Assignment 5 Victor Allison

For decades, watching TV has been heavily associated with a lack of productivity. When we visualize someone "being lazy," we often imagine them sitting on the couch, watching TV. However, to find someone who doesn't watch TV would be like finding a co-ed snowball fight taking place in the Middle East. So why do we spend so much time in front of this multicolored mystery known as the modern television? In my opinion, watching TV today is like reading. On TV we are able to see comedies, tragedies, and histories that rival Shakespeare. And we can experience the emotions projected by these movies and shows without the characteristic tedium associated with picking up a book and actually reading. It's so much easier to sit in front of colorful lights for 3 hours than flipping through page after page of word after word. I began watching the show Naruto a few months ago after Daniel recommended it to me, and I have no complaints other than the sheer time deficit that comes with it. After a cursory calculation on my phone calculator, I found that if I spent an entire week watching the show without sleeping, I still wouldn't be done. Don't get me wrong, I watched all of Game of Thrones as well as Breaking Bad over the summer, as well as one of my personal favorites, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Some shows are particularly attractive to me that have interesting and creative directing techniques, such as Breaking Bad, but a plot line that won't put me to sleep is one of the most important parts of a serious show because it has to be good enough that I'm willing to spend another 60 minutes watching the next episode. The thing about a successful TV show is this: it has to be a real page turner.

Assignment 6 - Stephanie Bailey

Prompt 1: My horses and how they effect my life.
Prompt 2: The stress that the ACT and homework puts on me and how that stress effects my life.
Prompt 3: Youth group and how they have made my life so much happier.
  Prompt 2:
  The ACT has become a big part of what students are judged on when they are applying for colleges so it has become very important. Every student tries to figure out when is the best time to start studying for it to where they don't start ridiculously early but they don't start too late causing the necessity for cramming. Personally, I have been studying for it for the past two months.  It caused a great deal of stress at the beginning when I was taking practice tests but didn't know the areas that I needed to study. Now that I am starting to improve, I am not as stressed about the ACT but that definitely doesn't mean that all my stress has been alleviated. I still have plenty of stress caused by school in the form of homework and studying for important tests in an attempt to keep my grades up. When I get home I immediately start on my homework and continue until dinner is ready. After dinner I move on to more homework, until I am completely done. Then I go to bed as soon as I get done, which doesn't give me any time in between homework and eating dinner to exercise or ride my horses. This stress also runs me down emotionally and it makes it hard for me to be positive and happy all the time. I strive to be positive and loving to all that I make contact with and when I am stressed I just don't feel like I can do that efficiently.

Assignment 5:Sara Ueland

Personally, I do not spend a lot of time watching television. I mainly watch sports or big events like the World Cup and Olympics. When I do watch TV, I am either beyond bored, or too tired to do anything else. And what sounds better to an American than sitting on your lazy bottom and doing absolutely nothing?  TV is mainly used to kill time or watch the news for information that is not always reliable.

I am not a big fan of watching TV because growing up we had 1 television for 7 people and being the youngest did not help my chances for watching Pretty Little Liars every week. Thankfully, my parents regulated our screen time to no TV during weekdays and 2 hours on weekends. While I resented them for placing this absurd rules, I am now grateful because it got me off my arse and spending more time outside.

While I hate to admit it, I have watched cringe worthy teenage shows like the Bachelorette and Pretty Little Liars. These shows are purely for entertainment and are the epitome of hot dog water.  Today reality TV is toxic and sends bad messages to children. Can you really find your life-long mate on a television show full of planned situations and fake people? The problem with this is that we all know the premise behind it is corrupt, but we still watch it. Entertainment companies have mastered the art of manipulation and can draw in almost anyone.

I’m not saying that all television shows are awful and dishonest, but how are we supposed to know when people are being truthful or it is all a show just to gain attention?

Assignment 5 Daniel Zhu

I watch television solely just for entertainment. I don't watch TV a lot but when I do it's usually sports. I don't watch a lot of TV because it's very time-consuming. One could easily spend hours upon hours just watching their favorite TV show and not have a clue how much time has passed. This could be quite traumatizing when the person should be doing school related work or anything else like that. But every once in a while, it's always nice turning on the TV and watching the Patriots or some college basketball because you can't really go wrong with either of them. TV is a great form of entertainment. It's the best way to watch your favorite celebrities whether it be athletes, magicians, dancers, singers, actors, etc. It's a perfect delivery system to send the viewer footage of what they want to see. However, television can be very addictive. For example, this summer when I got absorbed into the TV show, Naruto, I would watch at least 3 hours worth of episodes everyday. Over the span of 2 months, I watched about 600-700 20 minute episodes. While TV can be awesome, it could also take over your life depending on how you deal with it.

Assignment 6 - Kassidy Stumbo

Prompt 1: Where is the one place that you feel most relaxed and at ease? How did you come about that place?

Prompt 2: What are your favorite things to do? What are your least favorite things to do? Why?

Prompt 3: If you could buy a plane ticket to any location in the world, where would you go? Why?

I choose the second prompt to discuss. My interests include dogs, sports, politics, and more dogs. Now, I will discuss each of these in further detail:

1. Dogs. Who doesn't love dogs? (Okay so this isn't technically a 'thing to do,' but I made the prompt so I'm going to sneak it in here). They can't talk back or be rude, they will be loyal to you forever, and let's face it, they are just so stinkin' cute. When I'm feeling down, I only need to type 2 simple words into google images and I am revived. Smiling dog. That's all it takes!

2. There is no place on earth you will find me happier than I am when I'm at Rupp Arena. Kentucky basketball is my absolute favorite thing on earth. My favorite memory of my lifetime thus far is watching Aaron Harrison hit that 3 with seconds left to beat Wisconsin in the Final Four. I WAS THERE. I will never forget how loud Cowboys stadium got.

3. I've talked enough about politics in passed blogs, and will without a doubt bring them up in future blogs. So I'll save this one for later.

4. DOGS!!!! SO FLUFFY!!!

Assignment 4 Daniel Zhu

This picture is taken from one of the craziest football games in history. If one was tuning into Super Bowl 49 with 26 seconds left, the viewer would know that the Seattle Seahawks had the game in their  hands with one of the best running backs in the NFL and on the two yard line. If one were tuning into the game with 20 seconds left, they would know that the Patriots won the Super Bowl. The entire game was a battle back and forth. When it came down to the Seahawks' last drive, there was a miracle catch made and it looked as if they had the upper-hand. Outside of the picture, Patriot fans are biting their fingernails and sending up their last bit of prayers. With millions of people watching, all the players must've been nervous, it was the play that could make or break the entire game. And moments after this picture was taken, you could hear screams from players, fans, and maybe even your neighbor next door. I remember watching the game and screaming as loud as I could because I knew my favorite team had won the Super Bowl.

Assignment 5 - Kassidy Stumbo

Similar to my feelings toward social media I discussed in the last blog, I have a love/hate relationship with television as well. I don't watch TV a whole lot - except during football and basketball season. From here comes my love for television. How else would I watch Kentucky football be awful every Saturday? More importantly, where else could I find the excitement of watching March Madness? Besides sports, I'm not a huge TV watcher. I haven't consistently watched a show on television since Friday Night Lights ended back in 2011. TV, like social media, is an effective tool to get a message to a whole bunch of people real fast. Whether it be political or a weather emergency, television is a great way to inform people quickly. Now, is that information passed along via the television always true? Absolutely not. But that's a different story.

However, there is no doubt that people in America watch television too much. I am thankful still that my mom never let me have a TV in my bedroom during my childhood even though I begged for one and cited all the "cool kids" whose moms let them have one. Television, like all things in life, is good in moderation. I 100% support parents who give their kids a set amount of TV time during the week. In this age of technology, we need to teach kids that it is possible to be entertained without a TV or an iPad or an iPhone or another iSomething. Go read a book or play outside.

Assignment 6 - Kyle Hosey

Prompt 1: Why do we study history? Do things that happened in the past still have meaning and resonance today, or does nothing matter but the present?

Prompt 2: Humor is very prevalent in our society. Is it just a method of comic relief from daily life, or does it have other uses - acceptance into various social groups, political uses, and other less obvious purposes?

Prompt 3: Why are sports so incredibly important to so many of us? Some would say they have just as much significance in our daily lives as one of the many TV dramas - that is, none at all. Yet one's team, or sport in general, is almost a religion more often that not. Football in the US, Soccer in South America and Brazil, and of course Kentucky basketball are supremely important to their followers. What do you think is the reason for this phenomenon, and is it a good thing?

Prompt 3: January, 2016. My entire family huddles around our TV screen in the living room, even the young ones, whose bedtimes came and went hours ago. Yellow Terrible Towels are out, but at our sides - the Bengals have surely put the game away with an interception deep in Steeler's territory. Eyes downcast, the collective feeling is one of gloom. Wait- they fumbled it?! Unbelievably, there is hope, which grows into outright euphoria as Rothleisberger and Brown connect several times, marching towards field goal range. Two penalties on Cincinnati, a Boswell field goal, and in the space of five minutes all six of us have experienced an extreme change in mood; there is jumping, hugging, and celebrating. Nine hundred miles away, in both Vermont and Florida, the scene is much the same as my uncles, aunts, and cousins celebrate as well. The prevailing feeling, even days after, is one of unity, not only with those we know, but also with the broader Steeler's community as a whole. The feeling is the exact same after every Kentucky win (rare though they are in football), and even in sports that I do not care much for, like when the Penguins won the Stanley Cup. In the end, that is what the wide following of sports comes down to; its unrivaled ability to unify a community. Think of the scenes here in Lexington after the 2012 National Championship victory, or the images from Reykjavik as Iceland pulled off the most improbable upset in soccer's history. Random strangers, dancing and celebrating in the streets because of an event that, to be honest, had little bearing on any of their lives. That is not to say that it doesn't matter - clearly it matters to the revelers in the streets, so sports cannot be unimportant. Rather, their draw must come from that feeling of unity and belonging, of being a part of something much bigger than yourself. Very few aspects of our society can bring any number of people together behind a common purpose; sports can do that with whole countries.

Assignment 5 - Stephanie Bailey

  I personally watch TV as a source of easy and quick entertainment when I have had a long day and I'm brain-dead. It is a way for me to just relax and maybe find something to laugh at and make my day a little bit better. It has also just become a habit to walk into the living room, plop down on a couch, and turn on the TV at the end of the night, after doing all my homework of course. I like the fact that watching is an easy option to fill the empty spaces in time at home but I also don't like that it is an option because I'm much more likely to just sit on the couch and watch TV instead of going outside, exercising, or talking with family. I don't have time to watch TV most of the time anyways because of my homework load and the fact that I am riding my horses most of the time but when I do, I still could be doing much more important things instead.
    There are many shows that I like to watch like New Girl, Jane the Virgin, Survivor, Big Brother, and The Big Bang Theory just to name a few. These shows help me relax and feel like I am in an alternate reality just for a little while. I feel like I am living through the characters which, again, is probably not the healthiest thing but I feel like it is how most people feel now-a-days. I really don't have any shows that I dislike but I prefer to just watch the shows listed above. Healthy or not, TV is a permanent part of American life.

Assignment 7: On This Date

September 12th through October 11th. Those are the dates for your blog entry this week.

Pick one of the dates from the past four weeks and look up historical events happened on that date. Choose the event of your liking and answer the following:

What happened? Was this good or bad?

What influence did this have on the world? A nation? A city? Your existence?

Do you appreciate this event? Do you loathe it?

Continue to editorialize as you see fit.

Due Sunday, October 2nd at 11:59 pm

October 16th is the last day to make up blogs 1-8

Assignment 6 - Daniel Brewer

PROMPT NUMBER ONE

If you saw a stray cat in your yard would you feed it or tell it to go away?

PROMPT NUMBER TWO

If you could go anywhere in the world for only a day, where would you go and why?

PROMPT NUMBER THREE

If you could turn into any animal for a week, which animal would you choose and why?

If I saw a cat in my yard, I would probably pester my parents to at least keep some cat food in the garage and let it stay in the general area of the house. But How do you know if he is  abandoned, lost, or just out for an afternoon walk around the neighborhood?  Should I feed him? Or will that make him want to stick around?  What if he isn’t a he, and has kittens?  What if he is sick? Can I even legally give medical care to someone else’s cat?  Is he really their property, or in their care? These are all questions I don’t know the answer to yet.

Some people are cat people and some people are not. I think I am a cat person.  I say think because I don’t have a cat, because my dad is severely allergic to cats -- this means I cannot have a cat or be in proximity to cat for very long.  But when I visit the shelter or play with the neighbors cat, I like it… and I think they like me.  

I think the way people treat animals says a lot about their personality.  If people are nice to animals (cats, dogs, and others) they will probably be nice to other humans as well. Inversely, if people are mean to animals, they will probably be abusive in nature to other humans.  I think there is old saying that goes something like “people look like their dogs”.  I wonder that is true for cat owners?

Assignment 5 - MacKenzie Varble

One of the main reasons I watch TV is because I get wrapped up in the plots of shows. My favorite type of shows are crime shows. There is something about the storyline that I really enjoy. NCIS and Hawaii 5-0 are two of the shows I watch the most. I enjoy seeing the characters grow throughout the seasons, and how the screenwriters still have new ideas after so many years. I also watch Once Upon A Time. I enjoy it probably because it brings a much more mature perspective to the Disney stories and characters I like. It mixes the stories too which is really cool. One reality type show I watch is Dancing With the Stars. I think this is something different to watch because it's a competition where you get to see real people improve in their dancing skills. Lastly, I watch UofL baseball when I'm not able to be either in Louisville or travel to watch it in person. I enjoy watching because my cousin pitches, and his best friend plays short stop. I grew up watching them play together, and it is amazing to be able to see them play together in college.

Assignment 5 - Daniel Brewer

     My opinion about television is mixed. My dad loves television, so the TV is on at our house most of the time.  I think that television can be both a useful tool and a huge waste of time.

     One of the ways that television can be useful is that some shows are interesting and educational. For example, we watch a show called "How It's Made" at our house. We also watch the news - local, national, and cable news to be specific. The television is also a great way to get to see different parts of the world, especially places that I may never visit.  The news (and the FCPS education channel) let me know about weather conditions, and whether the next day is a snow day or not.  It can inform you about major scientific discoveries, too.

     Television can also be entertaining, and in moderation that is OK.  I like to watch the Big Bang Theory and Jeopardy with my family.  Sometimes we all watch a movie together.  However, the television can be a huge distraction.  Sometimes on the weekend, I may watch a 3 hour movie and not leave the couch the whole time.  I also waste time flipping through channels not really watching anything in specific.  I know it would be better for me to clean my room, go for a walk, or work on writing this week's blog post.

    Overall, I think television is a good thing in moderation, because it can be both educational and informative.  Ultimately it's up to me to have self control to not waste time with the television.

Assignment 3 - Victor Allison

Evil (adj.): Profoundly immoral or malevolent. We see evil happen all around us on the news. We hear stories of genocide in Central Africa, and gruesome tales of the sex slave trade that takes place even in our very own shining city-on-a-hill America. But at the same time, good deeds occasionally pop up on the late-night news like little flowers pushing through dirt, gray pavement. No one person can be completely good or completely evil, but I believe that there is surely a conflict between evil events and good ones that strive to overtake one another every single day.
During the middle ages, the elite warrior class followed a strict moral code known as Chivalry. The point of chivalry was to bring out the good in these knights, and emphasize that they should always strive to triumph over evil. Even thought in theory these figures were "good," they were still warriors, killers, and elitists who raped, killed, and plundered throughout Europe. Although this group of people caused a great amount of "good" in the world by keeping order through the process known as Feudalism, it was a give-and-take deal because a great number of people also suffered at their hands. It wouldn't be fair to call the Knights of the Round Table Evil, but they weren't purely Good by a long shot. But some of the things they did were good, and some, evil.

Assignment 5- Ian Schaeffer

Like most Americans, I watch television, and although I try to limit consumption, I am guilty of binge watching shows and sitting mindlessly all day on weekends while watching games. Usually I watch when I am bored or want to watch sports, but I have no real or significant motivation for watching. This is one of the biggest problems with television; it provides Americans with a way to waste hours of their time by exerting no effort. I can't take on an accusing tone, but it is definitely an issue in American society.

Other than not watching because I'm busy, I don't watch because my dad is a firm believer in the idea that television is "rotting our brains" and I will not be able to think if I watch too much. Even though it may be a little crazy, there is research that suggests that television can be bad for our eyes and maybe even our brains, so in a lot of ways, I'm glad that I can go a day or two without feeling the need to watch television.

I don't usually watch shows, mostly because I would end up spending time watching television rather than doing homework, but I do watch football and soccer games on Saturdays and Sundays. I don't really hate shows or series, but I always try to avoid watching crime shows or similar series.

Assignment 6:Create Your Own Adventure

What interests you? What is your point of exigence? What's on your mind?  What do you want to chat about? Rant about? Learn about?

'Cause really, isn't it all about you? <wink wink nudge nudge>

This week, create three writing prompts that you find most intriguing. Then, choose one prompt and respond to it.

Note:
Please don't make the other prompts "dummy" prompts - I'll be revisiting these options later next semester.

Ready...

Go!

Due Sunday, September 25th at 11:59 pm

October 16th is the last day to make up blogs 1-8

Assignment 5 - Kyle Hosey

These days, my television watching is almost exclusively limited to sporting events. I am glued to the television or my iPad (also for television) for college football, NFL, any golf tournament, and I even commit the anti-American act of watching Premier League or Bundesliga soccer from time to time. It's my connection to the outside world that I value most. I cheer for teams from Los Angeles to Pittsburgh to Munich, and the magic box that is my television is the portal that allows me to do so. Masters Sunday or Steelers Sunday, you can almost certainly find me on my couch absorbed in the action.

 So when I say that I find very little purpose in most other forms of television today (at least shows like the ones awarded at the Emmys) know that that opinion does not come from a member of the sect of society espousing the grave dangers of all television, that the shiny black box and glowing screen are nothing more than the devil's trappings. I know different. I love television. I am one of you. My uncle and I maintain a bond by being diehard Steelers fans, only possible through TV. But four or five years ago, something totally turned me away from the Wednesday night ABC comedies and the AMC dramas and even my favorite show, The Big Bang Theory. As everyone else raved about this show or that show, I found myself thinking "Why do these people care that _____ died or _____ and ______ broke up?" I know that sounds hypocritical given that I have been known to curse at the television when Virginia Tech loses, but eventually I was able to put a finger on exactly where my distaste stemmed from. None of it mattered. Once I saw someone crying - not just crying but bawling - because a character on the Walking Dead got eaten. OK. And? You had no connection to them! There isn't actually an apocalypse going on! Eventually, my view became jaded to the point of believing that those kinds of shows were not only not worth their entertainment value, but downright poisonous. That people were so desperate for an escape that they became overly invested in something that in the end made no difference. I have since realized that view's overly pessimistic nature, but my skepticism remains. At least sports were real, tangible things with sturdy communities built around them. So, that's exactly what I sought out upon my return to non-sports television; real-world things that I felt mattered. My most profound discovery was The Daily Show, still captained by Jon Stewart. In its brilliant satire I found both the entertainment and release from life's hardships that TV is exceptional at providing and the sense of importance that most other shows lacked. Its subject matter was real, not irrelevant and without connection to anyone's life. It was entertaining, but also intelligent and important. That, in a nutshell, is my primary problem with the kind of television that is popular today with  the Emmys. It may be entertaining as all hell, but if it lacks substance and real-world value, I cannot bring myself to care.

Assignment 4- Stephanie Bailey

This is a picture of Martin Luther King Jr.'s March on Washington as they peacefully protested that African Americans did not have equal rights. This historical even happened on Tuesday August 27, 1963 and on Wednesday, August 28, 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. stood in front of the Lincoln Memorial and delivered his influential "I Have a Dream" speech. In this speech he called for the end of racism and inequality. The signs that filled the air behind him, blocking out many of the other thousands of protesters walking alongside him, said things like "We march for jobs for all now!" and "End segregation rules in public schools". Segregation was abolished in 1954 but the discriminations towards African Americans were still fiercely prominent. People of every color marched in this 200,000 person protest in hopes of gaining political and social equality for all in America. This March did not shut down discrimination overnight but it did make politicians think seriously about equality. In the months that followed the March, violence and protests continued and finally, in 1964, the Civil Rights Act paved the way to racial equality. Furthermore, in 1965, the Voting Rights Act was set in place to give African Americans even more equal rights. The two bills together made discriminatory practices based on race illegal with employment and voting rights.

Assignment 3 - Kyle Hosey

It is January 1941. In the Berlin suburb of Wannsee, fifteen high-ranking officials of the Nazi government gather at a luxurious villa on the shores of a frozen lake. The directive: organize the "evacuation" of the Jewish population of Europe from German territories. It is the infamous Final Solution. The horrors resulting from this conference became a scar on the face of humanity for all eternity, a reminder that unspeakable things could occur in what was thought to be a civilized age. Surely, we think, the people making these decisions must be nothing but monsters, totally devoid of feeling, reason, and utterly self-serving. Surely they cannot believe that mass-extermination is justified? Remarkably enough, just after the war, that proof was indeed found in the form of the only surviving transcript of the Wannsee conference, the basis of HBO's Conspiracy. It quite clearly shows the chilling logic and calculation involved in what nearly all of humanity considers unspeakable; the attempt to work extermination into the existing Nuremburg Laws, heated discussion on the possibilities of sterilization, and above all a sense that nothing could be remotely wrong with killing an entire population. Therein lies the true question of good and evil. How can good and evil be clearly separated if men debating the methods of the Holocaust believe, in an incredibly convoluted sense, that what they are doing is just? Good and evil could be totally opposite concepts; which is which would be entirely dependent on one's individual viewpoint. In that case, both good and evil are subjective and merely social constructs. All of us (hopefully) would agree that the Holocaust was an unrivaled human tragedy; Eichmann, Heydrich, and Bormann saw it as their most important mission. Perhaps we are proved correct simply because our viewpoint triumphs over the other; in this case and in similar cases, that is undoubtedly a good thing. But I cannot help but wonder how that perception might have changed had our idea of wrong and right not been victorious. If the world came to be ruled by the Nazis as Hitler planned, would we as a society still condemn his actions as evil in the centuries to come? Well, we came to rule the lands of the Native Americans; that process is not typically thought of as an evil one, despite the massive loss of life. The conquistadors believed in the moral justness of their actions. So did the Nazis, monarchs willing to wage war for territory, and the opposing forces that fought against all three. If everyone believes in their own righteousness, then there can be no distinction between good and evil, only subjectivity.

Assignment 4:Sara Ueland

This is a photo of the Boston Marathon bombing where a terrorist attack occurred taking 3 lives and injuring 243 citizens on April 2013.  Before the photograph was taken, hundreds of runners were finishing the marathon while many others watched. The people in the picture are in shock from the unexpected bomb but also running to aid injured victims.  Displaying the panic in the witnesses, this picture captures the feelings of many worried and afraid spectators as they witnessed this terrible event. This is the most viewed picture of the incident and does a great job of summarizing the event. The reactions of spectators is genuine and helps others sense the emotions running through the air at the time of the event. Many of the spectators are rushing to help the injured which shows that in a time of need, our people will work hard to insure other's safety.
This was nationally recognized and instilled fear and sorrow in millions. The pressures of outside terrorist attacks have alarmed the entire world and continue to be a large problem. This picture shows that there will be hard times and people will do and things but we have our community to help us get through these struggles. Not only did the people in this picture help victims of the terrorist attack but many organizations and people honored the sufferers in moments of silence and prayer.

Assignment 4 - Kyle Hosey

This is my favorite photo to come out of my favorite historical period, World War II. Taken by Yevgeny Khaldei, it depicts a Soviet soldier of the Red Army raising the hammer and sickle above the Reichstag, as the rest of downtown Berlin lies in smoldering ruins in the background. It represented the culmination of Soviet Russia's 3-year long counterattack after finally repulsing the German army groups at Moscow in 1941 and at Stalingrad in 1942. However, the cost of victory was absolutely staggering; as many as 30 million Russians, soldiers and civilians, were killed in the most brutal theater of the war. This photograph shows the final, triumphant result of that horrifying loss of life; the fascisti defeated, the hated enemy capital in ruins, and the Soviet fighting man victorious over the forces of evil. The imagery and symbolism is moving enough for an American, soon to be the sworn enemy of the USSR. Imagine, then,  the emotions provoked in the typical Soviet heart at the concrete evidence that all of their sacrifices, their hardship, an entire generation of young men lost at Kiev, Moscow, Stalingrad, Rzhev and everywhere in between, was not in vain. For me, Khaldei's photograph evokes pride in a country not my own and not even existing in my lifetime. That feeling of pride, mixed with relief and euphoria, must have been felt a thousand times more by each and every Russian for whom the past five years had been nothing but hardship. Here was the final proof; victory where there had only been the gaping jaws of defeat, triumph where there had been nothing but a five-year nightmare of death and destruction.

Assignment 3 - Kenna Miller

Most of you know me as a liberal, so the text below will definitely reflect thoughts of an open-minded person (which is the meaning of liberal in French). Fair warning.

The chart below can show the spectrum of good-evil by the general public.

Unlike this chart displays, I believe that everyone thinks they are on the "good" side, with some exception.

For superhero-like characters, their motivation is viewed by the general public as "good". Saving people, stopping criminals, are something we all can see as a good deed-- examples being Kleppinger, Superman, people who perform random acts of kindness, and Lawful, Neutral and some Chaotic Goods.

Villains who want to rule the world want to give the people a gift-- by being ruled by Villain X would mean a better world (in Villain X's eyes) that the current one. Isn't giving a gift supposed to be "good"? Some notable examples are Loki from the Marvel Universe, ISIS, Lawful Evils and some Neutral Evils. That is their idea of "good".

A wild card to this concept is people who do morally "bad" things without purpose or just for fun. These extremes can include animal abusers, psychopaths (The Joker), rapists [which the existence of on my list boldens my liberal-ness], actions of "bored" young teens that come with disastrous results, and many Chaotic Evils (Bellatrix). These guys don't really think/remember there is another side to their actions, thus blurring the good/evil concept all together.

To explain this in Star Wars terms, both the Jedi and the Sith are fighting for a better world. The Jedi would like it to be governed by peace, and gain it with as little violence as possible. The Sith think the same thing, but definitely implement violent tactics to get people to accept their ideology. With both in mind, both are "good" in a sense.

To sum it all up with a cliche: "it's all a matter of perspective."

MacKenzie Varble - Assignment 4

This picture is of one of three times Disneyland has closed for the day. The instance pictured above is a day of mourning when JFK was assassinated, another was when the Northridge Earthquake hit California. The park had to be closed for inspections. The third and last time to date that Disneyland has been closed was on September 11, 2001. The park gates had been unlocked and they were prepared to open the park to the public when the cast members got news of what had happened in New York. This then shows that large corporations aren't all about greed and money. It demonstrates that companies care about the public, and want to do what's best. There is only one lady in this photo. It means that people really got a time to mourn if they wanted. It also shows that the public has higher priorities than having a fun day at a theme park. They cared about the current events and the state of the nation.

Assignment 4- Ian Schaeffer

This photo was taken in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, which swept over southern Louisiana and major cities like New Orleans in the August of 2005, wrecking homes and leaving a trail of destruction in its wake. Some estimates list the death toll as high as 2,000, most of whom were senior citizens, all trapped in their homes by the vicious winds and the surging water.

In this aerial photograph, hundreds of homes covering multiple blocks can be seen submerged in swampy water, and even though it is too high up to see specific faces or people, it is clear that hundreds of families and even thousands of people have had their belongings obliterated by the freak storm, which to this day remains one of the biggest national disasters in American history. The grim scene captured in this photo gripped the hearts of the American people, and it is images like this that resulted in immediate response from volunteer aid teams from across the country. Although hearing of the disaster likely stimulated some response, viewers could not fully comprehend the magnitude of the disaster until they had been confronted by a photo like this.

Beyond this photograph, the devastation likely continued for miles. The knowledge of this fact only further contributed to the feelings of shock and distress of the whole nation, and consequently resulted in even more aid. Pictures have a unique ability to capture the attention of a viewer because they show reality without a sugarcoat or gloss, and it is this fact that stimulates change.

Assignment 3- Ian Schaeffer

Very few things are clear cut in this world, and the boundary between good and evil falls in this category. Evil is, of course, the idea of doing something terrible or destructive, and good its polar opposite. There is no absolute good, and often what is interpreted as good in the eyes of one is the embodiment of evil in the eyes of another. For example, in the book The Running Man by Stephen King, the main character, an impoverished man named Ben Richards rebels against the tyrannical game center, which uses violent and dramatic games to keep the population occupied and make them more comfortable about their own financial circumstances. To him and many others (including readers), this refusal to obey authority and eventual destruction of the games complex is "good," but to everyone in this dystopic society, Richards epitomizes "evil". The idea that King demonstrates accurately reflects the condition of the boundary between good and evil in the real world. One cannot fully gain purchase because both are based on perspective. Just in the same, neither one will ever fully disappear as people will always have conflicting viewpoints on the nature of what is right or "good".

Assignment 4 - Kassidy Stumbo

I chose these pictures of Lyndon Johnson being sworn in as the 36th President of the United States aboard Air Force One about 2 hours after President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas on November 22, 1963. The pictures, taken by Cecil Stoughton, show LBJ taking the oath while standing next to First Lady Jaqueline Kennedy, who is still visibly stunned. After doing further research, I learned that in these iconic pictures, Jackie is still wearing the pink Chanel suit she had on when her husband was shot as she rode next to him in the parade. When it was suggested to her that she change her clothing, she refused because she wanted people to see what had happened to her husband. After LBJ was sworn in, the then former First Lady returned to the rear of the plane to stay with her husband for the remainder of the flight.

Though clearly I wasn't alive when this tragedy took place, I think these are very unique and telling photos. It was obviously sad, yet also strangely comforting to a nation mourning the loss of their popular and beloved President to see Jackie Kennedy standing beside Johnson as he took over as President. It showed the nation there would be some sense of normalcy, that our government would carry on.

I have been to Dallas...to the exact spot where JFK was mortally wounded...and I can't begin to imagine the shock and fear the nation endured at that time. More over, I can't imagine how Jackie, with the entire world watching, carried herself with such grace and elegance. I do think her poise helped our nation begin to heal.