Pantene Commercial

Observe- Deaf girl wants to play violin, father is her mentor, other students pick on her and make fun of her, she competes in the end, ponytail vs hair long and down,

Infer- Even though she's deaf she's amazing at violin, control, free

Need to Know- She's deaf, can't hear

Analyze- feeling of courage, student vs. teacher

"Just Add Water" & "Animacules*

Both of these works go with the attitude to look at the little things and stop focusing on the big, annoying general things in life such as technology.

What is the same about Twn & Just Add Water??

Both TWN & Just Add Water follow the status quo-normalcy curve. On the line, down, and then up! Well, in TWN- Everything was fine, then Viola disguised herself into Cesario, chaos happened and then everything was restored to a new normal. All sense of normalcy is lost, just like JAW. Everyone ends up better than what they began with though, however.

Animacules and Other Little Subjects

Mark Smith's "Animacules and Other Little Subjects" gave me the feeling that in life, it is more beneficial to look at something small, rather than the general picture. The "little subject" could be the larger image. The big, expensive things may not be the most pleasing but the small little ones, sometimes not even there for the eye to see. Smith's interest in microscopic animacules is phenomenal. He is interested in something that is so tiny, but does so much. They serve an important role, and they are just so small! I couldn't help but to think of the movie Men in Black, where the cat wore the whole galaxy on his neck, full of organisms and life. The author's love for the microscope allowed him to grow older and find his love for animacules. It is crazy to think about that the smallest organism has the same structures as we, humans do. He says, "I have trouble explaining my satisfaction with the animalcules" (260), but he doesn't need to. He is allowed to love the little things without explaining himself.

Recently, on my tumblr (which is my private blog that I use to express my feelings and emotions), I made a list of the little things that I love. This was all done before I read this article, of course. The little things I love include non material subjects, such as fresh air, salt-water, the feeling of a hug, hearing someone you love say "I love you"... etc. This list made me happy to read after, because it is not the big things like a car, or a new pocketbook that should make one feel this way inside, but the little things that make us who we are, just like Smith found a love for animacules. In relation to "Just Add Water" and "Food Miles", I realized that it is not worth it for us to fill our lives with technology and expensive big things when life is full of special, small things. Observe, enjoy and love what is given to you. Go to the pond, realize that it is full of life.. and there's so much more then what we see with our eyes.

George Carlin

George Carlin's routine reinforces this notion that humanity is self-extincting like Phelan discusses in saying that we can't "save the planet because we don't even know how to take care of ourselves yet!", which is true! How can we save the planet if we're incapable of saving ourselves first? His routine was hilarious but made sense in the big scheme of things. We're self-extincting as a human race because we're making mistakes that long term will hurt us down the road. Even though they are not apparent now, global warming and climate changes will catch up to us some day. Carlin makes this funny in his routine, from 15 years ago (?), before we even realized it is catching up to us. We need to make sure our greed isn't destroying our race.

What emblem/image/symbol best exemplifies the film "Just Add Water"?

In relation to the movie though, because ramen is unrelated, a symbol that best exemplifies the film is Ray's actual life. His life is going pretty downhill, until he builds up the courage to ask Norah on a date. This is the "just adding water" because after one small step, his life goes in the right direction and progressively gets better. Like the meringue recipe, only one piece of ingredients can make or break the final product, which is the same about Ray's life. If he wouldn't have started seeing Norah, maybe his life wouldn't have ended up so happy after-all.

For OTHER symbols/emblems, that exemplify the film "Just Add Water" is sand, ramen noodles, Stevo the turtle, Rite Value, Lightning, loveseat/couch.

Chevrolet Station- hope, adds color, new dynamism, RWB, American Dream

Rite Value- as the town, no variety, one employee, beaten down, no diverse attitude, same things everyday

Tinbox- refers back to it whenever he gets discouraged, inside = hope, pictures of Nora, tell him to keep on going, restored hope

Stevo Turtle- at end, no longer caged.. symbol for town that they are free. now have 40 companion turtles (habitat set up) = town

"How We Evolve"- Benjamin Phelan

This article reminded me of Darwinism, as soon as it opened up. Phelan writes about how mutations in genetics are possible, including the lactose intolerant gene that causes adults to not be able to have milk. Today, this gene is seen throughout many people. According to "How We Evolve", the gene appeared about 8,000 years ago but did not become common in the population until about 3,000 years ago. Another topic that Phelan discusses is HapMap, "a massive survey of the genetic differences between selected populations from around the world". This tool can show where natural selection has occurred, which is beneficial to study human evolution. According to the article, by looking at the genetic information of different populations, it is possible to weed out patterns of genetic inheritance, how diseases fit with genes and possibly how some mutations started. This shows how our world is heavily evolving and how we create our own evolution.

At the end of the article, a "self-inflicted extinction" is mentioned, meaning that we change our own world and evolve ourselves based on our actions, such as global warming, destroying our climate, and new technology. These factors could lead to human extinction because the climate could ultimately destroy us. It is getting late, and according to Phelen (which I agree with), we should try to fix these before it gets TOO late. We're not ready for human extinction yet!

INFER:

How do we stop global warming and climate change and know when depletion of resources is enough?

The Way I Feel About Blogging

I like blogging because it is a way to express emotions, see peers work and get feedback on our responses to what we read.

Reverse Outline "John Broome's Article- "The Ethics of Climate Change"-- Ariel A. , Hannah T. , Kendra, Parth D.

For each paragraph, write a three to five word index or summary for the paragraph:

1. Cause and Effect of Climate Change

2. Unhealthy Emissions

3. Ethical Questions of Future Generations

4. Multiple deaths relating to environmental problems

5. Climate change will cause harm- health & impoverished people

6. Cars & Greenhouse Gases

7. Ethics of Costs and Benefits- What we have to change right now

8. Climate change as economics

9. Nicholas Stern- "Stern Review"- ideas of benefits & value

10. Justification of Change Now or Later?

11. the Richer the Future - Goods have diminishing marginal value

"The Ethics of Climate Change"

John Broome's article "The Ethics of Climate Change" is obviously about climate change. Ethics was used to describe ways to face the issue of global warming. The article's thesis is how to compensate people for bad things that are being done to the environment. It is up to us to handle ways to fix this issue, instead of wasting time using ethics to think of creative ways. The author of the article writes about prioritarianism, giving priority to the less well off. I don't understand what this had to do with the article and how the richer future section of this article had anything to do with climate change. Honestly, this article confuses me.

Likewise, in the article, the idea of fixing society's well being through production was discussed. Our society produces too much waste and needs to start producing more environmentally efficient means of production. He states at the end, "Ethical considerations cannot be avoided in determining the discount rate", and how climate change has to do exactly with ethics. This concept is confusing to me and the only thing I got out of the article was to stop producing waste, which by now is a given, obvious fact.

"Big Foot"- Michael Specter

Michael Specter said that "food miles" are a solution of waste that is being used for the people, but is destroying people because of the environmental harm. There is pollution everywhere, and we exert so many of our own resources for something that can be grown in a closer, tighter place. We keep adding more fuel costs to products. John Elkington says, "We are in an era of creative destruction". Ever since "going green" became the new fad, we are faced with the issue of global warming, everyone is trying to capitalize off our destruction and we are trapped. There are ideas being created without even the slightest thought toward anything besies money. We should stop making new natural resources that only cause damage.

Personally, I do feel responsible because of how much I drive. I could definitely drive less and work on carpooling. It's impossible for me to get anywhere without a car, and the only way to fill up is with fossil fuels. Companies are attempting to come up with new ways to give us electric cars, and hybrids, but in today's economy, not many people are willing to go out and change their cars to new ones. We, as a generation, need to think about our energy consumption before we destroy our world. Fixing our world is a slow process, but we have to start somewhere.

Just Add Water

1. How did Dirk become the leader?
2. What is in the box?
3. Who is the Rite girl?

What is a Writer!? AM I A WRITER?

Heck yes, I am. I mean, I'm double majoring in creative writing... Lets hope that would make me a writer. According to the dictionary, a writer is someone who writes texts.

To me, a writer is someone who expresses their ideas and thoughts in any way that they want, that enjoys to write. I believe writers can be funny, straight forward or a combination of both. No specific type of writing forms a writer, for "us writers" can do whatever we want to be classified in this profession. A writer is one that can formulate ideas into words into sentences into paragraphs into papers, blogs, essays or rants. I tend to rant a lot, if you can't tell. My preffered type of writing is colloquial rants, and I have a personal blog as well where I just writewritewrite and do whatever I feel like doing. A writer knows grammar and spelling and punctuation, I hope.. but at the same time, they don't have to. youse can write however u want and do whatevzzz!! Some books aren't even grammatically correctly written... as in "A Million Little Pieces", the author doesn't use punctuation at all really.

A writer can be whatever they want to be. No one can tell you that you're not a writer- one's expression of thoughts on paper has no limits.

Writing Center !!!!!!

I found the writing center extremely useful. I went in nervous, expecting to sit down and be distracted and stare off into space for the hour. I came in with no ideas, completely lost with my thoughts, and confused. By the use of the writing center, I was able to come up with a brilliant idea with just a push from a writing center tutor. I went to someone, whose name is escaping me right now, with a green mohawk and a cheery attitude. He worked in the drama department through Hofstra, had Dr. Lay for a few years, and was very familiar with my essay topic. The writing center tutor/teacher gave me leeway into answering my own ideas and questions. He made me read the sonnets out loud and diagnose every piece and line. He proposed thoughts and made me answer them myself which let me look inside my own mind to figure out my essay, instead of him giving me the essay answer. I'm glad that the writing center teacher tutor I went to was experienced with the Twelfth Night, he was able to write my paper with me instead of not knowing my topic. After I went to the writing center, I had a more structured essay with a focus instead of jumble. I heavily suggest the writing center and I will definitely be going back. I may even venture into this center for other classes as well.. But I haven't gotten my grade yet on this paper so all of these positive statements may be revoked depending on what grade I get. ;) Haha (Just kidding).

"The Reality Tests"

Joshua Roebke asks in his essay- “Do we create what we observe through the act of our observations?”. Things do not really exist, bringing up a complicated question that shakes every piece of knowledge known to man. Geogle Berkley, an Irish Clergyman that talks about Quantam Mechanics, believed in the idea that things only existed if they passed through our senses. Quantum Mechanics proves this idea correct, because in order for an object to exist, we must prove that objects do not previously exist unless we recognize them.

One strength in Roebke's theory is that electrons are constantly in motion, and by affecting one we could affect another as a ripple effects in the pond or water.

Faustian Economics

"Faustian Economics by Wendell Berry is an article about a man criticizing American life. We don't do much to help out our climate problem and according to the author, we take "useless steps" to fix it. Berry believes we must get rid of the standard that Americans have to fix the climate problem, which is greed and wastefulness. If we cut back on wastefulness, the world would be better, according to him. Berry also says that there are ways to fix our problems- an example using biofuel shows that we still look to produce ways to fix our problems but it comes with a cost. We as Americans are too greedy, and must stop consuming and wasting so much.

gReEd iS....

Greed is the president of a large corporation giving himself a huge raise after laying off 20,000 people. 20,000 men and women are now without jobs, not being able to support their families. They must start the job hunt all over again, starting from scratch at wanted ads and minimal wage, hoping to earn enough to just get by. This president now has enough money to throw around within his company due to the layoff of jobs of his workers, so he is able to give himself a bigger bonus and paycheck and afford a trip for the family to go to Aruba for two weeks. He is able to buy himself a new Mercedes CLK while one unemployed man has to sell his 2000 Toyota Camry to afford for his child to afford a community college in the town.

Jacques Derrida

In the Youtube video of Jacques Derrida, I watched a man talk about writing, saying he feels everything he has written is important to convey to the world and everyone else. His arguments may be controversial but they are important to let his audience know. At times he felt like his writing was controversial but that didn't stop him from expressing his feelings. Derrida expresses that he compares himself to the classic childlike dream that Freud spoke about, where a child is scared because everyone sees them in their underwear. Derrida makes himself naked to the world in a way that everyone watches him. Derrida also mentions how when he writes he says what must be said. Derrida is hiding behind his pen and paper, giving him the power to write whatever he wants no matter how controversial it may be.

Poems by R. Jones and R. Hass

"The Problem of Describing Trees" by Robert Haas and "Hubris at Zunzal" by Rodney Jones metaphorically describe language and how it is created and used. Jones' poem describes a man in the sunset who floats out to sea. He feels relief after dumping his drink out, metaphorically proving that language, portrayed by his drink, can be lost so easily in the vast ocean. His one drink was a thought within language, while the ocean is the collectiveness of everyone else. His thoughts were mixed in with everyone else, and now the thought is gone. The second poem by Haas describes how language can grow and develop like a tree. With words like "flutter", "dance", "wobb;y stem" and "capitalized" one can see how a tree can grow. Language must start off small like a tree as well, making itself beautiful throughout time. These poems are similar in a sense.