Documentary Debrief

I really liked watching all the presentations because they all used different elements that made them both engaging and informational. I think that the music really helped to set the mood in all the documentaries. For example in Allie’s groups documentary they had sad music playing as students talked about how they were unfairly marked as tardy, the music really helped to convey their message. Also some of the editing techniques helped to further prove a groups point, such as in some documentaries the group would cut an interview short or do a voice over to refute the interviewee’s opinion. This technique was used in Michael Moore’s documentaries, because he often cut off the people that he was interviewing. Also many of the professional documentaries that we watched involved a lot of music and visuals such as pictures or charts, which many groups included in their presentations. If you wanted yoy wanted to watch our fun video again heret it is!

All the groups had a question and through a video they answered it. The one about the unhealthy lunch foods was interesting. I also think that the school food is not healthy but I pack a lunch so I never eat the nasty and salty fries. I pack a lunch because I can pick what I feel like eating instead of having to choose what the school picked. Also the presentation about lowering the drinking age was the best. We went around the school and asked random people what they thought about lowering the drinking age. Many said that we should lower the drinking age because if you could fight in the war then you should be able to drink.

Finals Week

Personally, I've never felt overstressed from finals week. I try not to over study the night before a final and just look over all the notes and tests we've had in that particular class. It always seems to work out for me and I'm never stressed out while taking the final. I cant speak for other people but I prefer to not have to do a ton of studying the night before a final so I can relax while I'm taking it. I've been able to do pretty good in high school by doing this. Some kids over do it and try and cram too much information into their head at once. This method has never worked for me personally. However, if it works for them then that's fine but I prefer to not stress myself out before the actual test. The people that cram will probably be better prepared for college though, since there is a lot of material covered in a college class. Plus with Thanksgiving break coming up we can all finally relax for once.

Video Essay Debrief

Most of the groups posed a question in the beginning of their video and then went on to answer it throughout the video. All of the groups also used music effectively. Cydney’s group had heavy metal music in the beginning to get your attention. Allie’s group had dramatic music during the part when Brad was walking through the school trying to get to class on time. Most groups also used editing effectively. After someone they interviewed would say something they disagree with they would post the question on the screen and then go on to try and counter their point. I thought music was the most effective tool that all the groups used. It draws the audiences attention from the beginning and if used correctly, can persuade people from one viewpoint to another. However if used incorrectly it can reduce the quality of the video. The group's videos reminded me of Supersize Me. The interviews were all pretty similar to the ones Spurlock did. We would ask the question and if it was something we didn't necessarily agree with then we would try and show our viewpoint. Overall I think all the groups did a good job of using music and editing effectively to create a quality video.

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

It’s almost the holiday season and I’m so EXCITED! December is one of my favorite months of the year. Not only is Christmas in December but so is my birthday and the New Year. I like to refer to these 3 holidays as the trifecta of holidays. They all come in a row within a couple days of each other .I always get excited for December because it has 3 of the most exciting days of the year especially this year. This year I’m turning 18 which makes my trifecta even better. I’m really excited to celebrate my birthday this year because it’s big one, I’ve already start thinking about what I want, and what I’m going to do. My birthday will be super fun because I’ll be able to go out! Then after my birthday comes Christmas which is equally as exciting. I love getting gifts, but I also really like giving people things that they like. Also during Christmas I get to see family members that I don’t usually see. After Christmas  is the New Year which is always fun. Needless to say I can’t wait until December, only 39 more days until my birthday tips off the festivities. 

NBA LOCKDOWN

After all the commotion to the side the NBA season will begin November 1. This is only the second time in history that the NBA has had to cancel regular season games. Many players are on stand waiting to see what the owners will do. The first option they gave the players was that they will have 70 game seasons instead of 82 games. That also means that the players and owners of teams will be missing out on 12 game of pay. So there will be less games and everybody will lose some of the money they should be getting.

Cuckoo's Nest: Film/Book Differences

There are many differences between the book and the film of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. For example Cheswick dies in the book when he gets his hand stuck in the bottom of the pool, however in the movie Cheswick doesn’t die. In the book Chief Bromden is the narrator. In the movie there is no real narrator, but McMurphy is the main character and he’s usually the one talking. Chief is more of a secondary character in the movie. Doctor Spivey is also much less of an important character in the movie. He doesn’t go with the patients on the fishing trip and is only in a few scenes. I felt that the most significant change between the book and the movie was how they choose not to have Cheswick die in the movie. That was a big event in the novel and the patients were devastated by his death. In the movie he lives and stays in the hospital.

bullying =[

I think that compared to other schools Groves actually does have less bullying. Groves has created a safe and accepting environment for all students. I think this may be due to the fact that there are so many clubs and groups within our school that allow all different types of students to be involved and make connections with each other. Because there are so many diverse and unique ways to get involved in our school I think it helps everyone to feel like they’re apart of the school and refrain from bullying. Also our school seems to be very accepting of the gay community, we have day of silence and recognize October as LGBT month. I think the fact that our school not only recognizes this month, but also makes announcements on the fan about bullying that happens to homosexual’s helps people to realize that it’s not ok to discriminate due to sexuality. Although I like to think that Groves is a bully free zone I’m sure that some students do get bullied and hassled. I think that the parents of the bullies need to take responsibility for their child and help them to understand that what they are doing isn’t ok. But it is not solely the parent’s responsibility it is also the responsibility of the other students who witness the harassment or bullying, they shouldn’t join in and laugh or simply walk by they should do something to help. Here is a video that I think the fan made reference to last year involving harassment of homosexuals.

commercial

This commercial appeals to basketball players because it is a commercial on basketball shoes. I think that the commercial is very cool and it seems like the creators put a lot of effort in it. Also he was the MVP of the NBA season so everyone who watches basketball will probably like the commercial. Finally the commercial shows how fast he is and how light his shoes are and how fast you could be if you buy his shoes.

Reptillian Hot Button commercial: American Express

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UwXO22U8jEs


This American Express commercial shows how "easy" it is to use their new point system to pay for things, such as flights. In the commercial, famous snowboarder Shaun White is featured in it, which attracts more people to the company, because he's famous ofcourse. He takes planes from place to place, all with a few clicks on a mouse. No actual money being used, just these "points". In the end of the commercial he says "I want to be able to travel where I want, when I want. That's why my card is American Express". Just from this simple statement, he has influenced hundreds of people to get American Express cards, all because Shaun White said he can basically do anything with this card.

Fast Food Frenzy

Morgan Spurlocks documentary effectively identifies the obesity epidemic in America. It made people realize that fast food is not a healthy diet option and that over-eating McDonald's and other fast food restaurants can lead to higher cholesterol, weight gain, damage to your liver, and other dangerous ailments. Most the items in the menu have over 300 calories including the filet-o-fish, McChicken, large fry, McDouble and other popular menu items. At the end of the documentary he offers part of his solution, which is to eliminate the Super Size portion from the menu. Spurlock was successful even though McDonald’s denied that he was the reason they got rid of it. His technique is similar to Michael Moore’s because they both use music very well. However, Spurlock presents more of a biased argument then Moore. The most effective part of the movie I thought was when he showed how much weight he actually gained from the experiment.

Dolls and Body Image

I believe a doll like Barbie is very influential on little girls because they are constantly playing with them. Barbie’s and GI Joes are made with better bodies these days as shown in the movie Tough Guise. Children are always looking up to someone so it makes sense that they will expect to have bodies like that. If they are always playing with them then they will want to have bodies like that so they aren’t different. The Simpsons also made fun of dolls influence on little girls with the Malibu Stacy doll saying stereotypical things. All the girls rushed after the new doll that just came out. This shows that they are always looking for something new to look up to.
Here is a site theat explains some of the influences barbie has on young girls.

One Flew Over The Cuckoos nest

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s nest is a little bit difficult to understand at first, mostly because the narrator is a schizophrenic, but after reading the chapter summaries in addition to the book it began to make more sense.  Because the narrator is often times distant from reality it makes it difficult to know what is real and what is just a part of his imagination. Often times the chief sees things through distorted eyes and exaggerates what is actually going on. The chief’s unreliable perspective of the ward makes the reader have to analyze what he says and figure out what is actually happening. I think the book does use very racist language, but this is used due to the time period that the book was written, which helps to make it authentic. Even though some of the language is degrading and insulting, I think that it is used to help portray the time period to the reader. Also I don’t see the book as misogynist. While it does portray the main antagonist as a woman I don’t think that means that the book deserves to be criticized for misogyny, because I don’t think that is the books aim. I think the main antagonist happens to be a women nurse who is sometimes involved in the emasculation of men.

Music

October 17th was a classic day in the music industry. Woo da Kid's mix tape dropped at 10:17p.m. Everyone was anticipating this mix tape since last year, so when it finally came out everyone was happy. It has 21 songs on it and it’s amazing. Also asap rocky was signed to RCA records. I really like his music because I like his beats and he is a thug. Also he is having a concert in four weeks and I wish I could go but I have to go to my sister’s wedding. On October 21st his brother Waka Flocka will release a mixtape called Lebron Flocka James 3.

Reptillian Hot Buttons

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IB0ToyCunfs

I chose this ad because it is funny and people tend to remember funny commercials more then regular commercials. Skittles has many different advertisements like this one and they are all very unique and strange. When you see this ad you will laugh and therefore you're more likely to not completely forget about it like you would a normal commercial. That is why a lot of the Super Bowl commercials tend to be humorous. If you're ad dosen't stand out from the others then nobody will remember it and you wont be able to sell your product. If you find this commercial funny then you're more likely to buy Skittles then another candy. Another reason people will remember Skittles ad's is because they are so different. No other company has ad's similar to Skittles.

Reptillian Hot Buttons

This commercial is for the sketchers shape ups and I think it;s very effective in making you want to buy the product. First of all the commercial features Kim Kardashian who has a great body that many women would love to have which immediately draws you to whatever is being sold. This commercial shows how in American culture it is very important to have a good body and it also shows how much of our society revolves around sex, because the commercial is pretty sexual. I think this commercial pushes a button in your mine that makes you want this product so that you can have a great body like Kim. Also this commercial kind of uses a little bit of humor in the fact that she was talking about the shoe and not a man.

SPIRIT WEEK!

This week has been so fun because it was spirit week. It's one of the best weeks in the school year! Spirit week gives all the students a chance to dress up, show school spirit and have a good time. This year’s theme was the world so we got to dress up as tourist, ancient Greeks and people celebrating carnival. My favorite part of the week was definitely powderpuff. The game is always so fun, but this year was really a good one. Last year as junior we were so close to winning, so we were very competitive this year and it paid off because we won by A LOT! I scored the first touchdown of the game which was very exciting and started the game off on a positive note. I ended up scoring two touchdowns during the game. The game was really exciting, especially at the end after we won. The seniors also ended up winning the bucket which was a very excting moment. I think this spirit week was different from all the others simply because I was a senior and this will be the last one I participate in.

What Influences Gender Identity?

I believe gender comes the media and society. For example like when you watch T.V. men look big and tough and the women are usually cooking or cleaning. I believe thats how it is in real life because people tend to follow what they see on T.V. Also alot of women like to have jobs and do other things to make thoose sterotypes false. Also in movies and on television men who are weak are the ones who are usually bullied and made fun of because they dont look or act like the men in the movies. I believe it doesnt matter if your strong or not. Also i think in relationships men try to be more like the sterotype so they can show that they are strong and good at working and things the sterotype says.

Learning for the Future

Over the next century technology will start to become more and more important. Social networking sites and sites like Google will become even more necessary than they are today. The jobs that are created over the next century will require you to be able to use the new technology. Social skills that are needed today will start to become less important. People already email or text you if they need to tell you something so in the next century phone calls and talking won’t be needed. If you are able to use technology then you will be able to function successfully in the 21st century.

fahrenheit 9/11

Moore's documentary about Bush's response to 9/11 is very biased. While Moore uses some facts and evidence to make his point, about Bush's lack of responsibility and ability to be president he more often just refers to his personal opinions of Bush as a president. From the beginning of the documentary it is very clear the Moore is not a fan of Bush and wishes that he wasn’t president. While it is ok to have an opinion and make that opinion clear, you can't let your opinion get in the way of the actual facts of the event. Moore is clearly more interested in showing embarrassing clips of Bush that make him look stupid, than actually presenting the facts and showing evidence. Moore continually flashes clips of Bush that could make anyone believe that he is an inadequate president, and shows very little factual evidence that he was a bad president.  I think Moore's video is hard to believe because of the overwhelming bias that he shows against Bush. His slanted views make it hard to trust what he says.

The impact of 9/11 on our culture

Directly after September the response was overwhelming, people were willing to do anything to help out the cause. Right after the devastating events of September 11th occurred people were scared to say anything that might be considered offensive or un-American, but now that 10 years have passed the impact made by September 11th on our culture is barely visible. The only lasting impact is airport security and the stigma that now comes with being of Middle Eastern descent. I think for the most part pop culture has gone unchanged by September 11th, even though it was such a dramatic event that should have had more of a lasting impact.