READING: Frederick Douglass’ Rise to Leadership(Nov. 13)

 Posted by on Sun, 11/13 at 8:18pm  reading  No Responses »
Nov 132016
 

For citation purposes, the book I’m citing for this post is: The Norton Anthology of American Literature by Nina Baym (editor), Package 1/Vol B (1820-1865), 8th ed, New York: W. W. Norton, 2012, page 1184.

The man much credited with aiding towards the liberation of Black slaves in America, Frederick Douglas, holds my attention this time. In a post much earlier (I think it was my 3rd or 4th), I was moving to talk about our so called Founding Fathers, Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin, and what they might’ve brought to the table for America to shape an image of. Both of these men were industrious and highly creative, strong characteristics of the ideas surrounding what some might now say call “leadership”, but I’d like to regard Mr. Douglas for his also extraordinary feats. How a man went from being a slave to buying his freedom to later in his age holding a position in a public office is no thing to shrug at. I recall in a lecture for the class I’m also reading his story for (Early American Lit.), our Professor told us about a person who said Mr. Douglas was caught in quite an interesting dilemma throughout the times of his rise and much throughout his work to help abolish slavery. His theory more or less stated that Douglas’ dilemma was, having acquired the language of the oppressor (teaching slaves to read was against the law in this times) and gradually garnered influence in his space, balancing his person as not being so close to white people of his time that he became alienated from the culture of his enslaved people, and not being so caught in between his people that he alienated whites whom he would have to mingle with to get around to do what he wanted (freedom for black slaves). In no way to do I mean to diminish thought of the myriad of questions that could arise upon hearing such conditions, but for the purposes of my post for my class, I wonder how these kinds of situations affected his leadership and his views of leadership? Race is perhaps a topic separate to that of Monkey D. Luffy’s leadership, she freedom and oppression is not.

“I have had two masters.” These are Frederick Douglass’ words. “Being the Pirate King means being the Freest Man in the World.” Monkey D. Luffy’s words (I will find the link to the video which contains Luffy saying this and post it here later). I do wonder, how having a master could, in turn, make you a master (of sorts)? Would it make you most like a “mister” or would it make you more like a monster? I don’t recall the exact page, but I do recall that somewhere Douglass mentioned that if there’s a reason his slave brothers grow up and appear to not be thoughtful or are harmful towards each other (or something along these words), it is because the environment has created these dispositions for them, and not because they always were like this because of their race. I should find a particular example, but there are many instances when enemies (or even friends) of Luffy infringed on his freedom to do what he’d like, and he goes berserk. In time, with reading and research, I hope I will be able to produce thoughts of more substance for my paper given this lead that I’ve got now. But again, what sticks out to me, is the question of oppression on leadershipliness…

…

..

Thank you!

Photography is the next big thing

 Posted by on Sun, 11/13 at 7:57pm  reading  No Responses »
Nov 132016
 

Photography is really the best new thing because in the photos you can see the image better and simpler. When photographers take picture they also capture the right moment of what the picture is saying. For instance, if a photographer is taking a picture of a lion he will take the picture while he the lion is awake because the photographer wants to capture the lion’s eyes. Now here is the cool part, the photographer might not use the whole background but part of it, so the photographer can enhance the picture and focus on the lion’s eyes. next, the photographer is applying great feature that can help bring out the lion’s eyes and i think that is it. An expert photographer who knows how to capture the moment can literally change the way you see things because his or her picture will tell you something such as WOW!!!!!!

Victoria’s Secret

 Posted by on Sun, 11/13 at 4:21pm  reading  No Responses »
Nov 132016
 

The company presents the world with a negative image of women: women are over-sexualized in VS ads, the ads discriminate against all shapes and sizes of women, and they give women an unrealistic standard to hold themselves.Victoria’s Secret advertisement a couple of years ago,“Bright Young Things“ for their PINK line of underwear caused a stir among parents. It’s not that thongs meant for young women emblazoned with phrases like “Call Me” and “Feeling Lucky?” are entirely shocking coming from Victoria’s Secret, but more that they insisted on comparing our young daughters to objects and things in order to sell them this lingerie. there is a also another line called sexy little things. So if Idon’t wear the underwear I am not sexy? What defines bright and sexy? The same thing happens in the Victoria’s Secret stores; models with pouty lips and sultry eyes are blown up on posters. The Victoria’s Secret models hold a very un-realistic view of a woman’s body. They are so skinny and have big breast implants. They wear these low v cut bras that make their boobs ginormous. I also remember when Victoria’s Secret used to have those mannequins throughout the store. They were very sexualized. they had long hair, put lips, full on make-up. Victoria’s Secret also gives a message to consumers that power comes from flaunting our bodies. It relies on us believing that we are beautiful and “sexy” if we wear their bras and underwear. The different colors, designs are supposed to spice up our sex lives. It’s targeting the male audience. We have to put on their perfume and lotion to smell good for a man. We have to wear lingerie to attract him and spice up our sex life. We are merely made to be sexual objects and also used for men’s pleasure. Victoria’s Secret is sort oa guide to what we must do and wear to get a man to like us.  Also the models are called Angels. This is highly ironic because they do not dress like innocent women or have a humble marketing/fashion show. They wear the teeny underwear and $100M diamond bra. 

I don’t need a store to tell me I’m not sexy enough or not doing enough to get a man. These bras and underwear are merely suggestions.  I do not have to follow their criteria or standards of beauty. Also their bras are $50+.That is not sexy.

Emma Watson and Michael Cera: Ugly Hipster Love Child

 Posted by on Mon, 11/7 at 6:45pm  reading  No Responses »
Nov 072016
 

http://www.stylebistro.com/Celebrity+Hipsters/articles/F6nggAyDf5J/Our+Favorite+Famous+Hipsters

Style Bistro appears to be the instragram version of TMZ. It has various links and pictures to celebrities clad in the latest fashions. You scroll down until you find something you like, then clicking on it takes you to their pseudo slideshow. This slideshow attempts to be a celebrity article, but they decided against the traditional format and embarked on annoying everyone who visits their website. Not only do you have to scroll, swipe and dodge advertisements just to read their content, you must also dodge constant reminders to join their spam like newsletter. All this to literally read any single sentence in the article. Style Bistro isn’t a very popular website among any generation for these specific reason, but it serves the purpose of finding a generic fashion website geared towards the youth.

Style Bistro reads like a 50 year old man trying to relate to an 18 year old girl.  Each slide features a celebrity along with a joke cracked at them for their getup. They even attempt to make very malicious comments about some of the featured celebrities. “But rather than spend that cash on pills and alcohol, she likes to buy retro-inspired bikinis and sunglasses.” Not only do they like to drive over eggshells with a monster truck, they also like to falsely label people. It seems like they ran out of famous “Hipsters” so they just started throwing in some stars like Ryan Gosling and Mischa Barton to fill the gaps. They weren’t even dressed like hipsters in their pictures, but they included them.

The way these writers talk about these actors and actresses, one would think that they weren’t actual people. I think the writers forget these are people because they point out the insignificance of their careers as of recent, they bring up old demons they’ve tried to forget, their facial hair and they criticize every piece of fabric on them. Yes, they spend a slide just mocking Michael Cera for his facial hair and saying he’s the king of all Hipsters.  Not much can be expected of them, because they act like paparazzi. Yet I believe they are more houndish, because they are able to hide behind a shitty article. They scandalize these articles and they don’t hold back.

These articles also used published photographs found online, probably through other paparazzi sites, to critique them. The spend their careers just posting pictures of celebrities and judging them based on their looks. It almost seems like they pop these articles out all day so they neither think nor filter themselves when writing them. Just read this line. “Miley Cyrus cranks out the hits, but as this picture proves, she also enjoys listening to obscure ’60s bands, while wearing faded jeans at the laundromat. So hip.” The ‘obscure’ band T-shirt she was wearing was The Beetles. It honestly sounds like the website doesnt have an editor and they just publish the first thing that comes to the writers mind. The writer never explains why some of the celebrities are famous either. He just says they’re a hipsters and then points out what they’re doing in the picture, none of which is usually related to being a hipster.

People are Becoming More Aware of the History of Space Technology, and Via Modern Technology are Becoming More Aware of Our Place in the Milky Way Galaxy

 Posted by on Sun, 11/6 at 11:35pm  ideas, reading  No Responses »
Nov 062016
 

London’s Museum of Science has recently opened a unique exhibit dedicated to the Soviet’s space program. The exhibit is exciting because it is the largest collection of Russian space program artifacts ever gathered in a single location. It features many artifacts that are exciting in themselves, including the craft piloted by the first woman in space, Valentina Tereshkova, and the first artwork ever produced in space, a colored pencil drawing of the sunrise as seen from Alexei Leonov’s space module. Alexei Leonov, the artist, is also remembered as the first man to preform a spacewalk. The museum features, alongside obviously space  related artifacts, some other less obvious artifacts which have their own unique stories. For example, one of the objects featured at the museum is a 1959 bottle of champaign from French winemaker Henri Maire, whom after having his claim that spacecraft would never see the dark side of the moon discredited after the Russian successfully did so, sent a thousand bottles to the Russian Academy of Sciences. The exhibit then is really geared toward making the history of Soviet space travel interesting to the Western public, an effort which I feel is really and truly important. Such efforts paint a picture of the history of space travel until now as a history for all mankind, not just one race or one nation. The museum is currently home to 150 artifacts from Russia’s long and incredibly important history of space exploration, giving Londoners and London’s multitudinous visitors a chance to discover just how inspiring Russia’s space program can be. And looking back on space travel’s history can help us better appreciate and understand what’s happening right here in the present.

Currently, the European Space Agency is orchestrating a mission which I believe will prove to be of an enormous help to astronomers and to laymen interested in their place in the universe. The Gaia space observatory, launched in 2013, is currently in the process of photographing and mapping the Milk Way galaxy. It’s mission will help astronomers in giving them accurate reliable knowledge and will help lay men by giving them access to a similar knowledge through the photographs which the craft will send back. Gaia will help the human race better understand the galaxy, a realm of space much larger and much less well studied than our solar system, and thus all the more ripe for scientific observation. Understanding space, either in the form of understanding the technologies of far-off nations who initially brought us there, or in the form of gaining a better idea of the map, size and composition of the Milky Way is really important for a human race who because of the very forces of modernization that introduced us to space travel are becoming more distanced from the natural beauty of the stars. New studies show that now a third of the human race cannot see the Milky Way due to light pollution. These figures are much worse in the most modernized and technologically motivated regions on earth, North America and Europe, were these figures stand at 80% and 60% lack of visibility respectively. It becomes important to understand that as the history of technology progresses and we become more advanced, we need to ensure that we are utilizing those advancements to better rather than diminish our human experience and our understanding of our place in the universe, lest we become self-centered and miss the beauties in the world greater than ourselves.  

 

Women Obsession With Celebrities Postpartum Bodie’s

 Posted by on Sun, 11/6 at 11:19pm  ideas, reading  No Responses »
Nov 062016
 

Liz W. Garcia an opinionated screen writer talks about hoe dirty she felt while writing about Candice Crawford’s hot post baby body. Only 3 weeks after having her baby Crawford showed up at a dinner looking stunning in a beautiful gown. The reporter says that women’s postpartum figures are a media obsession, which has fed a social obsession and this obsession has to stop. Garcia feels that women who follow these celebrities around need to stop since they are not being respected as a human being but as an object, that every woman should loose the wight 3 weeks after giving birth and forget about bonding witht he kid loosing the baby weight is more important for the cameras. Garcia is very upset at the fact that these celebrities show off their bodies weeks after giving birth when new mothers need the extra calories in order to breastfeed and stay healthy.She says that there are two logical explanations as how Crawford lost her baby weight so fast and she points at her genetics and undergarments to reshape her body. She also advises women to take control of their lives and not let the govenment tell them when to have children and celebrities making women feel ashame of their bodies. She advises women that the best way to fight against social media is by not believing everything that is publicized and understanding that everyone’s genetic dispositions are different and this will help many women understand that the weight loss promoted on social media by celebrities after giving birth are irealistic and unhealthy.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/lizgarcia/2012/04/30/media-obsession-with-celebrity-postpartum-bodies-is-part-of-the-war-on-women/#5d9565c35eb4

Reading: Utility of Leadership? (Nov. 6)

 Posted by on Sun, 11/6 at 11:12pm  reading  No Responses »
Nov 062016
 

What is the utility of leadership? If leadership is just “practical”, is all encompassing it (including followership) just an act? Just a theatrical?

These are the kinds of questions that came to my mind upon digging up more information to strengthen my understanding of leadership in One Piece (more specifically as exemplified by Luffy, crew captain). In an argumentative discussion on what it means to be first mate (second in command) in the Straw Hat pirates, here’s a very abrupt and unforeseen quote that sent the argument on a subtle tangent: ” … leadership doesn’t mean anything with the Straw Hats. Every single member has given out orders at least once.” This quote calls into question the applicability of “leadership”; its functions as used. Who gets to “use” it? When? How? Where? Why?

My original research today was about Zoro and his viability as a leader. Roronoa Zoro is arguably the unofficial “second in command” in the Straw Hat crew. Many a times in the show, he’s bumped heads with Luffy (once even fought with Luffy); many times in the show, he’s heavily advised Luffy. As a leader though, a few commentators from the sources I’ve cited agree that Zoro is too serious of a leader. It might be safe to say that if Zoro was the 1st in command, he might be a tyrant. We see a kind of leadership like this with Blackbeard and his crew. However, disregarding Zoro’s strong affinity for booze, he has a very disciplined side, one very compatible with Bushido (Japanese for “way of the warrior”). This warrior’s discipline gives him a kind of “paradigm” from which he works as a leader from. Now, because all of the One Piece crew members, who are as diverse as they come and might even represent a “globalized” group, are so variable in character, it would be hard for Zoro to apply this paradigm towards the crew. The individual members of the crew overwhelmingly like their ability to each get into their own respective hobbies and interests. Such leadership “styles”, from Luffy’s laid-back applications to Zoro’s quasi-militantry, show the various possibilities for  “forms” of leadership.  The interesting type here is Nami’s “leadership”. Nami is the ship’s cartographer and navigator, but she is the most mood-swingy crew member (maybe even One Piece character). She diffuses many arguments between the Straw Hats when in conflict, but we see less of her politics when the crew is calm. Altogether, I think we can see that this idea of “leadership” is very shifty, as least as it presents itself in One Piece, and so much more so suggest that situations craft leaders, though leaders can “craft” situations. These should be places for analysis and incorporation in my next essay; much more so than just the voice of commentators.

 

Source 1: http://www.onepiecegold.com/zoro-will-leave-the-straw-hat-crew/2/

Source 2: https://myanimelist.net/forum/?topicid=80809

Power Posing and Testosterone

 Posted by on Sun, 11/6 at 11:08pm  reading  No Responses »
Nov 062016
 

http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/science/2016/11/power_posing_s_real_problem_is_with_hormones_not_data.html

This article examined the correlation of hormones with power poising, which caused a stir after a study linked confidence with testosterone that could be founded by body posture. The idea was introduced by Amy Cuddy and her findings were shared on TED talk. The idea rapidly the spread, causing inspiration to many individuals and many studies to follow up on the findings. The initially study composed of men and women who were asked to stand in larger postures, and postures that they made them seem diminutive. There appeared to be a correlation between the amount of testosterone in the saliva and the body posture the individual held for two minutes.

The article continues to evaluate the difference between cortisol which effects mood and normally fluctuate depending on time of day and immediate occurrences that may last up to an hour. These occurrences can be both psychological, and physical. For example acing an exam or completing a run. However, testosterone rarely fluctuates during immediate activities—changes in testosterone can occur from long term exercise or long term psychological changes.  Furthermore, the majority of female mammals will not have increasing testosterone levels, despite attempting exercise its growth.

After further reading the article devaluates the results, explaining that the study did not record the gender and the differences of testosterone, it was a small sampling and the examination of cortisol was not implemented as it should have been. The results that were provided were inconclusive and seemingly rigged to make a faux movement.  Generally speaking, in the animal hierarchy, males that produce more testosterone are more aggressive and are found in the upper levels of their hierarchy. The males are more likely to reproduce, especially with more submissive females. They are also more likely to maintain their territory and have more sway over their lessers.

The article concludes that these stances that have had a powerful sway of individuals, is mental and how others precise them. It is more like a therapy opposed to a chemical change. This also brings into question if some individuals are genetically more prone to come into positions of power. This may be particularly true, but humans (although part of the animal kingdom) have evolved, and nuanced specific behaviors receive mixed reviews. Each specific individual has traits that make them more or less desirable—but taste is variable.

Sign Language changing…. ?!?!?!?

 Posted by on Sun, 11/6 at 10:28pm  ideas, reading  No Responses »
Nov 062016
 

This week I began doing research on a new language that is developing for the Deaf and Blind. if you have ever seen Helen Keller, the way the teacher was teaching her words is pretty similar to this new form of Sign Language. It will be called Tactical-Sign Language. This form of sign language will involve an interpreter who will hold the hand of the Deaf-Blind person and do sign language with a mix of actual signs, a few new ones, and finger-spelling. However what makes this new language different is the interpreter will actually be doing sign language, or at least a form of it. The signs are much smaller and stay pretty much below the chin. This differs from ASL because a signers defined sign space is from a bit above their head, to a little below their chest. Most people who are deaf as well as bind, do mostly use finger-spelling in hand as a form of communication. However this form of tactical sign language will revolutionize the speed and accuracy of ASL for the blind. This is all being studied and developed at Gallaudet University, which is our current all deaf university in the country. Which does really narrow a deaf persons options.

With all this being said, with this new increase in ASL and now this new form of ASL, I wonder if anyone is going to take the time to learn this. Like will this be like the development of ASL in this country or will it just kinda lay low. If you go onto youtube right now and look up ASL, so many different things come up, but I watched a few things and I am noticing they are all being produced by hearing people. (You can tell because most hearing people move their mouth and mouth out words while they are signing). However this makes me question so much, is the deaf community good with all of this commercial asl or not. In the past year I have seen a few songs come out with ASL videos which is great, but it is all being done by hearing people in PSE not not real asl. To bring this full circle, ASL is becoming commericalized but with this, there are alot of people just using the language for fun, but now that this new form of asl is coming out I wonder if people will learn this more difficult form of asl or is it just going to be used by those who need it. Is ASL a language only for the deaf or are more people going to use it because the rise of shows like SAB. Who knows?!?!?

Writing a Better Superman

 Posted by on Sun, 11/6 at 7:39pm  reading  No Responses »
Nov 062016
 

http://www.dailyuw.com/arts_and_leisure/article_60d47812-9cb1-11e6-9ce7-13455ec0fd6d.html

The article above describes why Henry Cavill’s DC Cinematic Universe does not work while Tyler Hoechlin’s portrayal does. The author’s main point is that Hoechlin’s Man of Steel does not focus on trying to make the character relatable. It’s a silly notion trying to make an alien with the ability to fly relatable. What the author believes to be the key to successfully writing Superman in modern times is to make him likable. Superman is a likable guy. He smiles, he’s charming, and he’s always willing to lend a helping hand. Hoechlin’s version of Superman on the Supergirl TV show is older and more mature. He has faced trials and tribulations and come out on top.

Meanwhile, Cavill’s Superman is young, sometimes naive, and doubtful of himself. He is introspective and wrestles with himself over whether he should continue fighting for good. Fans of the character and moviegoers have had a hard time liking this version of Superman, and even more so in Batman v Superman where he is painted by almost every character in the film to be a force to be feared. The author writes that Superman shouldn’t be written this way as it completely undermines the core of the character and makes him less super than he really is.

http://io9.gizmodo.com/what-dc-is-doing-right-with-the-new-versions-of-superma-1783294742

In this article, the author explains everything that DC had been doing wrong with Batman and Superman in the year leading up to 2016’s Rebirth initiative. Batman had been taken out of the Batsuit and replaced with Gotham City Police Department Commissioner Gordon. Fans did not like that change, but fans hated the changes to Superman even more. Superman had been de-powered and reduced to an angry punching machine distrustful of his closest friends. Social commentary was forced and plot points were bland and uninspired.

With DC’s Rebirth, the Superman from the previous continuity was brought back and the New 52 Superman was killed off. The Superman from the Post-Crisis on Infinite Earth continuity was accompanied by his Lois Lane and their son Jon Kent. The Post-Crisis Superman has had years of experience. He knows how to control his powers and keep his emotions in check. The New 52 Superman had trouble doing both of these things. His lack of control regarding his powers is what led the character to discover that if he used his heat vision and applied enough force, he could create an explosion of heat powerful enough to incinerate everything within a mile radius. The use of this super flare resulted in his Kryptonian cells being depleted of energy. Because Superman is powered by the light from a yellow sun, Superman would need to wait 24 hours for his cells to recharge.

Bringing back the Post-Crisis Superman was the best move DC has made in nearly a decade. Post-Crisis Superman is a fan-favorite, and many of Superman’s most iconic stories focus on the Superman of that continuity. This change has been widely praised by Superman fans and DC fans alike. Sales for the Superman comic books have risen drastically, and it is now one of DC’s best-selling titles.

 Older Entries  Newer Entries