting 1
(read chapters 1, 2, and 3)
Group Members
- Nia Hammond
- Alexis Mccormick
- Alaina Silverman
- Monisha Das
Discussed:
- What is "average"?
- Different surveys
- Visual graphs
There were no points of conflict because we all agreed that there is never that much honesty in numbers.
Questions:
We think that government knows that certain data is misleading and we were wondering if they will do something about it?
MP2 Art - Nia Hammond
Throughout this marking period, we worked more on illustrations and drawing things we both imagine and see in real life. The illustrations we produced include drawings of fabric, a collage made from old magazine paper, and an illustration of any form of text that spoke to us. Also, we edited photos via the Pixlr app.
The Philadelphia Budget - KNT
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/44473543/environmental%20justice%20psa.mov
Nia Q1 Art
This quarter, I was excited to be in another art class to further improve my skills in drawing with pencil. Before that, however, I had the opportunity to paint a ceiling tile to add to our lovely art room. A common theme I saw with all of my drawings was that I was very into drawing people and human-like figures and body parts. These types of creativity are seen and represented in my jack-o-lantern design, my choose-your-own-drawing, and my self-portrait, all drawn in pencil. Please enjoy my artwork!
Q4 Art - Nia Hammond
This quarter's art had fewer drawings, but they were also more advanced. I enjoyed the challenge each lesson presented. I noticed that as the lessons progressed, there was more and more detail about the importance of shading for every drawing. Enjoy!
The Sanctuary by Nia Hammond
YOU’RE DOING EVERYTHING WRONG.
SLEEPING. EATING. EXERCISING.
BE BETTER. REACH YOUR OPTIMUM CONDITION.
BE OPTI-HUMAN.
Learn more at ohsproject.org
Sometimes, the life you have and an ad like that is all it takes to give into it. Eight months ago, I saw that ad on my bus ride home. Despite the less-than-bold font, typical stock photo of a first world citizen in distress, and cheesy content, I was drawn to it. It could be my ticket out, I thought, and began to reach for my phone in my back pocket. Pulling up the browser on my phone, I punched in letter by letter the website I was eying on the ad across from me. What came up after hitting “Go” seemed like such a joke. Out of desperation, I played along.
* * *
It’s now day one seventy three of experimentation at the OHS—Opti-Human Sanctuary. In a week, everyone here will change units for the second time since our arrivals. I’m not sure I’m ready to move out of this unit though; I like it. In the Sleep Focus unit, the main thing to focus on is… well… sleep. The scientists here are pretty creative with names for these things, obviously. But, more specifically, in the sleep focus unit, we sleep how we’re supposed to. No fetal positions or burying your face in your pillow. Go to bed earlier and without distractions; wake up when you’re sleeping the lightest. The rules are only there to help you and the scientists. And the rest of the world, supposedly.
It does feel like it helps, though. Falling asleep is no longer like a hard task, and it’s not involuntary, either. They place you in a dark room, close to but far enough from others in the unit practicing the same concept. Your own bed is soft — not quite the sinking of memory foam but not the bouncing of a mattress full of springs. Once your body hits it, though, there is no way you’d want to get back up. There are no distractions. The bright screen of a phone or digital clock doesn’t exist in these rooms. If your eyes are open, you could think you’ve gone blind, because what you saw was identical to what you’d see if your eyes were closed. Every night of sleep felt like a peaceful, welcoming death and waking up to a whole new life.
Experiments like these make me wonder how normal people in the world outside OHS even got to function on such poor sleeping habits. I wish the rest of society prioritized their citizens’ health the way they prioritize the market, entertainment, and all the other unnecessary things we… or they, succumb to like sheep. But, if all goes well, and there’s enough evidence of humans in optimum condition, the world can gradually change into a society like this. Will they want to — that’s the real question.
Seeing as though I’m in the first batch of experiments, probably not. Or, maybe, the ads weren’t specific enough about what the goal was; they were very vague. Only those in search of an exit from their everyday lives — besides death — probably found their ways into this isolated place.
It was rough at the beginning. The day I saw the ad and got home, I did all the research I could find (which was scarce) on this OHS ad. Apparently, there were few ads of OHS that people saw and felt compelled to write about on the Internet or elsewhere for that matter. I dragged my finger across the trackpad of my laptop and clicked when the cursor got to “More Information” on the website from the ad. Less than two seconds later, a page full of more boring font from the ad appeared on my screen.
Through skimming, I assumed for myself the details: a group of scientists had the idea to begin a society with more reasonable aspects of an American’s everyday life to meet the actual criteria for how humans should be living.
“And that’s where we come in?” my friend Georgia asked over the phone the following day.
“Exactly. Also, since it’s an experiment with humans, there’s money involved, just like they do for like testing cosmetics and stuff,” I added.
“I don’t know about this, Des… You sure you’re okay with your life and everything now…?” The tone of Georgia’s voice seeped through the speakers into my mind with her unforgettable face that matched it.
“Georgia, I’m as fine as I’ll ever be. Please do this with me. Think about how amazing we’ll feel afterwards! It’ll be like studying abroad but coming back healthier instead of more culturized, yeah? What have—”
“Yeah, what have we got to lose, right? How much of that website did you read anyway?” she asked.
I shrugged my shoulders, and realizing Georgia couldn’t see that, I said, “Enough of it.”
“Oh, enough? All the fine print that probably binds you to the project for even after your year of being at that sanctuary, the absence of insurance of your own life at that place.. You’re allowing yourself to be their test rat! How do you even know if they’re real scientists? I mean, Odessa, do what you want, but just know this is how I feel about it. I don’t think you can count me in this one.”
“Oh, alright… I’ll let you know if I get to go in a few days, I guess, then,” I said, and we hung up.
Two weeks after I’d sent out my application for the program, I received a letter in the mail with more specific instruction, which sounded more and more like a voluntary kidnapping — we met the scientists at a place that isn’t very busy, they gave you a codename and either you got in their van or you didn’t. From within the van, you couldn’t see where you were going unless you were a passenger up front. The look on the staff member next to me’s face was crumpled into itself, looking just as disappointed as I felt.
“I guess it’s going to be a long ride then,” I say out loud, turning to face him. He caught my glare but didn’t maneuver towards me until I smiled politely. His face was still a little twisted — eyebrows furrowed and lips in a tight line and cheeks approaching the color of tomatoes. Maybe I wasn’t the only one nervous for this trip.
“Well, yes,” he finally replied, “about six hours according to our driver.”
“Whoa,” I said, truthfully. “Where is this sanctuary supposed to be anyway?”
He paused to glance at another worker who nodded, and then said, “It’s located in a small city not far from Boston.”
Not knowing what else to say, I said, “Oh cool…”
We didn’t speak again until everyone boarded off the van. Outside of it, the sun was high in the sky, with some clouds behind and around it, and we were all standing on concrete outside of a tall, fortress-like wall that went on for what seemed like miles in both directions.
Before we could go any further towards the fortress, the workers instructed us to line up against the walls with our belongings while we waited for other vans to pull into the lot, one by one.
“Welcome to the Opti-Human Sanctuary, everyone,” a woman’s voice from a megaphone said when most vans had arrived. My eyes wandered around the crowd to find the source of this voice.
She continued, “You will all be spending at least a year here, and we’ve broken up that year into different units in which you’ll study and practice different ways of living — the right ways of living. We still want you to be as free as this experiment can allow you. Once we get inside, we can match up your applications with the scientists you’ll be working with in your first unit.” The only noise you could hear besides her voice was that of her heels hitting the ground in a slow, saunter-like pattern. The megaphone sounded as she lowered it from her mouth and to her side, and, by her heels, I could distinguish her from the rest.
The woman had a short stature, her cherry red pumps raising her a good four inches off the ground. On the left side of her blouse was a nametag — I couldn’t make out the full name, but I think the first word had said “Dr.”
* * *
The worker from the van showed me to my living space after registration. The world behind the fortress wall seemed like a new one entirely — even on the other side of the wall the air somehow felt cleaner and crisper; every breath I took was a deep one, as the scientists asked that we’d do if it wasn’t too difficult for the first day. Hundreds of other people in the experiment seemed very on edge, so maybe that was it. We had no reason to be nervous, though.
The worker led me into a plain room with a closet, bed, and small but tall desk with a lamp atop. The chair was missing. I looked at his shirt for a name tag like the other woman had. “Where’s your nametag?” I asked.
“You’re quite the curious one, aren’t you?” he answered, smiling.
“You must be feeling better than you did on your way here, huh?”
“Oh, yeah. It was my first time outside of the wall for quite a while, and this time we brought back live experiments. Many people don’t know what this means to our team,” he said. “I’m Doctor Ren Sewell.”
The title “Doctor” took me aback, and he chuckled lightly after seeing my eyebrows and eyes raise at the term.
“For fun, I dressed as a worker to help with the rest of the team in getting our first bold batch of future opti-humans. How does it make you feel that you’re starting history by being a part of this?”
“Well, I never looked at it like that… I just needed this to get away from my life at home for a while, or maybe longer… I’m Odessa… um… Colton. People call me Des for short.” I offered my hand, which Dr. Sewell took in a firm grasp before letting his own fall back to his side.
“So, they’ve instructed me to tell you that your first unit of focus is exercise and other physical practices. Not everyone is starting at the same unit. In a few months, we’ll be rotating the experiments around,” he said, and I nodded, looking him in the eye. “The goal for everyone in this unit is to gradually adjust to practical everyday human things the way they’re supposed to be done. For example, sitting for less than three hours a day can add about two years to your lifespan. Some have linked excessive sitting to cancer, diabetes, and heart problems for the future. Watching the television while sitting adds even more to that…” He trailed off for a few seconds, as if he were pondering something in his own life that related to that. “We’ve already been sitting in that van for more than six, so I suggest you get up and move around or something. Exercising is a larger part of this unit, as you can tell.”
I slowly rose to my feet. My bottom did feel a little sore from such a long ride. “You guys’ll let us know more stuff as we go along, right? It’s a lot to take in at this very moment,” I said.
“Oh yeah, of course. We try not to put much stress or pressure into the subjects — it has potential to alter the results. But, there are ideas you should try to keep up on. And finally, here’s a little map of the sanctuary for you, just so you can get around. It’s great for this unit, because instead of sitting they can walk around, explore, and meet other people.” He walked over to the tall desk and opened a drawer, bringing the map out, which was folded in three parts like a brochure.
Dr. Sewell opened the brochure briefly, glanced at inside the cover, and stretched his arm out to hand it to me. “Thanks,” I said, taking hold of it.
“No problem. So I’ll just leave you to it, and I hope you enjoy yourself and live better. Listen out for announcements on the overhead.” He pointed towards the ceiling before stepping out of my room, closing the door behind him.
For the next several weeks, I spent less and less time sitting and more time doing all things else. I mostly explored the new grounds, which probably went on for miles in all directions. It really was a “sanctuary.” By exploration, I found a massive gym where many of my unit members went daily, even if they weren’t going to work out. Also, I noticed there were even children and their parents in the society, and wondered how the kid felt about living differently from all his peers from before.
My first friend in the Sanctuary besides Dr. Sewell was named Nat; who came from the food unit part every other day to use the gym facilities as scientists suggested for him. Whenever we weren’t focusing on our units during weekdays, Nat and I would talk about our lives before OHS.
“I lived in Cali, going to school for acting,” he’d told me one day.
“So is that you or a character you’ve played before?”
“No no, it’s the real me. I was going to school for a reason, Des,” Nat said, “I can’t act!”
“You wanted to be an actor that bad? My parents would have made me become a lawyer or something before sending me to school for something I knew little about. You Cali kids…” I snickered playfully.
“Oh yeah, us. But what about you? Where are you from?” he asked me.
“I’m from good ‘ol Philly, just outside of it. Decided against going to college.” My eyes wandered towards the ground in between where we were standing.
“Oh really?” he said, reaching out to lift my chin with his hand. “Why is that?” he asked.
I shifted before saying, “I dunno, man, school just wasn’t my thing. It drove me crazy trying to do well, and I knew I wouldn’t be able to stand another four years of that in college.”
“Ah I see, so what do you do instead?” Nat asked, still interested.
“I’m kind of a job hopper, but I normally work for a firm and do wedding photography on the side,” I answered. “It’s really not all that interesting…”
No matter what day it was, we still never got tired of each other’s stories. We also had a little trouble making friends besides each other as it was — maybe it was that we didn’t want any more friends.
* * *
After the rotation from the physical health unit, I moved into the sleep unit, which, thankfully, Nat was also a part of. We could spend more time exploring and practicing not sitting for that long, even though that wasn’t my focus anymore. After exercising all the time and taking big day adventures all the time, I felt like sleep was a good way to level all that out, even though I would probably be doing mostly the same things.
The scientists said that depending on the medical history provided, the sequence of units you’re placed in should build on each other. Like I’d already said before, the sleep unit was the better of the two units I’d already experienced. With a week left to spare, however, I spent more time focusing my unit, which the scientists in charge of it didn’t seem to mind. Dr. Sewell stayed in the physical focus unit, but we still saw each other around the sanctuary from time to time, talking if he wasn’t in a hurry to get somewhere, like yesterday.
“Scientists are always a little busier around the rotation period. We have to think about who’s going where and how they might cope with the new environment and how it’ll build on their old one,” he said.
“I’ll never understand how you guys can do all this, it must be so much work and dedication to the outcome of this project.”
“Well, yes, it is difficult at times, but we all look forward to the results of the experiment. Those are the main motivations for all of us, I’d like to think,” he said.
We were sitting at one of the few park benches. You’d think that by now everyone would get sick of trying to stand more often, but I guess it was really just me being lazy that day. I cast my gaze on the tree above us, rubbing my eyes sleepily. It was only midday.
“How are things over at that physical focus unit?” I asked, opening my mouth to yawn. “Excuse me,” I murmured, covering my mouth.
“Things are going smoothly, you know? People here are getting more used to the practices here, which is great — they’re adjusting faster than what we’d predicted. Maybe this batch of experiments is just a motivated one, you all,” Sewell said, placing his hands on his knees.
Just as I was about to throw out another conversation topic, a watch on his wrist beeped a few times, pulling him back into his regular duties as a scientist. “Well, Des, I gotta run now, but we’ll talk more after rotation!” We both stood — I felt like my three hours for the day was almost over anyway — and we headed in opposite directions. He went towards the main scientist headquarters, while I headed for the gym to try to lift my sudden tiredness.
There, of course, I ran into Nat, who was speaking to another girl he must’ve known from his first unit. Seeing me, Nat sprang up farther into his feet, for he was already standing. His eyes glowed with excitement while mine remained neutral. Nonetheless, I smiled because I was glad to see him.
“This is Des,” Nat told the other girl. Turning and gesturing towards her, he said, “And Des, this Elle, like the French for ‘girl.’” Elle giggled, bringing her hand up to her mouth.
“Nice to meet you, Des,” she said, extending the same hand to shake mine, which I took.
“Same to you, Elle,” I replied, curtseying and holding out my imaginary skirt while doing so.
“What unit are you part of?” she asked.
“The sleep focus unit, have you already been in it?”
“No, I’m in the psychological focus unit, and I was in the food one before with Nat,” she said.
“Well, it’s amazing. You’ll never sleep better in your life!”
“I agree with that,” Nat added.
“Oh yeah? I hope that’ll be my unit then next cycle,” she said.
“Well, we have two more days to find out,” said Nat.
“What’s this whole psychological focus unit? I haven’t heard much about it,” I asked Elle.
“The scientists said it was an experiment within the experiment. It’s kind of hard to explain. There’s just a lot of exercises for keeping your brain and emotions manageable, especially if you’ve had a rough time in the past. It’s like therapy without all the talking. You get the knowledge, and help yourself however you want. They also want you to work on how you interact with others so that everyone can be a little more decent to each other in the future, if this project is ever extended to the rest of the world, you know?” she said.
I could only stare as I tried to make sense of what Elle said in my head. By the twisted look on my face, she said, “Well, I guess you don’t. It’s really cool, though. My favorite of the two units I’ve been in so far. It just helps create lots of peace within yourself, which was something I needed.”
Nat glanced at me at this, and getting bored with the conversation, said, “You guys wanna go for a jog? I feel like I want to be outdoors right now.”
We agreed and ran our regular route around the sanctuary, taking in all the sights of this internal group working their ways up to being opti-human.
That night would be my last in the sleep focus unit, so Nat and I decided to head on back to the sleep unit building after grabbing a bite to eat with Elle at the food unit and walking her back to the psychological unit.
Outside the sleeping room, Nat and I stood against the wall talking for a bit.
“What are we gonna do next rotation? We probably won’t be together again,” Nat said.
“Well, we weren’t together the very first unit, and we still met each other then. We’ll always be around each other,” I said, trying to comfort his seemingly petty worries.
“I guess you’re right,” he said, stretching his arms to the ceiling. “Ya bruh’s gotta sleep now, Des. I’ll see you in the morning,” Nat patted my head and walked past me into the dark room.
“Enjoy your last amazing sleep,” I called after him. I stood for a minute, and followed his trails into the room but into my own bed.
* * *
Hands were all over. A groping, followed by a flash of light to the face. It was so blindingly bright that I couldn’t open them long enough to know what was happening. I felt like a bat in a cave. It wasn’t just me that felt hands all over, but everyone in the sleep unit. Murmurs everywhere. The figures that moved around were probably scientists, I assumed. Though nothing like this ever happened before, I could only think of them as a reasonable explanation for all the madness.
“Everyone, we’re sorry for disrupting your sleep, but please exit the building and stand outside until further notice. Let’s make this easy, now,” a voice from the overhead said.
I did as he said, groggily trudging out of the unit building and into the dim light cast by the night sky. Nat found me within minutes.
“Do you have any idea what’s going on?” he asked me.
“No, not at all… I was looking for Dr. Sewell to see if he had anything to do with it,” I answered him, feeling the heaviness of my own foggy breath leave my mouth.
More and more people were pouring out of the units while Nat and I watched. Whispers around us were all mentioning something about the psychological focus unit, and I could not for the life of me guess what was going on. Thankfully, Dr. Sewell, who was standing by a light pole, caught my eye. I grabbed Nat’s hand and dragged him over to where Sewell was.
“What’s going on?!” I said.
“They’re all saying that someone has escaped the sanctuary.”
“Escaped? Why would anyone ever want to escape?”
Nat, Sewell, and I all exchanged eye contact.
“Do you know who it was?” Nat asked Dr. Sewell.
“A woman from the psychological health unit. I believe her name is Elle something.”
“Wait, our Elle, Nat? Are there any other Elles in that unit?”
Nat sighed before answering, “I guess it was her… I had no idea she planned on trying to leave the place,” he trailed off.
“So you knew about this?” Dr. Sewell raised one eyebrow at Nat.
“Look, I suspected something was up with her. She puts on a happy front around everyone else, and is probably acting like the psychological focus unit is helping her. Truth be told, from the things she’s said to me, Elle seems far from healthy.”
“In what sense do you mean ‘far from healthy’?”
“Just generally unhealthy. She talks about how sad and angry she gets at herself all the time, and how there was no hope for her. I don’t think I’ll ever grasp what made her feel that way, but I’m guessing it was a problem before she came here.”
“Do you have any idea of where she might go if she’s left the grounds?” Dr. Sewell asked him.
“She always said she’d wanted to go to Canada one day,” Nat replied.
“Alright. Thanks for your help, Nat. I have to be getting back to work now, they’ll need a search team for her pretty soon I bet.” Sewell glanced at both of us before disappearing into the crowd.
After that night, though, Nat and I never saw or heard from Elle again. I hoped the best for her, wherever she was. What Nat said about Elle and her mental health hit me personally. Even though I’d only known her for a few hours, I reasoned that we had more in common with each other than what we originally saw. What if she came to OHS for an escape just like me? But, if it was so good for her why did she run away? My questions would never be answered.
* * *
The next rotation unit I was placed in was the food unit, so Nat and I weren’t together as often. Without him, though, I would think about what to do after the experimenting year was over. Maybe Elle left because she figured everything out. Or, maybe, she needed to fix something. I imagined her taking it to heart with the directions “learn your brain and then fix yourself how you’d like to.” I found that no matter what time of day, my thoughts always seemed to stray back to her. I was just so curious. It also inspired me to do what I thought Elle might have done by leaving the opti-human sanctuary.
Day in and day out, I would plan things out in my head — while eating, exercising, even before I slept I thought about my old life. The days and nights of it were long and complicated. My work in the firm was miserable and lifeless. I relied on my wedding photography to lift my spirits, but no one getting hitched wanted Odessa to take their pictures. My best friend, Georgia seemed to agree with me less and I still hadn’t talked much to my mother and father since graduating high school a year and a half ago. Because of where I lived, I was constantly reminded of it, too. OHS was the perfect way out. Throughout the second half of my stay at the sanctuary, I grew more and more conscious of my responsibilities as a growing human — not only my physical health and lifespan, but my life around others.
* * *
The final rotation: Nat and I were together once again, for the psychological focus unit. Elle was right about everything they taught. What made me feel better was that I was already figuring things out for myself before the brain lessons. Nat heard about my plans too, while we were on a jog one afternoon close to the end of the year there.
“Give me all you’ve got, girl,” he said.
“You’ll be so proud to hear all this.”
“Go go go, I’m listening.” Nat gently ran into my side.
“Alright, so, I’m staying away from Philly. It’s home, but it’s a reminder of all the complicated things. I’ll quit my job at the firm. As for my parents, I think I need to say something to them. It’s ridiculous not to talk to your own family just because of the choices you make,” I said.
“Completely agreeing with ya.”
“I’ll expand my wedding photography business, too, and move somewhere people marry more,” I continued, stopping jogging to tie my shoe. Nat slowed down next to me.
“Wonderful. You, Miss Colton, have gotten your life together. There’s just one thing you’ve forgotten about.”
“And what is that?” I smirked at him and raised my eyebrows, waiting for an answer.
“Your destination. But I have an idea for that.”
“Go on…”
“Room with me. We can keep each other in check.”
Surprisingly, the idea had never crossed my mind.
“But… I thought you were in college. Don’t you live in a dorm?”
“Comfortable apartment, with a spare room, actually,” Nat replied.
“Oh my god, Nat, you don’t know what this means to me! Thank you so much.” After I finished tying my shoes, I stood up and threw my arms around his shoulders. “Thank you thank you thank you thank you,” I said into his shoulder.
“Nah, thank you! I prefer company besides by own, and you’re an incredible person, Des. I need to keep you around, you know?” We pulled away from each other.
“So it’s decided,” I said. “When the year is over, we’ll opt to leave the sanctuary and deal with our lives head-on. Two weeks.”
“We can stay healthy too, I’m way too used to this lifestyle anyway. I’ll find a compromise. We’ll compromise,” Nat said, nodding his head.
That was that, and we were set in stone.
* * *
For me, it was the right choice I made. I’m happier and healthier, one of hundreds of anticipated opti-humans in processing.Q3 Art - Nia
This quarter, we continued our artistic journeys through the lessons on drawspace. Here are my favorite drawings of them. Most included using skills of shading, crosshatching, and starting off from shapes to get more realistic drawings in the end. Please enjoy.
*note: I'm not sure why, but the media uploader insisted that nearly all my drawings were incorrectly oriented; I apologize for this in advance.
Q2 Art
This quarter, I drew things from both Drawspace lessons and did some other drawings as well. I like to focus more on realistic drawing, and I always need improvement. Enjoy!
But How Will She Take It?
A comparison between Shakespeare's "The Taming of the Shrew" and the movie "Submarine"
In William Shakespeare’s romantic comedy called “The Taming of the Shrew,” a wealthy man named Petruchio traveled Padua with the intention to “wive and thrive.” He claimed no matter how terrible his wife was, the gold mattered more and Petruchio would “woo” her anyway. Shortly after arriving in Padua, Petruchio married a wealthy but hostile woman named Katherine. The 2010 British film “Submarine” displayed fifteen year old Oliver Tate’s theories in pursuing his mysterious classmate, Jordana, who’d just been cheated on by her last boyfriend.
Petruchio’s and Oliver’s goals were relatively the same—to get a significant other to keep—but both their methods and obstacles differed. In order to marry Katherine, all Petruchio had to do was convince her father that she loved him. Since she was sour with Petruchio (like she was with everyone) and the father saw this, Petruchio fibbed that he and Katherine showed they were in love only when in each other’s company. Alternatively, Oliver sought after Jordana and it was by way of personality and actions that finally got him the girl. It was not guaranteed she would stay, though. Compared to now, marriages were more like permanent business trades in the time period of “The Taming of the Shrew,” and in some parts of the world, it still is. However, society has grown open to more opinions and ideas behind marriage, courtship, and dating. The texts reflect the distance a man goes to keep or lose his partner, and that not every woman reacts the same way in turn.
“And therefore, if thou know
One rich enough to be Petruchio’s wife
… Be she as foul as was Florentius’ love,
… I come to wive it wealthily in Padua;
If wealthily, then happily in Padua.”
(Act 1, Scene 2, lines 67-77)
Here, Petruchio noted that wealth was a big factor in who he wanted to “wive.” When he said, “Be she as foul as was Florentius’ love,” he meant that he does not care as much about the behavior of the woman but how much money she has. This directly relates to how a man will go far, in this case far with tolerating a woman’s temper, to gain the privilege of “wiving” her.
In Submarine, the Petruchio is Oliver Tate, who already has a love interest named Jordana.
During this scene early on in the movie, Oliver is describing his knowledge of what Jordana is like (in a voiceover) while spying on her. “She never speaks about herself, therefore she could be anything. She’s moderately unpopular, which makes a romance between the two of us more likely. She’s also a girl; to be seen with her would improve my street cred.” Like Petruchio, Oliver does want a romance for “street cred”/riches, but he is more interested in a specific woman—he is not settling for anyone else but Jordana. He has even already started spying on her to gather more knowledge about her, which shows his efforts thus far in courting.
[Petruchio]:
“For thou art pleasant, gamesome, passing courteous,
… But thou with mildness entertain’st thy wooers,
With gentle conference, soft, and affable.
Why does the world report Kate doth limp?
[Katherine]:
… Where did you study all this goodly speech?”
(Act 2, Scene 1, lines 259-277)
In this scene, Petruchio met Katherine for the first time and he experienced first-hand her harsh and shrewlike character in an argument. Towards the end of their brawl, however, Kate was impressed by Petruchio’s way with words, which Petruchio said came off the top of his head. If Petruchio didn’t want Katherine’s hand as much as he did, he would not have gone through so much arguing and name-calling to come around and compliment her afterwards. Although she dealt with a great deal of insults thrown back at her, Kate was more turned by Petruchio’s kind words.
In another scene from “Submarine,” Oliver’s use of words with Jordana made up for his faulty actions to his advantage in the end.
A few moments before this still, Oliver invited Jordana, now his girlfriend, over for dinner and “lovemaking.” To prepare for the “lovemaking” part, Oliver set up a fancy dinner, bought balloons, and decorated his parents’ room with red blankets and candles. He showed Jordana the surprise by covering her eyes and not letting her open them until he was sprawled on the bed posed seductively. Though he thought it would work well, Jordana left the house, and Oliver handed her a letter he’d written for post-lovemaking. It was the letter that brought Jordana back to Oliver’s door and then they slept together. Both of them were content in this relationship for that time.
Submarine’s more contemporary representation of relationships has a different approach to the female’s mistreatment in a relationship.
[Petruchio]:
“It shall be moon, or star, or what I list…
[Katherine]:
… Forward, I pray, since we have come so far,
And be it moon, or sun, or what you please.
And if you please to call it a rush candle,
Henceforth I vow it shall be for me.”
(Act 4, Scene 5, lines 7-17)
After they were married and living as a couple, Petruchio began “taming” his “shrew.” He starved with Katherine for three days, he went on to call the sun in the sky the moon, demanding she agreed with him before they could go anywhere. Kate sharply disagreed with him for a while until she finally gave in and agreed with whatever he would say. Regarding this, readers can tell that Petruchio had complete control over Katherine—she was trapped in their marriage and persuaded to begin accepting it as her reality. Besides the fact that divorce and breaking up was not very common during their times, Petruchio’s way of keeping Katherine involved treating her with as much hostility she once treated everyone with.
Submarine’s more contemporary representation of relationships has a different approach to the female’s mistreatment in a relationship.
This shot of Submarine shows a letter Jordana wrote to Oliver notifying him that she was ending their relationship. Before this, Oliver said he would show up to the hospital with Jordana to see her ill mother and did not follow through. According to him, whether or not Jordana’s mother’s surgery went well, she would still need time apart from him. At this point, although Oliver thought he wasn’t being completely harmful by skipping out on time with Jordana, the way she reacted resulted in their breakup. This exemplifies the freedom women now have in their relationships to decide whether or not they are worth being in, and also the man’s actions in efforts to keep his spouse. Oliver’s failure to keep Jordana with him throughout their short relationship with each other reflects that despite either partner’s efforts, a relationship does not always work out between two people. With Petruchio and Katherine, the results of Petruchio’s actions towards Katherine started as bitter reactions but eventually a compromise between the two. Even at the end of Submarine, however, Jordana and Oliver meet once again and have a moment of friendship between each other, and so no one is completely miserable by the end of their tale. |
Works Cited
Shakespeare, William, Barbara A. Mowat, and Paul Werstine. The Taming of the Shrew. New York: Washington Square, 2002. Print.
Submarine. Dir. Richard Ayoade. By Joe Dunthorne and Richard Ayoade. Perf. Craig Roberts and Yasmin Paige. 2010. Netflix.
Quarter 1 E2 Art Drawings: Nia Hammond
This quarter and art, we explored a website with hundreds of methods to becoming a better artist. Here are the beginnings of my becoming a better artist. Enjoy!
Othello BM Journals by Nia Hammond
Prep #1:
(Act 2 scene 1)
She that was ever fair and never proud,
Had tongue at will and yet was never loud,
Never lacked gold and yet went never gay,
Fled from her wish and yet said “Now I may,”
She that being angered, her revenge being nigh,
Bade her wrong stay and her displeasure fly,
She that in wisdom never was so frail
To change the cod’s head for the salmon’s tail,
She that could think and ne'er disclose her mind,
See suitors following and not look behind,
She was a wight, if ever such wights were—
speaks
In the first line, Iago should be looking at Desdemona as he speaks, because she just asked Iago a question in conversation. At "ever" and "never", he should raise his voice a bit to appeal to Desdemona (and be on her good side) by stressing the complimenting words. Since it becomes apparent that Iago is using opposites to describe this woman, he should stress the opposite words and phrases throughout the rest of the soliloquy (i.e. yet never, at will, etc.). When he switches to speaking to the audience, he should face them but still kind of hint with his body language that he's speaking of/to Desdemona. If he were speaking to someone like Othello, his words would sound humbled and slowed, because he knows Othello trusts Iago and values what he has to say. In the middle, he should be more flowing with his words to a point where he's almost rushing, but not completely. As he nears the end of the soliloquy, Iago's body should slowly turn back to addressing Desdemona and finish energetically.
Prep #2:
I am talking about Cassio.
The important scenes Cassio appears in include the scene where he is being convinced by Iago to have drinks (Act 2, scene 3), where he is trying to get his job back through Desdemona (Act 3, scene 3), and when he is speaking to Bianca (Act 3, scene 4), his Cyprus woman. In Act 2 scene 3, Cassio sees that Iago is trying to be hospitable by inviting him for drinks at a part in honor of Othello. He knows enough to refuse the drinks at first because of his actions while drunk. He's told by others (Iago) that one drink won't hurt him that much, and in turn is convinced enough to have some to drink. In the next scene, after losing his job, Cassio is giving Desdemona putting his best forward because he wants his job back so badly. In that, he is ensured that he will get his job back after Desdemona clears it with Othello. Finally, when displaying affection to Bianca, Cassio sees nothing of it, but the audience sees Iago's master plan loosening up a bit. By these few scenes, the only things that seems to matter to Cassio are Bianca and surviving on his job. By focusing only on his scenes, we don't really see much of Iago's plan in the bigger spectrum. Seeing only the scenes they are in creates a nice filter for a deeper understanding of the play.
Prep #3:
Before the period the play was set in, Othello lived in Africa, with his mother and father, and before he left to find different paths outside of his own home continent, Othello's mother went on to give him a very valuable and magical handkerchief. He was to give it to his only love. Somewhere along the way to becoming general of the army in Venice. Before making his way up, Othello was enslaved by people who took him for granted. As many slaves were treated, Othello was treated quite harshly, and because of how badly he was treated before meeting Desdemona and becoming a general, he learned to never put people through what he went through. Only in some instances would he lose his temper and went against his promise to himself. As a person, he learned how to be gentle and love. As a general, Othello learned how to take out all of the anger (on his enemies) and frustration that he once had as a slave. That is why Othello is the way he is in the play.
Prep #4:
As Othello, I move quickly and since I just killed Desdemona in the play, I'm also a little frantic and in fight or flight mode. With that, my speech is quicker and I act suspicious of something in front of Emilia. My emotions are a wreck. My character is going to have a dagger, because in the lines, there is talk of a sword being pulled out and Emilia's boldness against it. Our presentation stands out because, although it is a little short, it is filled with lots of detail. To me, that detail contains a coming down from the climax of the play, the climax being Desdemona's death. It stands out because of the rapid back and forth responses between Othello and Emilia, and then Othello's realization in his mistake. There is also a bit of physical blocking, which, for some people, makes it more interesting.
Final entry:
The line from my scene, originally in Act 5, scene 2, has Othello say:
“Ay, ’twas he that told me [on her] first.
An honest man he is, and hates the slime
That sticks on filthy deeds.”
This, coming from Othello, is a line explaining to Emilia part of the reason why he killed Desdemona. He’s telling her that her husband, “honest Iago,” told him that Desdemona was cheating and ultimately that lead to her own death. At this, Emilia became upset, which led to the little scuffle on stage as the lies Iago told unfolded. The alliteration in “slime that sticks” was delivered with emphasis on the “s” to make it sound like Desdemona’s “crime” was the worst possible she could have done.
I believe that my group’s performance did well. It was good that both of the people in our scene had the power to be able to not break character and be loud enough to stress the tensity of the situation that was happening at that very moment. Besides the lack of a better dagger/sword prop, I think that everything went smoothly for our scene. Now that it’s over, I’m glad that we could spend a lot of time rehearsing to get even better than the last time we ran through the scene. What I mean is that every time we rehearsed the scene there was a higher amount of energy going into it, and so gradually we got better. So, our best performance was the one in front of the class because of that. The only thing that we could have done differently that our Shakespeare mentor suggested was going completely crazy in the scene. If we were off script completely, there could have been more action. Being that we didn’t have a lot of rehearsal time, though, it is understandable why we didn’t get that far.
Performing plays, especially those by Shakespeare, always make things more clear than just reading them. There is an altogether different interpretation of the characters, and when you study/act as one character you begin to feel how they felt in the play. It gives a higher comprehension because when you act out all the movement, blocking, and emotions of the characters it’s better seen than read. That is, because when you see someone crying in real life, sometimes you begin to feel sorry or at least concerned for them. In a book, you know why they are crying, and it doesn’t really move or impact you as much. Now, I know more of Othello’s feelings, background, and reactions to different situations. You kind of create an understanding of your character’s actions and why things played out the way they did when performing.
"Starting New, Halfway Through" by Nia Hammond
The years of being a freshman, and then a sophomore at Archbishop Prendergast for Siani Widman were very easy going. The following summer, she had opportunities to have fun like everyone else. However, everything started taking turns when she realized how much time she had to know what school she would be going to for the upcoming junior year. When she finally did get a call of acceptance and began attending her new public school, life got a little harder for her. Here, she shares the story.
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/44473543/crossing%20boundaries.mp3
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/44473543/crossing%20boundaries.mp3
To cross boundaries means to find new things and move on to them. Not all boundaries are fully crossed, and it sometimes takes a push by an outside force to get someone over. No matter how dangerous that boundary being crossed is, everyone has time to reflect afterwards. The range of reflections can go from regrets, sadness, and pain to joy, happiness, and no regrets. While doing interviews, I noticed how much I could pick out parts of what my interviewee was saying and look back to notice that she was saying true things. Interviewing her only helped me realize how obvious the changes were, in a sense.
Editing the project was a little different. Using the Audacity program at first seemed easy, but it was later frustrating and I wasn't quite sure what I was doing. So, I switched over to GarageBand, a more familiar for me program and was able to change a shabby project into something better than it was before. I do not think I would have been able to produce what I did if I hadn't changed programs. I believe lots of people had problems with understanding Audacity, and we all only used it for the sole fear of having GarageBand delete everything, which was a common glitch at SLA.
In this project, overall, I had trouble trying to find an interesting enough topic that featured crossing boundaries. This changed, however, when I got the help of my peers to brainstorm. Boundaries are all around us and are constantly crossed, and it took more than a few minutes to realize that. It was a good experience for me that I got to know how people's lives change all from doing the unexpected.
Multi-Linguistic
Multi-linguistic
“What are you doing after school tomorrow? Walk me to Liberty Place, please?” I asked my friend one time over video chat.
“Nothing really, but that’s a hike... why?” she answered.
“I know but I need something from there. Pleeeaaasseee? I love you.”
“Nigga... whatchu gotta get?”
“I dunno but I need a gift for my cousin.”
“We don’t got time for that...”
“We do! You just said you weren’t freakin’ doing anything! We can take the trolley.”
“I gueeesssss,” she said, shifting a little.
Right after that, my dad knocked on my door and opened it without me even saying he could come in. When he smiled, I could already tell what he was about to say. It was the typical small talk we had every day.
“Hi Nia,” he said.
“Hey Dad.”
“How was your day?” he asked.
“Fine.”
“How are you?”
“Good.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, okay then.” He left my room, and I could then finish talking to my friend.
“Ard, I kinda gotta go, stuff to do...”
“Okay, bye,” she smiled and ended the chat.
It was never as easy as that to code switch like that until I hit high school. Filtering curse words and slang just clicks with me now. Quite frankly, being able to talk with other people in what seems to be the most comfortable way for them provides lots of opportunity for me. Before high school in seventh and eighth grade, I went to Friends Select, a private school where mostly everyone was white. Going there straight from a 99.8 percent black school was like putting a drop of oil into a tub of water. I had a quick and easy adjustment, because I never had a very “thick black” accent. By this, I mean I knew what times were appropriate to let all the slang out in the world, and then when to say “like” more than five times in a six-word sentence.
What I did not know was that my tone and usage of words drastically changed in my seventh and eighth grade years. Family noticed, and even told me on the spot that I was “starting to sound like a lil’ white girl.” I’m still told to this day that my cousin and I “just aren’t black.” We usually rolled with it, and took it as a term of endearment that we were, and are, a little different. People at camp told me that I “talked so proper” and I responded with something along the lines of “that’s just how I speak.” But, for me, my newly developed “language” brought more than just words, it brought more conversations.
“Hey!” one of my friends said.
“Hey, how’s it going? How’s life?” I asked them.
“Tis good, you?”.
“Pretty okay, as usual. What’d you do this weekend?”
“Nothing really, sleep and some homework... you?”
“Same, nothing special... Fuck, I need a life.”
Even when it is not talking with parents and then friends, my use of words still tends to change between people I speak with. In a way, I believe that happens with everyone, to a certain extent. For example, because one person and their friend have spent more time with each other than that person and another friend have spent, the first pair might converse with more ease and flow than the second pair, because there is more to talk about—family, life, old memories, inside jokes, and all that. For me, there is a mixture of length of friendship and also the person’s personality, if I know their personality. Usually it takes a conversation or two to click with the words and tone of voice I want to use with a specific associate, friend, or group of friends.
When I talk to someone for the very first time, I almost want them to make all the conversation and I just listen. Sometimes, silence can be the best language to go with, because it communicates signals as much as words are able to. However, when trying to make a new friend or just cheer up someone and most of the talking belongs to me, it was best to just go with my gut on a more “standard English plus a bit of slang” tone, and develop the chat with more important things that might want that person to talk to me again.
It will take more than one time to find that conversation zen, and when it is found, it is marvelous. It all depends on the person and your own personality. However, efforts to make conversation zen happen continue if I decide to talk to that person again, which is almost definite I will. Sometimes a choice of words makes or breaks any talk. Something happens, whether it be a miscommunication or vocabulary differences. And so, there are those times where a discussion does not go so well for me. In a group of friends that was not mine, I felt like Maxine Hong Kingston did in her passage, “Tongue Tied”. She said, “It spoils my day with self-disgust when I hear my broken voice come skittering out into the open. It makes people wince to hear it.” Perhaps my struggles with finding the right words to say did not go as far as people wincing to hear it, but there definitely have been awkward moments when I’ve said something wrong and it just did not have a place to be justified. In those moments I may feel like quitting at a social life altogether. But, the important part was actually to keep trying at it, because sometimes a lack of knowledge of a certain language can make someone feel uncomfortable. It might not even be you, it could always be the person you are speaking with instead. Learn their language and way of words instead sometimes.
For me, doing just that has created so much social gain. Learning and using the languages and dialects of others widens the gates of communication for anyone. Being able to switch from tongue to tongue without getting “tongue tied” gets more of your ideas to more people, and if you have big ideas for the world, being able to code switch and use totally different languages altogether is very beneficial. For me, my social life continues to develop more than it has in middle school. Since then I have gained confidence and comfort with my speech. It’s a gift to be “cool” with everyone, even if it was just a single word or thought.
For Char
I told you, I was going for something totally new. It all started with me cruising into the parking lot of my childhood barber shop, every crack in the street there was too familiar. Walking into the room to wait for my turn felt different than all the rest had, but maybe because I was never so nervous about a cut like this one would be. I'd only been sitting for a few minutes when my elementary school friend Christian came up to me. "Arlo! It's been years since I've seen you!" he'd shouted in a deep, excited voice.
We caught up with each other, and he showed me his stepdaughter, who was on the other side of the shop playing "Girls Just Want To Have Fun" by Cyndi Lauper from the old jukebox. Yeah, Christian was married. Wow. Right as he asked me if I had any kids running around, Lucille, my barber, came into the main area from the back. She gave me a quick glance and nodded towards her chair to tell me it was my turn. By the time I barely was out of my seat to walk over, she was in my arms giving me a bear hug. "Arlo, my baby! What can I do for you today?" she asked. Guess it took her a double take to recognize me. I pushed off her question and said, "Hi, Lucille. How are you?" She was more than happy to take this invitation to talk, and told me about everything big that went on while I was away at university. I didn't even notice the walls of the shop were repainted and the new mirrors. "Always took you a while to recognize new things. Head always in other places," Lucille laughed. "So really, what can I do for you today? The rush is about to start soon." Before I said anything I went over in my head what style my niece Charlotte had come up with. She was always trying to get me to do new things. I only went with this because honestly, I wanted something new, too. Her exact words were "You should dye your hair, and... chop off a few inches, it's a little long."
Why I would take advice from a flamboyant teenager like her, I'm not sure, but I wasn't gonna dwell on the thought and punk out at the last minute. So, I said, "Maybe a tr—cut— up to here," I put my hand to the part of my neck where my chin ended, "and I wanna go brunette." I looked around to make sure no one had overheard that last part. Did most guys dye their hair? Lucille gave me a questioning look like "You sure about this?" And like I’d read her mind, she said just that. I nodded quickly. "Alriiiiiigght, anything for you," she said and started on my hair. "I guess a dark brown would bring out your pretty blue eyes. What is this for anyway?" Lucille asked.
I told her about the wedding I was in. "It's tomorrow, actually," I said, smirking some. Lucille didn't let that past her and asked what the smirk was all about. "Well, I gotta look good for the ladies," I smiled. She laughed. Really laughed. To her that was a knee slapper. "Aww come on Lucille, I was telling the truth." I chuckled a little. So what if it's been a while since I've had someone? Okay, a little longer than a while... Since my third year in college, actually. So, like, three years. Not bad. "Okay, okay, Mama Lucy's gonna hook you up," Lucille said and patted my shoulder. Then she said something I dreaded would come out of her mouth. "Wait... you're the best man for Nick? Wasn't he tripping rainbows over that one girl you dated? Oh, what's her name..." I mumbled, "Selena, yeah." Right in the damn bull’s eye. I forgot how smart this lady was.
Selena and I were the closest; inseparable. I don't even remember what made us split up. Distance? I couldn't stand to be far away from her, I remembered that. Yeah, I'd gone off the college and she was at home finishing up high school. She was so beautiful, from head to toe. Those light brown eyes lit up a room when I saw her. But she was a memory now. For me, at least.
I didn't realize I was daydreaming and left Lucille chattering on. Soon enough I came back to life to see Lucille coming back to my chair with a mirror. When she gave it to me, I took in a deep breath and closed my eyes. No more dirty blond, no more hair making my neck hot. I opened my eyes to dark brown strands of hair hugging my face. I barely saw myself. Definitely new. "You must like it, the smile says it all," Lucille said. "Yeah," I said, "I could run with this for a while, actually."
It still looks pretty okay, right?
El Norte - Derechos Humanos
Hola, aquí es un sitio de web sobre los derechos que fueron defendidos o violados en la película "El Norte."
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Arianny Valdez
Edgar Pacio
Dylan Long
Nia Hammond
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Arianny Valdez
Edgar Pacio
Dylan Long
Nia Hammond
International Domestic Animal Abuse Final Post (#3)
The last few blog posts, issues of the abuse of domestic animals, cats and dogs more specifically, have been discussed. Some cases of abuse I mentioned in Post #1 included members of the al-Quaeda terrorist group surgically implanting bombs in dogs on airplane flights in America, animals being found in the streets and turned in to shelters or animal patrol, and for fighting. Statistics mentioned in my second post showed reasons as to why families of certain members of a family abuse their pets, such as discipline, to intimidate others, or simply because they do not care enough to make sure their pet it safe and healthy. While it may take a while to reverse all of this cruelty towards innocent animals, the process does start small, and there is really no such thing as small change.
For the last phase of the You and the World project, there is the last blog post. Referred to as the Post for Change, the final blog post for everyone involves writing about how we all acted on the issues that we researched. Besides writing about the it, students would shoot surveys out to the rest of the school as part of the research, join groups who also wanted to make a change happen, and collect money to donate to their causes.
In the past and still today, commercials, numerous websites, and even television shows and movies are played to spread the news of the cases of domestic animal abuse locally and internationally. In addition to that, there are shelters and societies to join and/or volunteer at to make sure you put in your work towards helping the prevention of animal abuse, or helping an animal recover and feel loved again. I feel as though commercials and television shows are a good way to get out information to everyone about different forms of animal cruelty, because so many people in the world watch television and come across these ads. Lots of people know about those sad animal commercials, right?
For me, however, I like to create media that makes a change. For one, some graphic design for posters (even virtual posters) catch someone's eye, and they have the option to look at it, because it is not an advertisement that is blocking the person from watching the rest of their show. Pushing out emails about the change towards friends first and have it spread on its own is a way I like to make change happen. First, however, I did some personal service to help animals in recovery. A few years ago, I volunteered with a few people from my school with the Philadelphia Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) and helped get ready for opening by caring for cats, cleaning out their cages, sitting in rooms full of cats to play, and, at the end, donating. Sadly, after sending an email to see if that could happen again, I was informed that volunteers had to be 18, and that I should volunteer at the Philadelphia Zoo or at PSPCA, where younger people can help out.
That is exactly what I will do to make my change. After donating to PAWS, my original organization of choice, I'm going to volunteer at the PSPCA. Having found out so late about the organization, I haven't gotten a chance to go to a volunteer's orientation (to go to after completing an application form). It might be too late to show you all how I worked for the better, but change is always good and better late than never.
My original content for my last blog post is a virtual poster that I created as a bright advertisement against animal cruelty. Featuring a picture I took of my own cat at the top, underneath that, overlapping words written in different fonts and sizes like "alone" and "afraid," words used to describe a pet who is/was being abused and how much that takes from their being. At the bottom is a question in a bolder and bigger font that says: "When will all this change?" I want to put this poster on Tumblr, Facebook, the SLA website, of course, and maybe even get it printed to hang it around the school. The poster doesn't get people to go anywhere in specific, but gets people thinking about animal cruelty and how it's not good at all.
In closing, I'd like to acknowledge my english teacher, Alexa Dunn, for helping me to get involved with fighting animal cruelty with this project, to PAWS for referring me to volunteer at other places to make my change, and also you for reading and commenting on my blog posts. In a bigger perspective, what would you do to stop animal abuse if you saw it? Would you care? It won't stay like this forever. There will be a change.
Thanks for reading, again!
International Domestic Animal Abuse - #2
If you missed out on my last blog entry, I have been looking into the subject of domestic animal abuse within the world, and what I could do in order to help stop what is happening. Before, I packed in a lot of information about serious abusive situations and why I wanted to be a part of this kind of change. With this next entry, you'll find some more information, but more importantly, what I think of my topic at this point in my research.
I still have been keeping tolls on what has been going on with the health of domestic animals. While looking for some news to talk about, I found this article on the relations between domestic violence and animal cruelty from the ASPCA website. In that article is a list of stats comparing different concepts that have to do with domestic abuse and animal abuse happening under the same roof. For example, according to the article, studies have shown that those who abuse their pets do so in order to show control over the household and to intimidate the victims of domestic violence. The ASPCA has been finding ways to respond to those situations and help out as much as possible.
This is a venn diagram showing the relationships between different forms of domestic abuse, including animal abuse. Child maltreatment is also in the equation because in domestic abuse, there is neglect towards mostly children, women, and animals.; source
To add on to all of this, I have started to look into why animal abusers do what they do, to attempt to answer my questions from my first post. Some of the answers to that question came up on the article I just read and mentioned above. However, the questions like "What types of abuse happens in labs instead of homes?" and "How can people prevent abuse besides donating?" I have yet to tackle. I'll definitely have that by next week's post. On a different note, finding local people to talk openly about the subject has not been easy. Most people in abusive situations, even if it is "only" pets, do not just come clean to strangers. I can understand that logic, for if I were in the situation there would be no way I share my personal life on the spot, either.
Going throughout this whole research project, I developed an even stronger opinion on animal abuse than I had before. For example, when I say "Animal abuse is wrong," I can back it up with more ways as to why it's wrong and examples of situations involving animal cruelty. Right now, I still want to find more reasons as to why pet owners find reasons to abuse their animals. Was it the way they were raised? Did their parents do the same thing? Is there a connection to emotional problems somewhere in there? Also, I am dying to know about what happens to animals used for testing in labs. More information is to come very soon! Thanks for reading!
La Banda Sonora de "En El Tiempo De Las Mariposas" - por Ryan Harris y Nia Hammond
Reseñas de la Película
Reseña por Ryan Harris:
Reseña por Nia Hammond:
En la película “En el Tiempo de las Mariposas,” donde el tiempo es en los años del régimen de General Trujillo, las hermanas Mirabal dieron una buen pelea en contra Trujillo. En La República Dominicana, los años 1930 hasta 1961 marcaron el reinado terrible de General Trujillo. Las hermanas, especialmente Minerva Mirabal, y otras personas en contra de Trujillo, supieron cuando hubo miles de asesinatos por los hombres de Trujillo. Porque no les gustaron los asesinatos de personas inocentes, Minerva y muchas personas más formaron un grupo. El Jefe, no le permitó a Minerva a asistir escuela de la ley, porque fue la única solución a derrocar el gobierno del Trujillo. Hasta una serie de eventos trágicos y muertes incontables, incluyendo 3 de las hermanas Mirabal, Trujillo fue asesinado en 1961, poniendo fin a su régimen. Pero, las hermanas hicieron una marca enorme sobre la violencia en contra de mujeres, y el reinado de Trujillo en la República Dominicana.
Para mi, la película por todas partes estaba más o menos buena. Me gustó la película porque ahora yo sé más información sobre lo que pasó en la República Dominicana entre 1930 y 1961. La actuación sería mejor, pero lo más importante en esta película que se trata de la historia de las hermanas, no como los actores representaron a las personas del pasado. No me gustó la actuación mucho porque los acentos de los actores a veces fueron tan fuertes, desde mi punto de vista. Para muchas personas el guión estaba perfecto, porque todo estaba fácil a entender. A primera, no entendí quien fue en prision, pero cuando la película progresó, yo encontré que fue Minerva. Yo sé que alguien puede entender la película con este guión, sin antecedentes. El significado histórico es muy muy importante y desde que el evento de las muertes pasó, cosas cambiaron en la República Dominicana y las démas de los países en el mundo. La película promoví la prevención del abuso, violencia, y agresión hacia mujeres. También el histórico es muy significativo porque ahora mujeres pueden ir a universidad en todas partes, o muchas de las partes por lo menos. En total, la película era buena. Aunque a otras personas en la clase no les gustó la película, me gustó por la emoción en unas escenas. Lo que más, es me enseñó mucho sobre la República Dominicana, los derechos de mujeres, y mucho sobre General Trujillo y las hermanas Mirabal en esta unidad junto con la película.
La Banda Sonora
1. Paradise - Coldplay
La película empieza, después de la descriptión de Trujillo y su destrucción, con las cuatro hermanas Mirabal en la granja de su padre, en la República Dominicana. En la película, las hermanas estaban felices, tranquilas, y pasando un buen tiempo con la vida. En este punto de En el Tiempo de las Mariposas, nadie tuvo que ser ocupado por nada, especialmente las hermanas. Estaban muy jóvenes y libres. La canción “Paradise” por Coldplay explica un cuento sobre de una niña que tuvo soñadas importantes y grandes para el mundo, como Minerva Mirabal. Pero, en realidad, las soñadas de la niña no se hicen realidad, y ella tiene que crear su nueva vida en su mente, sólo su mente. La creación de la niña es su “Paradise.” Este es como la soñada de Minerva a ir a escuela de la ley y como sus padres no le apoyaron mucho. Pero, ella encontré su soñada de ayudando derrotar Trujillo y su regimen luego en su vida.
2. Murderer - Low
Escogí este canción porque de el titulo, líricos y la instrumentacíon. El titulo es “Murderer” o Matador en español; un titulo perfecto por la escena cuando Sinita va a matar Trujillo. En la película, Sinita dijo a Minerva que Trujillo mató su familia y él es un dictador. Luego en la presentacíon para Trujillo, Sinita es un personaje con un arco y flecha. La instrumentacíon en el principio tiene mucho aumento de bajo, las baterías, y otros efectos de sonidos. Esta demuestra la tensíon con Sinita y Trujillo cuando ella apunta la arma a Trujillo. Los líricos tiene una historía muy interesante. Los líricos dijo una persona que ofreciendo su vida por Dios. En mi opinion, pienso que Sinita esta ofreciendo Trujillo por Dios porque él es un matador muy terrible.
3. Warrior - Kimbra, A-Trak, Mark Foster
4. Sigh No More - Mumford & Sons
Cuando Minerva finalmente recibió permiso a asistir a escuela de ley, ella se enteró que su novio, Lio fue asesinado por partidarios del Jefe. La canción “Sigh No More” en mi opinión describe una lección. No debes dejar nadie a robar tu espíritu. También el amor de Minerva para Lio no va a desaparecer, pero Minerva lo conservar eternamente. Yo creo que ese habla para la canción en la película.
5. Houdini - Foster the People
Trujillo no le permitió a Minerva a practicar la ley durante de su graduación en la escena donde esta canción debe ser. La frase en la canción que se repitió y que tiene sentido es “levantaré a su capacidad,” y Minerva hizo este luego en la película cuando ella y personas que apoyan “las mariposas” levantaron en contra de Trujillo y su regimen. Aunque muchas personas se muertan, Minerva levanta a su capacidad al final, lo bastante a hacer historia.
6. Secrets - One Republic
Esta canción es sobre de secretos y escondiendo sus secretos. En esta escena los revolucionarios estan cargando las armas secretas a luchar para la revolución en contra de Trujillo. Luego, los hombres de Trujillo esconden Minerva y su amigos y empiezan tirando a ellos. Los líricos en el chorus se trata de una persona tratando a recibir un secreto de una otra persona. Así lo veo, el chorus representa Trujillo buscando el secreto de las mariposas y exponiendo eso.
7. Misguided Ghosts - Paramore
Durante de el tiempo que su marido es electrocutado y después, Minerva creyó que él no va a vivir más, y que ella tiene que ser sola una vez más. “Misguided Ghosts” expresa un tiempo de soledad y encontrando a su misma. Minerva, después de vio a su marido una vez final, pasó un muy muy largo tiempo en una celda sola. Cuando en un espacio muy pequeño, Minerva sólo pudo caminar en circulos, como en los líricos de “Misguided Ghosts.” Minerva estaba buscando una persona de soporte en su tiempo sola.
8. Nothing Even Matters - Lauryn Hill
En la escena cuando las hermanas conocien sus maridos cuando ellos en el carcel. Ellas se perdieron sus maridos para mucho tiempo. Finalmente, las hermanas ven sus maridos y ellas estan muy felices. Ellos son besando, soriendo y agarrando manos. Es el momento más feliz en todo de la película. Nadie es importante a ellos y es igual en la cancíon. Los cantantes cantan las palabras: “Nothing even matters” en el chorus. Porque nadie es importante en este momento.
9. Left For Dead - Citizen Cope
10. Elect The Dead - Serj Tankian
Escogí este por la instrumentacíon. El principio de la canción es muy triste con el piano. La instrumentacíon es bueno por la escena final en la película por la escena final. Los instrumentos que las músicas tocan estan muy triste y deprimente. Las muertes de las hermanas Mirabal era un momento muy triste por su familia y las otras personas en la resistencia. Ellos no tienen sus mariposas. La canción representa la tristeza las personas en la DR tenían despues las hermanas se murieron.
Reseña por Ryan Harris:
La película, “En El Tiempo de Las Mariposas” es una película se trata de las hermanas Mirabal (Minerva, María Teresa, Patria, y Dede) durante la dictadura de Rafael Trujillo. El principio de la película empieza con las hermanas Mirabal jóvenes con su familia. La familia es una familia que apoyar Trujillo o “El Jefe”. Durante cena, una hermana Minerva dijo a su padre sobre de una universidad muy especial. Después de pensar, el papa permite las hermanas (sin Dede) a asistir la universidad. En la universidad, Minerva conoce una chica, Sinita, y ella dijo a Minerva el terror de Trujillo, y las muertes de su familia porque ellos en contra de Trujillo. Primero, Minerva y su hermanas no creen las palabras de Sinita y ellas apoyan Trujillo. Pero, después de algunos años Minerva conoce un hombre se llama Lio, y él demuestra el terror de Trujillo y ella finalmente aprende que Trujillo es un matador y un dictador. Durante la película, Minerva trata a demostrar las cosas terribles de Trujillo a su familia pero la familia están en miedo de Trujillo. Con Lio, Minerva trabaja a presentar a La Republica Dominicana que “El Jefe” es una personas terrible, cuando tiene una relación con Lio. Luego, Lio se murió. Pero en un juego con Trujillo, Minerva gana una oportunidad a asistir una universidad de ley. Es muy especial porque las mujeres no pueden asistir universidad. En la universidad, ella conoce un hombre se llama Manolo y ellos tiene un relación y continuar la revolución. Las hermanas Patria y María Teresa participan en la revolución y ellas reciben los títulos: “Mariposa”. Las mariposas planifican un ataque muy gran en Trujillo pero Trujillo sabe y ellas van a el cárcel. Ellas salen el cárcel pero después de algunos años, los hombres de Trujillo buscan las hermanas Mirabal y ellos matan las hermanas.
Primero, no me gusta la película de “En el tiempo de las mariposas.” Yo pienso que la película tiene una idea buena pero el ejecucion estaba terrible. Especialmente el concepto del tiempo. En una escena, un personaje conozcó una persona y en la escena proxima, ellos estan casados. ¡Es muy ridiculo! La película no ayuda a entender el tiempo pasado. Además, tengo un problema con la actuacíon y el guión de la película. Primero, los actores hablan en íngles, pero la película toma lugar en La República Dominicana. Sí, todos de los actores son hispánicos pero pienso que ellos hablen en español. Para mí, hablando en español hace la película más realista. La película no demuestra la historia de la masacre de perejil, la discriminación de los Haitianos, o la tiranía de Trujillo. Trujillo no le gustan los Haitianos y en la masacre de perejil, Trujillo mató 20,000 - 30,000 pero la película no habla sobre eso. También, las personas en República Dominicana no discriminan contra los Haitianos. Sin embargo en la película, los Haitianos tienen trabajos con los dominicanos. Sí, Yo salgo Minerva y su hermanas, Mate y Patria, son revolucionarias (LAS MARIPOSAS); pero sus impacto es muy pequeño. La película es sobre el amor y no sobre la masacre perejil.
Reseña por Nia Hammond:
En la película “En el Tiempo de las Mariposas,” donde el tiempo es en los años del régimen de General Trujillo, las hermanas Mirabal dieron una buen pelea en contra Trujillo. En La República Dominicana, los años 1930 hasta 1961 marcaron el reinado terrible de General Trujillo. Las hermanas, especialmente Minerva Mirabal, y otras personas en contra de Trujillo, supieron cuando hubo miles de asesinatos por los hombres de Trujillo. Porque no les gustaron los asesinatos de personas inocentes, Minerva y muchas personas más formaron un grupo. El Jefe, no le permitó a Minerva a asistir escuela de la ley, porque fue la única solución a derrocar el gobierno del Trujillo. Hasta una serie de eventos trágicos y muertes incontables, incluyendo 3 de las hermanas Mirabal, Trujillo fue asesinado en 1961, poniendo fin a su régimen. Pero, las hermanas hicieron una marca enorme sobre la violencia en contra de mujeres, y el reinado de Trujillo en la República Dominicana.
Para mi, la película por todas partes estaba más o menos buena. Me gustó la película porque ahora yo sé más información sobre lo que pasó en la República Dominicana entre 1930 y 1961. La actuación sería mejor, pero lo más importante en esta película que se trata de la historia de las hermanas, no como los actores representaron a las personas del pasado. No me gustó la actuación mucho porque los acentos de los actores a veces fueron tan fuertes, desde mi punto de vista. Para muchas personas el guión estaba perfecto, porque todo estaba fácil a entender. A primera, no entendí quien fue en prision, pero cuando la película progresó, yo encontré que fue Minerva. Yo sé que alguien puede entender la película con este guión, sin antecedentes. El significado histórico es muy muy importante y desde que el evento de las muertes pasó, cosas cambiaron en la República Dominicana y las démas de los países en el mundo. La película promoví la prevención del abuso, violencia, y agresión hacia mujeres. También el histórico es muy significativo porque ahora mujeres pueden ir a universidad en todas partes, o muchas de las partes por lo menos. En total, la película era buena. Aunque a otras personas en la clase no les gustó la película, me gustó por la emoción en unas escenas. Lo que más, es me enseñó mucho sobre la República Dominicana, los derechos de mujeres, y mucho sobre General Trujillo y las hermanas Mirabal en esta unidad junto con la película.
La Banda Sonora
1. Paradise - Coldplay
La película empieza, después de la descriptión de Trujillo y su destrucción, con las cuatro hermanas Mirabal en la granja de su padre, en la República Dominicana. En la película, las hermanas estaban felices, tranquilas, y pasando un buen tiempo con la vida. En este punto de En el Tiempo de las Mariposas, nadie tuvo que ser ocupado por nada, especialmente las hermanas. Estaban muy jóvenes y libres. La canción “Paradise” por Coldplay explica un cuento sobre de una niña que tuvo soñadas importantes y grandes para el mundo, como Minerva Mirabal. Pero, en realidad, las soñadas de la niña no se hicen realidad, y ella tiene que crear su nueva vida en su mente, sólo su mente. La creación de la niña es su “Paradise.” Este es como la soñada de Minerva a ir a escuela de la ley y como sus padres no le apoyaron mucho. Pero, ella encontré su soñada de ayudando derrotar Trujillo y su regimen luego en su vida.
2. Murderer - Low
Escogí este canción porque de el titulo, líricos y la instrumentacíon. El titulo es “Murderer” o Matador en español; un titulo perfecto por la escena cuando Sinita va a matar Trujillo. En la película, Sinita dijo a Minerva que Trujillo mató su familia y él es un dictador. Luego en la presentacíon para Trujillo, Sinita es un personaje con un arco y flecha. La instrumentacíon en el principio tiene mucho aumento de bajo, las baterías, y otros efectos de sonidos. Esta demuestra la tensíon con Sinita y Trujillo cuando ella apunta la arma a Trujillo. Los líricos tiene una historía muy interesante. Los líricos dijo una persona que ofreciendo su vida por Dios. En mi opinion, pienso que Sinita esta ofreciendo Trujillo por Dios porque él es un matador muy terrible.
3. Warrior - Kimbra, A-Trak, Mark Foster
En esta escena de la película, Minerva rompí el retrato del General Trujillo por furia. Lo rompí porque los hombres de Trujillo, después de Minerva le pegó al Jefe la noche pasada, cogieron su padre. Este evento entristeció a Minerva, porque ella supo que su no regresará el mismo hombre. Pero, ella encontró venganza cuando destruyó el retrato. El principal sentido de la canción “Warrior” es que alguien le está empujando tú abajo, pero también tú tiene el poder a superar esa persona. Minerva superó Trujillo y sus hombres en ese momento cuando ella rompí su retrato, porque en su mente, el acto de rebelión la hizo más fuerte.
4. Sigh No More - Mumford & Sons
Cuando Minerva finalmente recibió permiso a asistir a escuela de ley, ella se enteró que su novio, Lio fue asesinado por partidarios del Jefe. La canción “Sigh No More” en mi opinión describe una lección. No debes dejar nadie a robar tu espíritu. También el amor de Minerva para Lio no va a desaparecer, pero Minerva lo conservar eternamente. Yo creo que ese habla para la canción en la película.
5. Houdini - Foster the People
Trujillo no le permitió a Minerva a practicar la ley durante de su graduación en la escena donde esta canción debe ser. La frase en la canción que se repitió y que tiene sentido es “levantaré a su capacidad,” y Minerva hizo este luego en la película cuando ella y personas que apoyan “las mariposas” levantaron en contra de Trujillo y su regimen. Aunque muchas personas se muertan, Minerva levanta a su capacidad al final, lo bastante a hacer historia.
6. Secrets - One Republic
Esta canción es sobre de secretos y escondiendo sus secretos. En esta escena los revolucionarios estan cargando las armas secretas a luchar para la revolución en contra de Trujillo. Luego, los hombres de Trujillo esconden Minerva y su amigos y empiezan tirando a ellos. Los líricos en el chorus se trata de una persona tratando a recibir un secreto de una otra persona. Así lo veo, el chorus representa Trujillo buscando el secreto de las mariposas y exponiendo eso.
7. Misguided Ghosts - Paramore
Durante de el tiempo que su marido es electrocutado y después, Minerva creyó que él no va a vivir más, y que ella tiene que ser sola una vez más. “Misguided Ghosts” expresa un tiempo de soledad y encontrando a su misma. Minerva, después de vio a su marido una vez final, pasó un muy muy largo tiempo en una celda sola. Cuando en un espacio muy pequeño, Minerva sólo pudo caminar en circulos, como en los líricos de “Misguided Ghosts.” Minerva estaba buscando una persona de soporte en su tiempo sola.
8. Nothing Even Matters - Lauryn Hill
En la escena cuando las hermanas conocien sus maridos cuando ellos en el carcel. Ellas se perdieron sus maridos para mucho tiempo. Finalmente, las hermanas ven sus maridos y ellas estan muy felices. Ellos son besando, soriendo y agarrando manos. Es el momento más feliz en todo de la película. Nadie es importante a ellos y es igual en la cancíon. Los cantantes cantan las palabras: “Nothing even matters” en el chorus. Porque nadie es importante en este momento.
9. Left For Dead - Citizen Cope
Escogí este canción porque de el titulo y los líricos de la cancíon. El titulo: “Left For Dead” simboliza cuando las hermanas estaba llegando a su casa despues de visitaron sus amantes en el carcel. En el calle los hombres rodean las hermanas Mirabal y su manejo y tomaron ellos en el medio de la nada. Los líricos: “Been left for dead/I know what’s in the back of your head” demuestra el miedo y estado mental de las hermanas. Ellas saben que los hombres van a matar ellas y las hermanas aceptar eso.
10. Elect The Dead - Serj Tankian
Escogí este por la instrumentacíon. El principio de la canción es muy triste con el piano. La instrumentacíon es bueno por la escena final en la película por la escena final. Los instrumentos que las músicas tocan estan muy triste y deprimente. Las muertes de las hermanas Mirabal era un momento muy triste por su familia y las otras personas en la resistencia. Ellos no tienen sus mariposas. La canción representa la tristeza las personas en la DR tenían despues las hermanas se murieron.
International Domestic Animal Abuse
The You and the World project has to do with individuals researching to find current issues and ways to express interest in the topic to the outside world through blogging. The current events and issues that have happened could be local, international, national, or any other type of things that need change. With this project, the researcher is really passionate about their topic and has the freedom to express so through the blog. While researching their topic, the individuals find more and more information, enough to pass it around to all those around who might also want to know more about other current events, issues, and problems. After learning so much about the topics of issues and current events, all individuals look for a change that they could help make.
The issue that I am looking at is an international issue. Although different countries have different cultural values of animals, I am more focused on worldwide domestic animal abuse. There are so many issues with every single house pet man could think of and how they are rejected and neglected by thousands. I find this topic very interesting because of how there are so many cases of abuse in not only America, but all across the globe. For example, adoption centers for cats and dogs are so full these days because they were saved from terrible experiences back at what they had to call home. This issue with the abuse of not only cats and dogs, but other pets too, keeps me passionate about it because the abuse is completely senseless. Every ten seconds, an animal is abused. They are helpless under their owners, whom are supposed to treat their pets as an addition to their families, as a newborn baby. Animals do not know right from wrong unless taught, and hurting them and treating them unfairly is never the right way to teach right from wrong.
So far in this project, I've found out loads. For example, stats from the Aspca website reports that although many pets are owned, there is a huge amount of those in shelters, specifically dogs and cats. There are literally thousands of community animal shelters in the US alone, and over five million domestic animals come into shelters yearly. These animals are either given up by their previous owners, or captured by animal control. The saddest part of this story is that over half of the millions of animals moved to animal shelters are euthanized while there. For those who do not know, euthanasia is the "intentional ending of a life in order to relieve pain and suffering" (from Wikipedia). This means that dogs, cats, and other pets are "put to [eternal] sleep" when it seems like nothing else but death would be good for them. There are countless amounts of stray animals in the US, especially the almost one hundred million in America alone, buy why? Because they were put out of the house by their careless owners? Did they run out, and their owners were not responsible enough to get them to come back? Or did owners move from one house to another and left behind a "small" thing that they would not need? All of these could be factors. But all of these should not happen for pets that do not know how to cope with these situations. That's why they need owners.
When pets are abused, they could be for money, for fighting, for behavior, anything, really. Some pets are even abused out of pure love. What I mean by that is that there are animal hoarders that keep hundreds of pets cramped up in one house. These animals are usually cats. They go from two cats to ten and then fifty before a month is finished. Owners care too much and love all their animals. But this just might be a form of too much love. Yes, the cats are found on the streets and multiply in the house they live in, but conditions become so hostile that the cats usually become sick and sometimes die. With dogs, the same can happen. But, a more reoccurring problem with the abuse of dogs is the advancement of puppy mills. In those, puppies, instead of having a "childhood," are bred before mature, so that they could go to pet stores. The offspring of these puppies usually have medical problems. In puppy mills, dogs are bred at a young age, raised in harsh conditions and in cages, and are bred with siblings often. That is why all pet owners should, instead of buying pets from stores like Monster Pets or off the Internet, get them from actual local breeders in the area.
Finally, the most current story I found in animal abuse is that the al-Quaeda terrorist group has developed more plans to plant bombs in US airlines. One by the name of Ibrahim al-Asiri has found multiple ways to pass bomb holders through metal detectors at airports, including surgically implanting bombs in helpless pets. Not only is the pet victimized, but the hundreds of people on a flight will die from a stunt such as this! No animal deserves to die in that way. From here, I want to know what triggers owners specifically to abuse their pets, what type of abuse happens to animals in labs instead of homes, and how people can prevent this from happening besides donating.
Thanks for reading, click here for further links and a bibliography.
Negative Space Drawings
A. Negative space is all of the parts of a picture that aren't the frames of each thing in the picture. When looking at a picture, you first see the lines that make a shape look the way that it is. With negative space as the most attracting part of a picture, the things that you wouldn't see first in a negative space picture would be seen first.
B. I found negative space in my cut out by separating dark colors from the lighter colors. In my stool drawing, I took every empty space I could find in my frame and instead of sketching it out, I turned it inside out by filling everything out with black instead of leaving it white.
C. It helps to see negative space because it helps to realize what isn't there is still important in a drawing. It helps us recognize how to see shadows, and other concepts in art such as these.
D. Yes, negative space enhances drawings because it shows viewers what's in the picture that might not always be plain to the human eye. So, when there is lots of negative space in a picture or drawing, it should be emphasized in some way or another.
B. I found negative space in my cut out by separating dark colors from the lighter colors. In my stool drawing, I took every empty space I could find in my frame and instead of sketching it out, I turned it inside out by filling everything out with black instead of leaving it white.
C. It helps to see negative space because it helps to realize what isn't there is still important in a drawing. It helps us recognize how to see shadows, and other concepts in art such as these.
D. Yes, negative space enhances drawings because it shows viewers what's in the picture that might not always be plain to the human eye. So, when there is lots of negative space in a picture or drawing, it should be emphasized in some way or another.
El Secreto del Gato ~ por Nia Hammond
Había una familia el los calles de Camden. Había un papá, una mamá, un hijo, y una hija. La familia vivía en una caja roja. La familia tenía un gato. Era un gato especial. El gato era bastante importante. El gato tenía un secreto. El gato estaba enojado. El gato lloraba. El gato le sollozó al papá, "El mar, Papacocha, está furioso. Papacocha va a destruir el helado." Había un problema. Era un problema grave.
El gato le mandó al papá, "Escala las escaleras infinitas." La familia caminó hacia las escaleras infinitas más alta con el gato. Las escaleras infinitas más altas se llamaba Saqsaywaman.
Había un zorrillo. El gato le dijo al zorrillo, "Hay un problema. ¡El mar, Papachocha, está furioso! El mar va a destruir el helado. Sube las escaleras infinitas más alta con nosotros." El zorrillo conprendió perfectamente. El zorrillo escapó con el grupo.
Había una tortuga. El gato le exclamó a la tortuga, "Hay un problema. ¡El mar está enojadísimo! El mar va a destruir el helado. Escala las escaleras infinitas más alta con nosotros." La tortuga comprendió bien. La tortuga no caminaba con el grupo. La tortuga patinó sobre ruedas.
Había un oso blanco. El gato le dijo al oso blanco, "Hay un problema. ¡El mar, Papacocha, está enfadado! El mar va a destruir el helado. Sube las escaleras infinitas más alta con nosotros." El oso blanco entendió. El oso blanco se fue con el grupo.
Había en elefante. El gato le explicó al elefante, "Hay un problema. ¡El mar, Papacocha, está furioso! El mar va a destuir el helado. Escala las escaleras infinitas más alta con nosotros." El elefante comprendió. El elefante no caminó con el grupo. El elefante voló por avión.
Había un gusano. El gato le dijo, "Hay un problema. ¡El mar, Papacocha, está furioso! El mar va a destruir el helado. Sube las escaleras infinitas con nosotros. El gusano no les hizo caso. El gusano no se fue con el grupo. El gusano era demasiado perezoso.
El grupo subió las escaleras infinitas más alta. La familia, el gato, el zorrillo, y el oso blanco subieron Saqsaywaman, las escaleras infinitas más alta. La tortuga patinó sobre suredas a Saqsaywaman. El elefante voló por avión a Saqsaywaman.
El mar subió. El mar subió con furia. Había un problema. Era un problema grave. El gusano no estaba con el grupo. El gusano nadó. El gusano no caminó. El gusano no voló. El gusano nadó rápido. El gusano subió las escaleras infinitas más alta. El gusano estaba feliz.
Por fin el par, Papacocha, estaba contento y no subió más. El mar bajó. La familia bajó. El gato bajó. Los otros animales bajaron. Y todos estaban felices. Y ya no había problemas.
El gato le mandó al papá, "Escala las escaleras infinitas." La familia caminó hacia las escaleras infinitas más alta con el gato. Las escaleras infinitas más altas se llamaba Saqsaywaman.
Había un zorrillo. El gato le dijo al zorrillo, "Hay un problema. ¡El mar, Papachocha, está furioso! El mar va a destruir el helado. Sube las escaleras infinitas más alta con nosotros." El zorrillo conprendió perfectamente. El zorrillo escapó con el grupo.
Había una tortuga. El gato le exclamó a la tortuga, "Hay un problema. ¡El mar está enojadísimo! El mar va a destruir el helado. Escala las escaleras infinitas más alta con nosotros." La tortuga comprendió bien. La tortuga no caminaba con el grupo. La tortuga patinó sobre ruedas.
Había un oso blanco. El gato le dijo al oso blanco, "Hay un problema. ¡El mar, Papacocha, está enfadado! El mar va a destruir el helado. Sube las escaleras infinitas más alta con nosotros." El oso blanco entendió. El oso blanco se fue con el grupo.
Había en elefante. El gato le explicó al elefante, "Hay un problema. ¡El mar, Papacocha, está furioso! El mar va a destuir el helado. Escala las escaleras infinitas más alta con nosotros." El elefante comprendió. El elefante no caminó con el grupo. El elefante voló por avión.
Había un gusano. El gato le dijo, "Hay un problema. ¡El mar, Papacocha, está furioso! El mar va a destruir el helado. Sube las escaleras infinitas con nosotros. El gusano no les hizo caso. El gusano no se fue con el grupo. El gusano era demasiado perezoso.
El grupo subió las escaleras infinitas más alta. La familia, el gato, el zorrillo, y el oso blanco subieron Saqsaywaman, las escaleras infinitas más alta. La tortuga patinó sobre suredas a Saqsaywaman. El elefante voló por avión a Saqsaywaman.
El mar subió. El mar subió con furia. Había un problema. Era un problema grave. El gusano no estaba con el grupo. El gusano nadó. El gusano no caminó. El gusano no voló. El gusano nadó rápido. El gusano subió las escaleras infinitas más alta. El gusano estaba feliz.
Por fin el par, Papacocha, estaba contento y no subió más. El mar bajó. La familia bajó. El gato bajó. Los otros animales bajaron. Y todos estaban felices. Y ya no había problemas.
PSA - Maltrato Infantil - Nia Hammond
Este PSA beneficia el publico que mira el maltrato infantil (o abuso de cualquier forma) pero no sabe como denunciar. En este situación, el papá de una niña le abusa, pero aunque sus amigas son desconfiadas, no denuncian. Es como la película El Bola, en que un hombre pega su hijo, pero sus seres queridos no hacen mucho para ayudarlo. Me encanta esta película. No es como otras películas, porque tiene un mensaje, pero también piezas de otros temas incluye.
Otros palabras del vocabulario usé:
maltrato infantil
denunciar
abusar
pegar
temas
reconocer los indicios
moratones
heridas
comportamiento
hacer la vista gorda
averiguar
cicatrices
ocultar
enfrentarse
prueba suficiente
promover la prevención de
preocupante
(vocabulario viejo)
aunque
seres queridos
el derecho a
el delito
preguntarse
suicidarse
la comunidad
apoyar
mandatos formales yo usé:
suéltame
cállate
dime
sufra
recibe
denuncie
cuente
llame
encontre
el video:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/44473543/Maltrato%20Infantil%20PSA.mov
Otros palabras del vocabulario usé:
maltrato infantil
denunciar
abusar
pegar
temas
reconocer los indicios
moratones
heridas
comportamiento
hacer la vista gorda
averiguar
cicatrices
ocultar
enfrentarse
prueba suficiente
promover la prevención de
preocupante
(vocabulario viejo)
aunque
seres queridos
el derecho a
el delito
preguntarse
suicidarse
la comunidad
apoyar
mandatos formales yo usé:
suéltame
cállate
dime
sufra
recibe
denuncie
cuente
llame
encontre
el video:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/44473543/Maltrato%20Infantil%20PSA.mov
Hammond - Macbeth BM
In English class, after reading and analyzing the play Macbeth by William Shakespeare, students made projects analyzing the main characters, Lady Macbeth and Macbeth as the quarter 3 benchmark. I looked at Lady Macbeth's character's change throughout the course of the play. The piece of artwork that I made represented Lady Macbeth's downfall from the beginning of the play to the end. Besides the spiral metaphor, there is a quote rope on the right side of the art, which also shows her change. The rope goes from more tight and well-rounded to a frayed Lady Macbeth, and eventually, at the end of the play and at the end of the rope, it is very frayed and by that time has broken off. The colors in the downwards spiral each represent a mood or feeling or description of Lady Macbeth as the play progresses on. In the beginning, for example, there is red because Lady Macbeth was bloodthirsty and violent because of her saying that she would do anything for more power, as the quote on the right says. After going through being envious, greedy, guilty, miserable, and crazy, Lady Macbeth's spiral ends when she kills herself, and as always, black represents the color or death.
¡Soy de la Oposición!
Antes de que la unidad empezó, no supe nada sobre Hugo Chávez. Pero, cuando yo escuché a su nombre, me parecía a una buena persona.
Yo aprendé que tiene una presidencia de 13 años. También, Chávez es el presidente de Venezuela y es agresivo. Unas personas dicen que el es un dictador. Otra de la gente se aman como un dios. Porque es agresivo, tiene muchos enemigos. Tiene muchos hermanos y hijos también. Yo aprendé que su presidencia va a terminar en 2012.
Ahora, no soy un Chavista. Si fuera Venezolana, no votaría para Chávez. Aunque se ayudan a todos personas, tiene buenas ideas para no usa las. Creo que fue el presidente para demasiado tiempo ahora.
En esta unidad, yo me gustó cuando miramos a videos diferentes para cambiar nuestras creencias sobre Hugo Chávez.
Yo aprendé que tiene una presidencia de 13 años. También, Chávez es el presidente de Venezuela y es agresivo. Unas personas dicen que el es un dictador. Otra de la gente se aman como un dios. Porque es agresivo, tiene muchos enemigos. Tiene muchos hermanos y hijos también. Yo aprendé que su presidencia va a terminar en 2012.
Ahora, no soy un Chavista. Si fuera Venezolana, no votaría para Chávez. Aunque se ayudan a todos personas, tiene buenas ideas para no usa las. Creo que fue el presidente para demasiado tiempo ahora.
En esta unidad, yo me gustó cuando miramos a videos diferentes para cambiar nuestras creencias sobre Hugo Chávez.
Hugo Chávez - Tira Cómica
En esta tira cómica, Hugo Chávez es con Fidel Castro como un niño abaraza su mamá. Castro es sonriente también. La tira cómica quiere expresar que la alianza entre de Castro y Chávez y como sus cuidadanos no son muy felices con sus gobiernos en sus países.
la tira cómica
la tira cómica
Gods of the Modern World por José Clemente Orozco - La vista de la mamá de Gonzalo
Nia Hammond
Yo soy María Luisa Infante, una mujer sana de una familia en la clase alta-media en Chile. Vivo en un barrio muy tranquilo en Chile. Tengo dos hijos, una niña mayor y mi amor, Gonzalo, el menor hermano. Me cae bien con mi familia. Mi esposo es el padre de mis niños, y somos felices ahora, como lo veo. En secreto, tengo una otra vida con un otro hombre. No nos importa... En los políticos, soy una derechista o momio, y yo apoyo General Augusto Pinochet. Para mi, es mejor a mantener una separación entre de los niños de clases diferentes y creencias diferentes. Tengo 38 años, y soy feliz con mi vida. No trabajo más o menos, y yo hago la mejor de todo.
En la obra de arte que se llama “Gods of the Modern World” (o Dios del Mundo Moderno) por José Clemente Orozco, hay un esqueleto encima de que me parece una colección de libros y una puerta. Un color principal en la obra es el rojo. Además de rojo, los otros colores son oscuros, pálidos, y apagados. El color que yo veo más es el azul; y el mural me pone un tono pesimista. Establece un tono muy travieso desde mi punto de vista. Yo veo un sacerdote, licenciados de una universidad o un colegio tal vez, muchos libros, más esqueletos pequeños en tarros por el fondo del mural, y una puerta. Lo más importante parte del mural es a la izquierda donde hay un otro esqueleto encorvado sobre un esqueleto de un bebé en una toga sin el birrete. Los libros en el mural son desorganizados y grandes, pero todavía no sé que significa.En el año 1973 fueron muchas manifestaciones porque fue mucha tensión entre de clases diferentes y las creencias diferentes de la gente. El presidente fue Salvador Allende, pero 1% (yo incluido) de la gente quiso General Pinochet a ser el presidente. Entonces, fue un ataque del golpe de estado en contra de Salvador Allende y luego se suicidó. Ese día, un edificio importante derrumbó mientras el gobierno fue derrocó por la gente y el 1% apoyando el General Pinochet. Mi vida no se cambió mucho. Hoy, yo vivo en la misma forma como fue en el año pasado. La memoria que recuerdo en 1973 fue cuando fue una reunión de los parentes en la escuela de mi hijo y una madre pobre dijo algo importante. El sacerdote McEnroe dije que no importa si los niños de pocos recursos se mezclan con niños en la escuela que son de la clase alta o la clase media. Pero, no estoy de acuerdo porque luego en vida como en casa, los problemas de otros entran mis problemas.
En la obra de arte, todos de los esqueletos representan cosas diferentes, como los dios del mundo moderno. Así lo veo, tal vez el esqueleto en el centro del mural acaba de dar a luz. Cada de los esqueletos del cada dio me parecen son muertos, significado las creencias de la gente sobre los dios también se mueran. Pero el esqueleto pequeño del bebé para mi representa un dio nuevo que toda la gente admira, como un bebé real. También los bebés en tarros pueden representar nuevos dios y ideas. En el fondo del mural el cura y los licenciados simbolizan el retiro de los dios del mundo moderno, como lo entiendo. Al final, los libros simbolizan todos lo demás en la sociedad moderna– la gente, la historia, todo.
La obra trae una mensaje de una señal. La señal es para las personas del mundo, y les cuenta que nuevos pensadores son entrante este mundo, y los dios del mundo moderno son partes de estes nuevos pensadores y tal vez apoyan. Yo creo que Orozco la pintó para este razón. En mi vida, siempre hay nuevos pensadores. En ejemplo, un amigo mejor de mijo Gonzalo es pobre pero Gonzalo todavía le gusta. Para mi, es diferente de que es normal en mi punto de vista. Pero, me siento más o menos impactada del mural.
Esta obra de arte es magnificente. Los colores, los sentidos, y las personas en el mural significan muchas cosas diferentes, aunque depende de la persona que la analiza. Yo escogí esta obra porque me gustan los colores y como son usados. Estoy de acuerdo con el pintor porque la obra dice la verdad sobre los dios del mundo moderno. Finalmente, lo más importante en esta obra es lo que tú crees, y que te sientes cuando la miras.
Team 7's Microscopy Portfolio
Please click on the slide below to view the whole presentation of the team's Microscopy Mini-Portfolio.
"En la Vida Real," en Fairmount Park, por Nia Hammond
En la
comunidad, son muchos formas de arte. Hay cuadros, sculpturas, fuentes bonitos,
y hasta grafiti representan el arte público de la comunidad. Soy una artista yo misma, y veo que mi comunidad
necesita otros murales. Entonces,
yo, Nia Hammond, voy a ayudar con la creación de más murales. El título de mi mural es “En la Vida Real,” y está ubicado
en West Philadelphia, más explícitamente en Fairmount Park. Yo decidé a
ponerlo al lado de una tienda que fue en venta para un tiempo largo. Eso es
porque siempre es interesante a ver algo
nuevo, especialmente un mural nuevo en un pared que es usualmente
desnudo, como lo veo.
Viviendo en Fairmount Park es un
buen encanto. Está literalmente mi patio trasero. Mi barrio es por lo general tranquilo y son desvalidos en las grietas.
También la comunidad es diversa en todas formas. Hay muchos
parques públicos y lugares para ver el cielo abierto, distinto de la cuidad
parte de Filadelfia. Además, Fairmount Park es concido a tener mucho del arte público.
“En la Vida Real” tiene una
imagen. Tiene césped, y un cielo de la noche, cuando todo es tranquila, como en mi barrio. Hay una estrella pelea y algo
está indicando, simbolizando
nuestras capacidades a soñar y tener deseos en la vida. Todos de los elementos en mi mural son importantes porque hacen
visiones más grandes, y eso es el mural en general. El mural no es abstracto, entonces, mis colores no son
asombrosos. Yo simplemente usé colores naturales. Sin embargo, yo aseguré que los colores del cielo de la noche les caen bien con el césped esmeralda.
Las temas que yo uso giran alrededor de los valores de la gente sobre
cumpliendo sus sueños. Yo quiero la gente que ve mi mural a saber que tiene que
vives cuando/mientras estás joven, y tiene que ir a tus sueños. Cuando pienso
sobre mi mural, pienso sobre sueños, jóvenes vivido con felicidad, jugado, el
divertido, y solo estando con el feliz.
Para mi, el papel del arte público es para traer un poco de
la alegría a las personas durante el día. También los murales se transforman un
pared normal en una obra bonita de arte. Unas ciudades son conocidas porque son
muchos murales, todas son significativas
para razones diferentes. Pienso que el arte público es para entretener la
gente y atraer turistas que van a una comunidad. Mi mural es entre los otros
murales porque es llamativo, creativo, y fácil. Mi mural es arte, pero es el
arte digital. Creo que todo que nosotros tenemos es arte. Hay arte en las
ciencias, en la historía, y en la
clase de inglés. Arte puede ser en formas, como el vandalismo y también algo que es en un museo. Entonces, mi mural
debe de ser arte. Finalmente, como yo lo
entiendo, mi mural es bonito y inspirado. Demuestra el acto de haciendo el
ejercicio de su libre. Además,
murales y el arte pueden ir para un tiempo largo, y crean la inspiración para
todo del mundo.
Doorways to Peace por Joe Brenman
Este mural por Joe Brenman fue ubicado en 1501 Germantown calle. Este mural es importante porque revela la asociación entre de los profesores, artistas, y niños. También significa la comunidad y grupos cultos en la región. El mural revela que la comunidad es diversa. Veo que son azulejos a la redonda del mural. También son muchos colores. Es significative para esta comunidad porque muchas personas trabajaron juntas para terminar este proyecto y traídaron más cercano.
"Mar Adentro" ~ La Vida Digna de Ramón Sanpedro
i) Synopsis:
La película Mar Adentro se trata de un hombre de España que se hizo un tetrapléjico. Cuando él fue muy joven, Ramón Sanpedro, el tetrapléjico en la película, sufrió un acidente terrible de nadado. Desde entonces, Ramón era tetrapléjico, por casi treinta años. Ramón dijo que fue como una cabeza pegado a un cadáver porque no pudo sentirse sus brazos y piernas. Entonces, Ramón Sanpedro quiso morir. Sólo unas de sus seres queridos apoyan a su deseo. Luego, cuando más personas apoyan su decisión, tienen que conocer a un juez porque es un crimen en el país de España a quitarse la vida de alguien, aunque quiere morir. Durante la espera, Ramón se conoció a dos mujeres que quieren ayudarle con su problema. La primera mujer, Julia, fue una agobada en el caso, y luego Ramón se enamoró con ella. La otra es Rosa, una madre que sólo quiere ser una amiga de Ramón. Después de muchos eventos, inclyado discutibles con el cura, y mucho llorando, Ramón finalmente se quitó con el ayudo de Rosa, porque ella le quiere a Ramón.
ii) Questions raised
La película traijo muchas preguntas sobre de que debería legal o ilegal en España. Unas de las preguntas fue como estas: ¿Deben todos tener el derecho a morir o vivir? ¿Es moral ayudar a una persona que quiere quitarse la vida? ¿Debe una persona que quiere morir ser juzgado [por otras]? y ¿Deben tetrapléjicos el derecho a quitarse si quieren? Para la sociedad, estas preguntas abren debates feroces porque tantas personas tienen creencias diferentes y todas de las personas que tienen creencias similares no siempre están en el mismo lugar. Todo quiere imponer las creencias de otros.
iii) My Position
Es importante que todoes tienen el derecho a morir o vivir. Para mí, si quieres morir, tienes el derecho a vivir porque es tu decisión y otras personas no pueden sentirse que te sientes. En el mundo, son personas que siempre necesitan ayuda, y una es Ramón. ¿Es cierto que no hay más remedio para el problema? No. Si Ramón quiere morir, los seres queridos deben ser obligado a respetar su deseo, y no deben estar en contra de su deseo. Así lo veo, tus amigos y otros seres queridos les ayudas con todos los demás y no veo porque ayudarían con una tarea más seria. Pienso que en general nadie debe ser juzgado por otras porque tal vez no tienen razón. Aunque todos tenemos opiniones diferentes, a mi me parece que no es bien a juzgar alguien o algo, porque nunca vea una situación de su vista. Tetrapléjicos deben tener el derecho a quitarse si quieren. Somos los mismos; es una tragedia si una persona se quitó la vida, pero ¿qué podemos hacer? Sabemos que fue por su propia voluntad. Los tetrapléjicos son las mismas formas, sólo necesitan una poca de asistenta. Para mi, tetrapléjicos deben tener la elección a quitarse, aunque es una posibilidad que necesitan . No debe más problemas sólo porque una otra persona concernido. Vale la pena.
iv) The Movie
No puedo ver porque unas personas no le gusta a esta película. Es culto en una manera, y es indudablemente una película conmovedora. También es un poco triste y romántica. Me gustó la película. Creo que el reparto fue excelente. Me encanta el parte durante la película cuando Julia tuvo un infarto y Ramón tuvo miedo, y también el parte cuando Ramón tomó la eutanasia y se morió porque fue muy dramático. Además, me encantó la enscenografía. Por lo tanto, la película Mar Adentro fue bonita y hizo un buen punto.
La película Mar Adentro se trata de un hombre de España que se hizo un tetrapléjico. Cuando él fue muy joven, Ramón Sanpedro, el tetrapléjico en la película, sufrió un acidente terrible de nadado. Desde entonces, Ramón era tetrapléjico, por casi treinta años. Ramón dijo que fue como una cabeza pegado a un cadáver porque no pudo sentirse sus brazos y piernas. Entonces, Ramón Sanpedro quiso morir. Sólo unas de sus seres queridos apoyan a su deseo. Luego, cuando más personas apoyan su decisión, tienen que conocer a un juez porque es un crimen en el país de España a quitarse la vida de alguien, aunque quiere morir. Durante la espera, Ramón se conoció a dos mujeres que quieren ayudarle con su problema. La primera mujer, Julia, fue una agobada en el caso, y luego Ramón se enamoró con ella. La otra es Rosa, una madre que sólo quiere ser una amiga de Ramón. Después de muchos eventos, inclyado discutibles con el cura, y mucho llorando, Ramón finalmente se quitó con el ayudo de Rosa, porque ella le quiere a Ramón.
ii) Questions raised
La película traijo muchas preguntas sobre de que debería legal o ilegal en España. Unas de las preguntas fue como estas: ¿Deben todos tener el derecho a morir o vivir? ¿Es moral ayudar a una persona que quiere quitarse la vida? ¿Debe una persona que quiere morir ser juzgado [por otras]? y ¿Deben tetrapléjicos el derecho a quitarse si quieren? Para la sociedad, estas preguntas abren debates feroces porque tantas personas tienen creencias diferentes y todas de las personas que tienen creencias similares no siempre están en el mismo lugar. Todo quiere imponer las creencias de otros.
iii) My Position
Es importante que todoes tienen el derecho a morir o vivir. Para mí, si quieres morir, tienes el derecho a vivir porque es tu decisión y otras personas no pueden sentirse que te sientes. En el mundo, son personas que siempre necesitan ayuda, y una es Ramón. ¿Es cierto que no hay más remedio para el problema? No. Si Ramón quiere morir, los seres queridos deben ser obligado a respetar su deseo, y no deben estar en contra de su deseo. Así lo veo, tus amigos y otros seres queridos les ayudas con todos los demás y no veo porque ayudarían con una tarea más seria. Pienso que en general nadie debe ser juzgado por otras porque tal vez no tienen razón. Aunque todos tenemos opiniones diferentes, a mi me parece que no es bien a juzgar alguien o algo, porque nunca vea una situación de su vista. Tetrapléjicos deben tener el derecho a quitarse si quieren. Somos los mismos; es una tragedia si una persona se quitó la vida, pero ¿qué podemos hacer? Sabemos que fue por su propia voluntad. Los tetrapléjicos son las mismas formas, sólo necesitan una poca de asistenta. Para mi, tetrapléjicos deben tener la elección a quitarse, aunque es una posibilidad que necesitan . No debe más problemas sólo porque una otra persona concernido. Vale la pena.
iv) The Movie
No puedo ver porque unas personas no le gusta a esta película. Es culto en una manera, y es indudablemente una película conmovedora. También es un poco triste y romántica. Me gustó la película. Creo que el reparto fue excelente. Me encanta el parte durante la película cuando Julia tuvo un infarto y Ramón tuvo miedo, y también el parte cuando Ramón tomó la eutanasia y se morió porque fue muy dramático. Además, me encantó la enscenografía. Por lo tanto, la película Mar Adentro fue bonita y hizo un buen punto.
Q2 Media Fluency
UPDATE:
Because many suggested that I get rid of the quotes on my slide, I decided to do so and delete them, because like they said, it actually is more meaningful. Additionally, the audience felt that the words were covering my face too much. In actuality, it was supposed to cover to have the audience focus on the text. To improve the contrast even further, I switched everything to the opposite side. So now, the yellow period is even more outstanding than the other text to solidify the statement on the slide. Finally, to make the slide come back to life, I fixed the shadowing on the text to make sure it still had the "night and day" effect to it.
Throughout this slide design unit, I learned a ton. I used to think that slides were designed so that you can read them to your audience. It turns out that slides were used for a reason far from that. I now know that slides are nothing but a VISUAL AID, meaning it’s supposed to help you a little bit by helping you remember key points in a presentation but a Keynote of PowerPoint presentation is 90% made for your audience to follow. I learned from websites like Presentation Zen, Zach Holman, and Apple.com that less is more, picture backgrounds can be modified via Alpha, and that color contrast is key in a slide.
Hi everyone,
Because many suggested that I get rid of the quotes on my slide, I decided to do so and delete them, because like they said, it actually is more meaningful. Additionally, the audience felt that the words were covering my face too much. In actuality, it was supposed to cover to have the audience focus on the text. To improve the contrast even further, I switched everything to the opposite side. So now, the yellow period is even more outstanding than the other text to solidify the statement on the slide. Finally, to make the slide come back to life, I fixed the shadowing on the text to make sure it still had the "night and day" effect to it.
Throughout this slide design unit, I learned a ton. I used to think that slides were designed so that you can read them to your audience. It turns out that slides were used for a reason far from that. I now know that slides are nothing but a VISUAL AID, meaning it’s supposed to help you a little bit by helping you remember key points in a presentation but a Keynote of PowerPoint presentation is 90% made for your audience to follow. I learned from websites like Presentation Zen, Zach Holman, and Apple.com that less is more, picture backgrounds can be modified via Alpha, and that color contrast is key in a slide.
Hi everyone,
My
slide is entitled “The Dreamer.” For my color scheme, I used a pallet of
light-ish primary colors, because the contrast with each other very much. The background
of the slide was composed of a fade from yellow to a baby blue. The yellow
represents the day, while blue represents the night. The yellow of the background
in the slide “shines” a light onto the letters in the slide and the letters
then have a shadow. I used the website http://www.colorsontheweb.com/colorcontrasts.asp as a reference to see which colors contrasted the most with each other so that
the words would be relatively clear. The punctuation and quotes in the slide
are in different but bolder colors to emphasize the statements.
The
text is shown to be very important because of its boldness and contrast to the
background of the slide. I adjusted the kerning on some words so that they
would appear more or less important and impacting on my audience. Since the
quotes are in the upper left corner, they almost sway the audience to look at
the bottom where the more important text is, the title. I used plenty of
emptiness to keep my slide very simple
to understand, and so that when the few words on the slide were read that the
audience could look at the speaker. The picture bleeds off of the slide, and
the picture is also in a way “looking” into the yellow light of the background
on the slide.
¡¿Susana, qué te pasa?!
Si yo viera Susana besando con el primo de Pedro, me enfrentaría con Susana y le preguntaría a qué le pasa. Sí, trataría ayudar porque Pedro casí le pedir la mano de Susana y sería triste si rompieran. Susana debería hablar con Pedro y debería decirle a Pedro que hizo. Y luego, si Pedro aceptara la disculpa de Susana, sacarían un descanso y casarían el próximo año. Yo, en su lugar, pasaría mucho tiempo para responder a Susana y si una persona engañara, yo estaría muy triste pero yo perdonaría a la persona. Si viera a la novia de me mejor amigo besando a su primo, yo haría la misma cosa que haría con Susana y Pedro.
"Tan Timida Como una Gata" por Nia Hammond
The project done in Spanish class was about creating masks by papier mache and using it to represent the two sides of a personality we all have. We would write a two-part essay in Spanish that would show both those sides — the inside and the outside. The outer portion of the mask would be labeled with obvious things and the inside would contain more personal thoughts that the writer has, like their fears or inside personalities or him/her. The masks would show other people what we were like not only at first glance, but also from the inside out. By reading the masks, you would get to know a lot more about us! My mask takes the shape or a normal cat. In a way, it resembles me. It is wide-eyed and ready to take on the world head-on. Additionally, its whiskers, ear hair, and other hair behind ears are all the words that are exposed to someone from maybe a common or casual conversation or first look at me. The "eyebrows" of the make up the title of my mask: "Tan Timida Como una Gata," or in English, "As Timid as a Cat."
Por lo general, soy una persona que tiene mucha timidez. Mi familia, el futuro, y mis amigos son importantes a mí. Tengo una gata que es muy especial para mí. Valgo mucho de mi gata, y espero que ella tiene muchos años en su futuro. Para mí, en el futuro, voy a querer tener un trabajo bueno como algo en la fotografía. Me molesta mucho personas antipáticas. Sueño con llevar una vida con mucha felicidad. Tengo miedo de llevar una vida sola y soltera. Me siento orgullosa cuando hago algo grande.
Es posible que veas en la afuera que a veces soy un poco nerviosa. Me pongo agobiada muchas veces, especialmente cuando estoy en escuela. Pero, puedo ser tranquila también, usualmente durante el verano y la primavera. Tengo una personalidad muy “doble.” A veces, me pongo huraña y yo enrojezco pero al contrario soy muy sociable. Por eso, no es facíl para describir mí misma. Mi personalidad “doble” puede influyer más las personas que no me conocen bien. Personas que ya me conocen saben que soy huraña con nuevas personas pero sociable cuando se conozco. Démas personas sólo ven mi timidez. Porque soy talentosa, no va a ser difícil para encontrar una trabaja buena. Soy buena en la educación y en las actividades que no son en la escuela. Un día me espero cambiar démas personas y la forma que las piensan. El arte (mi talentosa normal) especialmente cambia la forma que la gente piensa o como dibuja. Me gusta el estilo de “Contacto con los manos.” Cuando aprendo nuevas cosas, yo entiendo más mejor si uso mis manos y uso otros métodos fisicales. Además, tal vez más de la gente puede aprender con sus manos un día, también. Sin embargo, personas diferentes tienen estilos diferents de aprendido.
En el interior, soy la misma persona por lo general. Valgo cuando viviendo una vida sana y sin importas sobre dinero. En mi vida se escucho a mis parentes cuando dicen que una vida es difícil si tiene un trabajo “frequalmente.” Por eso, me asegúro que soy feliz para casi todo del tiempo. Sopredentemente, no veas que tengo una magnífica personalidad en el interior. Puedo relacionarse a otras personas o se doy rías. Cuando una persona me conoce más bien, séra saber los partes de mi personalidad los partes buen y mal y todo en la media. Temo llevado una vida sin felicidad. Si vivo sin felicidad creo que voy a ser vieja y aburrida en el futuro.
Una otra cosa sobre mi identidad interior es que tengo temores de muriendo cuando soy joven todavía. Pienso que voy a creer que no terminé mi vida completamente. Por ejemplo, si muero cuando tengo 16 años, no habré llegado casí nada de mis objectivos. Tengo muchas prioridades en mi vida y si muero cuando todavía soy joven, voy a sentirme muy triste en mi cabeza. Unas de mis prioridades incluyen pagando mis padres para cuidando a yo para muchos años. También, quiero ser más sociable y quiero trabajar con unos programas muy oficiales y casuales porque va a poner mi nombre en el mundo.
Una cosa que yo digo a otras personas pero alga no le digo a unos extraños es que no soy vanidosa, pero ¡creo el mundo de mi personalidad en general! Soy muy orgullosa de mi cultura, mi raza, mi sexa, y todo lo demás. Se creen que soy insegura o antipática, pero sólo que tengo un montón de timidez. Obviamente, no es como lo todo del tiempo, pero espcialmente cuando estoy en un nuevo ambiente. Es todo lo contrario de una persona sociable. De hecho, soy completamente la opuesta de una persona sociable, alta, y tranquila.
De cualquier manera, soy felicidad con quién soy yo en el interior o el exterior.
