The Beach

Black Skimmer

While many love the allure of the beach to watch the ocean, tan, or swim, I find inspiration from watching the animals. Sometimes you would never know some creatures are there until you walk along a beach at dawn or dusk. I really love Margate for these purposes because it is not overly populated with people much of the time. Last summer, we came upon a Searobin trapped in the surf and were able to save it before it died out of the water. Being an amateur photographer, I often bring my Rebel to the beach even though this is a bit unnerving. This past weekend was particularly fruitful in the nature discovery area of things. Of course, I caught an Atlantic Mole Crab burrowing in the sand. They are so cute, it is just about irresistible to pick them up!

Striped Burrfish

Atlantic Needlefish

This crab, however is normal to find at the beach. I was particularly excited about the Striped Burrfish and Atlantic Needlefish that we found on the shore. The Burrfish was quite easy to identify, but the other one took hours to name. I had to search many ways online in order to even get on the right track for identifying this fish! Apparently, the Needlefish, though small, is more dangerous than sharks to fishermen. They can jump out of the water at 30mph and impale people, commonly at night! Their mout can break off and leave a person impaled. This is a small specimen for the species, so they can grow much larger and can be even fatal.

The picture of the bird at the top is my favorite find for the trip. Called a Black Skimmer, this bird spends the mornings and nights flying up and down the beach in the surf "skimming" for food. This is an endangered bird in New Jersey, and so was a great find! The first night we were there, there were about ten, but by the time I brought my camera to the beach there was only one left in the area. These majestic birds are threatened throughout the Atlantic coast, however, because they are beach-nesting birds and so many beaches have been destroyed by tourists. These birds probably live in the swampy area on the other side of Margate and travel each day to the beach. They are supposed to stay in the same location each season, so I hope to see more of them over the summer!

Puerto Rico

Okay, so I have been on vacation the last week to the tropical island of Puerto Rico. It was a dream come true that not even the intense sun burn/smashed knee/multiple bug-bites and sores could dampen. It was amazing. We went to the coral reefs, old city of San Juan, rain forest (El Yunke), and dry forest. I had the chance to take hundreds of pictures while I was there, well over 500. Even the poorer parts of the cities had a quiet beauty about them. The only bad part of the experience was the endless amounts of homeless animals. They were everywhere and while intensely adorable, one could only feel bad for all of them. Life on the street can be hard enough for cats, but there were also so many dogs. Nevertheless, it seemed that the people there either took care of them as food was left out every day in dishes on the street.

One of my favorite subjects to photograph were the limitless lizards.  They were literally everywhere and every size! The iguanas looked the most impressive, but were non-native species. To the right is a native lizard of Puerto Rico that is showing it's large neck as a defense mechanism. This is meant to scare other animals away as a last resort, but it did not really work on me. Really, I have read so much about the tropics that this vacation was a dream come true for me as well as my brother. Although I have had less time recently as I have been taking more demanding classes in school, I have always loved animals and researched them. This trip allowed me to see some of the amazing animals that I have always heard of.

Can You Smell the Weather?

It was the middle of the winter when I walked outside and I saw it snowing. Now, this does not sound unusual, but the meteorologists had not called for snow, so all of my friends were making a big deal out of it but I was not surprised. Why? Well, I had remarked to my father the night before that it really smelled like it was going to snow. It has a clean smell similar to rain, but with a certain twang present in the cold. It is almost like the smell of snow makes wherever you live smell a little bit cleaner. Now, at that time, very few people believed me and I hope to prove the skeptics wrong, so if you do not believe me as well, try smelling the snow some night before a storm. See how it smells just that little bit different. I just thought of that experience because of the smell tonight. It may rain tomorrow.

Documentary Post 2: Exit Through the Gift Shop

How have modes of communication been a reflection of history and society?
How have modern modes of communication been perceived and received by the global community?

Street art is one of the most pure reflections of society as it has no goals besides pure expression. While many consider this movement pure vandalism, it truly attempts to address the many problems in our society today. One of the truest examples of this are the works Banksy created on the wall between Palestine and Israel. While many people merely accept it, Banksy drew immediate attention--and news crews-- to the wall. Much of the movement can be summed up in Banksy's action of illegally vandalizing an illegal wall. While many news crews have been extremely neutral in the topic of these works, people have been extremely polarized over the street art movement.

In one very real sense, the movement is completely illegal, yet others love it for the artistry and satire. Banksy pieces have sold for over half a million dollars, yet they are often painted-over on principle. Nevertheless, many of the critics of this movement still recognize the truly powerful nature of the comments on society. In one sense, Mr. Brainwash was correct, much of the street art movement is about brainwashing people or getting one's point out to the general public. Even though this is partially the case, it is much about making one's own decision. Banksy's statement "One Nation Under CCTV" and Shepard Fairey's "OBEY" truly start to criticize the nature of the society we live in.

While much of the actions taken by these graffiti artists are illegal, the social criticism is important for the advancement of society. These people create their own truths and display them without fear of being criticized. This creates a sort of truth that is not available through most mediums. Street art is one true form of social criticism.

Documentary Post 1: Exit Through the Gift Shop

Exit Through the Gift Shop. Dir. Banksy. Perf. Banksy, Shepard Fairey, Thierry Guetta. Producers Distribution Agency, 2010. DVD.

Summary:
Exit Through the Gift Shop is an intriguing inside view on the street art movement. Compared to the punk movement in the film, this work focused on artists who tried to make statements about the world through their less-than-legal artwork. This documentary was extremely interesting because it focused on art that was extremely temporary. Some of these works could be somewhere one day and gone the next, yet they made a profound statement on today's culture. From Banksy's maid sweeping dirt under the rug to Shepard Fairey's command that all people obey, this movement is not just about vandalism, but rather the statements behind it.

Rhetorical Analysis:
While focusing mostly on street art in general, a sub-plot was used to keep audience interest. This film focused on the development of the culture as well as the development of one artist himself, Mr. Brainwash. This helped to create interest beyond just curiosity about the movement. Exit Through the Gift Shop starts with Banksy introducing the man who he says is more interesting than himself. This begins a film-long use of foreshadowing and apprehension. This foreshadowing created an uncertain tone that matched well with the film's content, because as soon as Thierry Guetta (Mr. Brainwash) is introduced, the audience knows that there is something a little wrong with him.

One of Mr. Brainwash's works

It was really kind of an irony that was created as the film progressed. Here were these street artists all around whom Thierry was filming (for a nonexistent documentary) and they inspired him greatly, yet he was one of the worst artists to imitate street art. Artists like Banksy stood for something, yet as it became clear eventually that Thierry was not a filmmaker as he had originally claimed, Banksy suggested in passing that Thierry could make art himself. This led to Thierry not actually making art, but hiring people to make art for him in the street art style. He even invested all of his money in a show in LA and eventually was hired to make cover artwork for famous singers. Even through all of this success, however Mr. Brainwash was shunned within the street art community for his work. He truly commercialized a movement that was supposed to say something about the culture rather than be about gaining money. Throughout the entire film, Banksy used Mr. Brainwash as a counterexample for the movement in order to truly give it a real feel that others could understand. The film ended with Banksy stating, "I always used to encourage everyone I met to make art. I used to think that everyone should do it. I don't really do that so much anymore." While ending extremely negatively, this example truly proved to help define the movement and its ideals to those who know little about it.

Article of the Week 28: Racism Cartoon

This week, I decided to focus on a cartoon based on something that has been bothering me for some time. This image satires the extremely black and white journalism used in today's international reporting. Our soldiers cannot do wrong, as seen in the image. The American soldier has a list of excuses while the Afghan person who committed the same act has only "Hates Freedom." This kind of unfair treatment is criticized in this cartoon through quite obvious satire. On top of this, the man is shown thinking hard, presumably about the other reasons a person from Afghanistan would kill an American soldier. All of this occurs when one of the excuses for the American soldier is "likes movies." The final statement this cartoon is trying to imply is that as Americans, we give our own troops too much leniency, while other races are discriminated against and seen in an unfair light for the same or similar actions. There is really no reason why this should occur, but it happens all of the time in journalism. Only recently has this finally turned around and less prejudices are shown to foreign peoples. It can only be hoped that this trend continues and that cartoons such as this one are no longer necessary.

Article of the Week 27: The Inferno 1 of 3

Dante's allusions to the bible and myth are intriguing. His version of hell is different from others before him, but incorporate various versions of mythical beasts from both Greek mythology and the bible. Written in the style of a poem, Dante's allegory focuses on the journey of one man to overcome his sin through going through the nine levels of hell in order to reach heaven. Dante travels with another poet who is his guide and represents Human Reason. Having read up to the sixth circle of hell so far, it seems that Dante uses himself as a means to introduce the common man to hell. He uses his own ignorance in order to envelop the readers in his world. In this way, he does not undermine the mystical qualities of hell while introducing information. If Virgil, his guide, were the newcomer he would seem less holy as he would be more humanized. Thus, Dante uses himself as a lens by which one learns the lessons of hell.

Virgil as human reason also has limitations. He knows all about hell, but cannot control all of it. When reaching the lower gates of hell, he cannot force the harpies to let Dante and him pass. This exemplifies the reliance and faith the religious should have in God, according to Dante. In this scene, he also shows that one cannot survive without God's help.

With much of Dante's focus on religion, it is surprising that he wrote in his native tongue, when at the time all religious texts were supposed to be written in Latin. Even though he helped to spread religion to the masses, a major cause of his, it is surprising that a man with such a strong conviction in religion would write in a language considered vulgar at the time.

Article of the Week 26: Unskilled and Unaware of It: How Difficulties in Recognizing One's Own Incompetence Lead to Inflated Self-Assessments

An interesting study has come out from Cornell University, titled, Unskilled and Unaware of It: How Difficulties in Recognizing One's Own Incompetence Lead to Inflated Self-Assessments. In a comprehensive analysis of four separate studies, the writers analyzed their hypothesis that the incompetence one has in a certain area leads a person to not be able to recognize his or her own incompetence. This incompetence was measured in areas such as humor, grammar, and logic. The actual results of individuals were compared to their own estimates of their percentiles in comparison to others taking the test. The first through third quartile predicted results above their ability presumably because of their lacking metacognative abilities in this area. The highest quartile surprisingly guessed a lower score for themselves in comparison to others. This was assumed to occur because the highest quartile had none with whom to compare their own results.

This article was written in the form of a scientific report. As such, it was slightly dry by nature. Nevertheless, the topic led to interest. The article was extremely convincing because of the wealth of citations and analysis of data. A full two pages were dedicated to bibliographic citations. In addition, the report made a little appeal to ethos at the end of the piece, making a quip at the authors' own incompetence. "Although we feel we have done a competent job in making a strong case for this analysis, studying it empirically, and drawing out relevant implications, our thesis leaves us with one haunting worry that we cannot vanquish. ... Let us assure our readers that to the extent this article is imperfect, it is not a sin we have committed knowingly." Maybe this is not a joke most would laugh at, now that I see it again, but I found it to fit in with the mood of the piece.

Article of the Week 25: Watch Out! 10 Interview Questions Designed to Trick You

Watch Out! 10 Interview Questions Designed to Trick You carefully outlines the most important features a company looks for when hiring employees. Coming from forbes.com, this article is reliable and business oriented. It is very informative in an easy-to-read format, but at a few points skirts the line of being a tad bit dishonest. This article is timely as it highlights means of getting ahead in a time of job crises. Meaning to help those applying for jobs, this article attempts to give good interviewees another tool to use when applying. They need not be tripped up by many of the common, uncommon questions.

The main rhetorical element found in this article was the structure. It provided for quick and to-the-point reading quality. Someone looking at this article could focus on the points they needed to know. Also, this format draws readers in because it is more visually appealing than a straight block of text.

It is when one begins to read the article that it becomes slightly less appealing. Though never outright promoting deceit, the article promotes this mind-set in some ways. It states that when asked about previous problems with bosses, one should, "Develop a poor memory for past irritations..." While this may seem innocent, parts of the article written such as this it struck me the wrong way as a reader. It certainty made the article lose credibility in my eyes.

Article of the Week 24: Can we finally see Schrödinger's Cat? (Image)

The source for this week's image comes from the article Single molecule's electric charges seen in first image from the BBC. This x-shaped image is actually a photo of a molecule and the electrons surrounding it. This image, though seeming simple is an example of a breakthrough in research. Historically, electrons could not reliably be seen; one could not see them without a light and a light would change the position of the electron. Thus, observation changes the object itself (hence the cat reference in the title). This image shows not only the position of electrons, but also how electrons interact in a molecule. That is where this image becomes really exciting. It is one of the first images that will give insight to how molecules interact with each other on a quantum level. This image will revolutionize science because it will allow a greater understanding of how the molecular properties of materials work. The application? Nano-science. Armed with this knowledge, scientists can gain a greater ability to combat diseases such as cancer.

This image was displayed prominently in an article of about the same length as the picture itself. This really speaks to how much the image itself proves. Millions of data points themselves could not have provided such an impact on how successful this research has really become. These researchers know that others demand proof in a way that they can understand, and so imaging was used in order to convey their message to people who may not understand all of the scientific concepts behind such a discovery. Even without the science, the image has a beautifying quality.

Article of the Week 23: The Ballad Of The Tearful: Why Some Songs Make You Cry

In relation to the recent Grammys, an article, The Ballad Of The Tearful: Why Some Songs Make You Cry, was written on one reason why Adele's songs seem to pull on the emotion of the audience. This article said that her success in he song Someone Like You could be partially attributed to her use of an appoggiatura. This is basically a note in a chord that one does not expect, leaving the listener somewhat emotionally upset. Listeners of music are used to anticipating the next notes, and when they cannot this releases an emotional trigger. Written by a usually reliable source, this article actually had errors in defining the word appoggiatura, but it maintained the gist of the point when talking about the piece.

This article was well-written and certainly appealed to an immediate audience. Adele gained much fame when she won six Grammys in one night. While some attribute some of Adele's success to this particular strategy, many musicians claim not to know that style and claim it does not particularly work. One artist states, "Hey, if I had a scientific method for making a heartbreaking hit, I would do it every day." So, this article states a theory and later refutes it and by doing so, gives Adele more credibility. She did use this strategy in her song, but she also used raw emotion and skill on a topic with which most people can connect. The article makes sure to point out that Adele had just gone through a breakup herself and used this emotion to create her song. While proposing a scientific theory, the article mainly leans to a more emotion-based approach to tear-jerking songs.

Article of the Week 22: It’s Not About You, Facebook. It’s About Us.

Jenna Wortham of the New York Times wrote on the nature of Facebook in her article It’s Not About You, Facebook. It’s About Us. This article was particularly interesting because it showed the more personal views on a monopolistic social media. This article was written from a more personal point of view, so the author's experiences make her point valid. In a time of dubious online privacy, this article was written for anxious Facebook users, about 1/3 of the world.

This article was written well because it incorporates pathos in a logical argument. Many people can remember a time when they got into an argument with a friend online. Most of those times, this was just over a misunderstanding that could have been solved in person. She also quotes many experts online in order to increase her ethos. The author simplifies many complex ideas with statements such as, “As our social life migrates to the Web, our emotions move online, too.” The author takes this view while also balancing her love for the internet, therefore keeping herself out of the category of people who just hate technology. The author sees Facebook as a positive innovation because it makes the consumer feel like they are in more of a relationship with companies. Jenna contributes the success of this online site to its passive interaction with users, something other internet sites are just now trying to form.

The Inferno

The Inferno
Dante Alighieri

Section 1 - 0 -94
Section 2 - 95 -190
Section 3 - 191 -288

The inferno is a classic piece of literature constantly referenced in literary writing. It is important to read classic books like this in order to understand the literature that alludes to it. Also, this seems a compelling story and an interesting concept. Also, the poetic style of the writing promises to be interesting.

Article of the Week 20: The Unchanged Look of Current Politics

The Unchanged Look of Current Politics criticizes the attire of the GOP candidates in recent debates. So, what's the big deal? Well, the author claims that since the candidates are promoting change, they should dress the part. Ties are actually important as the color and style are proven to provoke a certain emotional response in viewers. The red tie evokes an attention to detail and a sense of victory. It also can have negative connotations such as caution, so candidates need to be precise when choosing the color of their ties. As a whole, however, the red tie is being extremely overused and the article suggests that the candidates should try a different color or style in order to stand out from the crowd.


This article is unclear as to who the author is, but be assured that he or she is a "fashion expert" as stated in the title. It does gain credibility from a person who regularly sells ties. It states that in general, red ties do not sell well because they are so commonly associated with politicians. This is why a different color tie would be beneficial. It would make the candidate seem more a person of the people.

This article was especially intriguing because it took a look at the candidates and the current political atmosphere through the lens of clothing. The people are not satisfied because they do not pick the "political" ties and candidates who promote change do not show their values because they are all the same. The author makes a joke at their expense, saying that the candidates seem that they are dressing up for a cheesy family photo. This humor rings true and it was a sound rhetorical choice to make the joke. This makes the article seem less a position on the politics of the candidates than a position on the atmosphere of the country as a whole. These candidates are so afraid of being different that they are almost clones down to their tie color.

Article of the Week 19: SOPA Blackout Campaign

So, on January 18th I took some screenshots and such and uploaded this as a video to YouTube. Below is the video I made. I am rhetorically analyzing the multi-website internet campaign against SOPA and PIPA.

The blackout on January 18th was organized the SOPA and PIPA bills, currently being voted on in congress. SOPA's stated purpose is to decrease the amount of piracy online however; this does not translate in action. Without getting into too many specifics, this law would allow individuals with claims of illegal actions to shut down websites that facilitate online piracy. If ordered to shut down without actually having violated any laws, a website could lose thousands of dollars without compensation.

This campaign was brilliant as the internet sites knew their audience. The sites, such as Wikipedia seen in the video below, told their audience when and what they were protesting. They blocked their content for one day in order to simulate their absence. Personally, as it was the day before the APUSH Midterm, I downloaded all of the notes on the chapters we were covering in case our wiki page went down. It was quite frustrating, and everyone had similar experiences like this throughout the 24hours. As these favorite sites stated that they were threatened, their loyal millions of viewers were outraged. These sites then linked to information and online petitions. Thousands protested this bill(as the last part of the video shows) and this eventually led to the death of these two bills.

Unit 3 Reflection: Synthesis Essay

It is the duty of the people to change the government when it no longer reflects the interests of the people. A good citizen follows the laws, but following laws blindly is not a characteristic of a responsible citizen. There is a fine line between disobeying laws illegally and doing so illegally for righteous causes. In fact, it is the responsibility of a citizen to protest a law with which they disagree, providing they accept the consequences. Conversely, it is the right and the responsibility of the government to enforce laws, whether broken for moral reasons or not.

It is the responsibility of every citizen to protest laws they feel unjust. As Martin Luther King outlines in his Letter from Birmingham Jail, one must always try to protest via the law, through proper means as a first strategy. Stanton tries thus to protest passionately and vocally at her conference for women at Seneca Falls. Although looked down upon by men at the time, this action was completely legal. She states her cause to be the equality of women, because they, “…being invested by the Creator with the same capabilities, and the same consciousness of responsibility for their exercise, it is demonstrably the right and duty of woman, equally with man, to promote every righteous cause, by every righteous means…” (Stanton). Stanton, as a respected white woman in well-off household was more likely to be heard than King as her position in society was much higher. This unjust climate in the country made it necessary for demonstrators who were not being heard, such as King, to take action in addition to speaking on the faults of the government.

MLK was willing to take on the consequences of his demonstrations because he truly believed that “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere,” (Letter from Birmingham Jail, King). He saw his demonstrations as an alternative to speaking that, though it may have been illegal, was preferable to waiting for equal rights. He made sure to state, however, that one must take the consequences of a broken law. Similar to Socrates, King accepted his incarceration because he believed so strongly in his cause and believed it was his duty to disobey laws that were not morally correct. King accepted his punishment because he believed in society’s right to punish criminals as well. King put his faith in the country by disobeying its laws. 

It is the right of any government to enforce laws created legally. So, did the south have the right to secede in the case of the civil war? As there was armed conflict and no acceptance of punishments, the south did not have the right to nullify their participation in the union. In this way, Lincoln’s position was correct in his Gettysburg Address. Lincoln states, “...that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom --and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth,” (Lincoln). Their participation in the Civil War makes their disobedience wrong, no matter the purpose of their cause. The government in this case, even though it may have been infringing on the southerner’s freedom, was correct in punishing the proliferation on violence. It is the foremost duty of the government to keep its citizens safe, while it is the duty of the citizens to shape the government to their design.

Article of the Week 18: Our Concern Over 'Indecency' Is Misguided

Our Concern Over 'Indecency' Is Misguided spoke to an increasing indifference to sex and violence as a nation. It talked about how many parents made an uproar over a naked dead woman in the TV show "NYPD Blue" and the lack of appropriate television broadcasted during prime time. As a society we have become blind to the extreme violence to which we are exposed. It criticizes the people who are promoting legislature on the subject to protect children when parents are really the ones to blame because they let their children watch these shows. Written by a husband and wife pair, both of which are Harvard professors, for Time magazine, the article was well researched in order to back up their opinions. The piece was written to criticize the people who would make laws to stop the proliferation of inappropriate content when it is really the fault of the culture. If people want change, legislation will not make people act differently. The people have to believe in the cause themselves. The article was written for an American audience and also one that would rather write than take action. This article in particular used a point-counterpoint method of argumentation. It stated the opposing viewpoint in quotations the other side were likely to say, such as the “government can insist on a certain modicum of decency.” The article replies to this claim that the government cannot and should not need to govern such matters. This article was set up in more of a Toulman argument structure than classical. This allowed the authors to better be able to refute the points made by the opposing side, reminiscent to Socrates' method of argumentation. These authors were convincing as they aptly assessed the opposing arguments and dismissed them with facts and analysis of their own.

As the Zeitoun was incredible, I read my independent reading book fairly quickly. I wrote the post for it a few weeks ago. Here is the link to that post.

Article of the Week 17: In a Fledgling Country, Perils for the Press

This piece focuses on a printing press in the fledgling country of South Sudan. They have to overcome many obstacles as they do not have constant availability to fuel for their computers and have few other resources. The staff of the newspaper has to even fold all 2,000 copies of their newspaper every day. Somehow, this paper has not missed a day of publication since it started. There are other problems, however. Although the constitution of their country allows for freedom of press, this rule is mainly ignored. The government often arrests reporters who criticize the government. The author of this work, Benno Muchler, is a German reporter who writes for many international newspapers and often focuses on politics.

This article in particular is interesting because it gives insight into the workings and struggles of a completely new country. The struggle of these newspapers could very well sum up one of the major struggles of the country, whether these people can make their new country more open than their last and whether they can truly change their circumstances. This country in particular is interesting because it is one of few countries in that region that chose its borders and is not forced to live with European blundering. This article was written for the New York Times, but can speak to readers around the world. The author uses a personal approach to make the readers care about the people who run this daily newspaper. It speaks to the troubles of their environment, while including information with which all people can relate.

Unit 3 Presentation

King - Letter From Birmingham Jail
 Emily Ostrow, Nkosi Jones, Laura Frankenfield, Dylan Doskicz