Security

Today's discussion in class really stuck in my head, especially the parts about the airport.  My family flies a lot because we love to travel, and it seems that every single time we go somewhere else there are different security rules and measures, for example the one quart size bag that each passenger can put their liquids in for their carry-on (and of course the liquids have a specific size that they can be too).  Security does not bother me personally, and I think that twenty extra minutes out of my time is not going to kill me if it will prevent someone dangerous boarding the plane.  The metal detectors have never bothered me very much, but I am not a fan of the pat-downs, or frisking.  I got this special treatment in Brazil by a very large, mean woman.  I did not enjoy this at all, and I do not think that they should be allowed to treat or touch me or anyone else more than the police is even allowed to with suspects.  People that are flyng somewhere should not be treated as suspects.  I think these very thorough pat-downs are across the line.  I have not decided how I feel about the X-ray machine if these pictures are saved somewhere and can be identified, but if they cannot be identified, then I do not think it is that big of a deal because it should not be that different from the old metal detectors.  But, I do know I am against these pat-downs.  This is way more than just an inconvenience. 

More about Little Brother

   I finally finished the book the other day, and I honestly did like it.  It kept my attention and entertained me thoroughly.  I think the part where people were imprisoned by the DHS, while their families thought they were dead, is the part that stuck with me the most, other than the awful treatment of the prisoners by the DHS of course.  These families thinking that their missing family members were dead was ruining their lives and is definitely not something that should be taken lightly.  The DHS was just going to allow these people to think that their family members were dead. A loss of a family member radically changes the family life, and so many people that were being held, like Daryl, was being held for nothing. He was innocent, and they knew that.  The DHS had nothing on him to hold him there imprisoned.  This really bothered me.  Meanwhile, Daryl's father was completely changed.  He was such a clean sober military man.  When Marcus and his parents go to tell Daryl's father what really happened, they found his father to be unshaven and drunk.  His house was a disaster and smelly.
   The DHS did not care about the people at all.  It does not make any sense that they are trying to prevent terrorism while treating their own citizens as prisoners witout any rights at all.  It was terrible how they treated those poor people, and they still never caught the people behind blowing up the bridge.  Nevertheless, they still had all those people locked up in that prison.  They did not treat everyone as badly as they did Marcus, but still most people had no business being in prison.  The DHS was taking advantage of their power and hurting more people than they were helping.  They were controlling everything, and this is why today's government bothers me. 

Little Brother applicable to today??

   I am not a person who generally enjoys reading. I have always felt like there are more productive things that I can do with my time than to read, and almost every book that I have ever had to read for school I have hated. "Little Brother" is different though. I like the style of the book and the entire story. It actually holds my interest and makes me want to find out what will happen next. I have never heard of half of the technology in the book, so sometimes it confuses me and gets a little dry. For the most part, I think it is a rather exciting book, and the different forms of technology really interest me. I am not a huge fan of technology though. It is neutral, but sometimes I feel like technology is more often used for bad things than it is for good. Technology takes peoples' jobs; it allows people to prey on other people very easily.
    In "Little Brother" the government uses technology to spy on their people. Is this exaggerated, or are they already doing that now? Well, the Patriot Act basically allows them to bend the rules and not respect all of our rights for the safety of the country and government. The government does spy on us to some degree, but no, it is not as extreme as it is presented in the book, as far as we know. Is this where our country is headed though? The government is continuing to take control over more and more areas in our lives, controlling more industries all the time. I hope that what this book describes is not where this country is headed, but who knows.

Schools with Technology

   I was thinking about our discussion on Monday about Little Brother and how schools do use technology to spy on their students and take it to the extremes.  The whole web cam thing that Mr. Bevill mentioned is beyond anything I have ever heard, and that is by far the most disturbing and worst story I have ever heard dealing with this subject.  It really bothers me how schools do get away with some smaller acts of invading their students' privacy.
   When I was in middle school in the seventh grade, we got a new principle.  She had a reputation for being very strict, and she certainly lived up to that reputation.  We had a bullying problem at the time, so the principle decided to take the consequences to another level if you were caught bullying someone else.  However, it affected more than just the people involved in bullying situations.  If you had your phone taken up at all during school, the principle would read all of your text messages, sent and received, whether they were sent during school hours or not.  I think this is absolutely ridiculous and that the school has no right to read your texts.  I guess they should be allowed to take up phones if they are being used during school hours, but they should not be allowed to go through the students' phones at all.  I believe it is against the students' constitutional rights, and the school has no business going through their students' phones and invading their privacy like that.

iSearch

  I am not quite sure if I want to go the global warming route with my paper because I feel like that might be something that everyone has heard a million times and boring, but I really did like that TED talk about penguins by Dee Boersma.  I have also watched the TED talk by Brian Skerry about the ocean's many horrors and the ocean's glory.  It is very interesting and seems to go along with the first talk if I just look at the general aspects like how we need a new operating system for the ocean and how over-consumption and too many people are two huge fundamental problems in the ocean and world in general.  The operating system is not giving proper feedback to be able to sustain life as it was before the human population more than doubled since the 1960's, and the humans are not paying the environmental costs of their actions yet.  However, the animals are paying the costs for humans' actions because almost all species, if not all, have much smaller populations, and most species are declining rapidly.  Pollution and climate change are also two factors from this first TED talk.
  The second TED talk deals more with the terribly images of the ocean.  With the seals, there are two huge environmental issues.  First, the seals are being hunted and slaughtered in massive numbers, hundreds of thousands anually, and secondly the loss of ice in the ocean.  The seals need thick, packed ice to be able to nurse baby for twelve days, but the ice is not thick enough, and baby seals are falling through and dying.  There is also the global fish crisis.  It is unbelievable that ninety percent of the big fish in the ocean have disappeared.  I have never thought of the fishing industry in this light- that people are way too efficient in catching fish, so much that we are not even allowing fish to grow older and bigger before they are caught and sold or cooked. 
  Now, I just have to pick a direction to go in- environmental issues like global warming or more of the animal route like overfishing.

Penguins

  I am a big animal lover, so I looked up the animal talks when thinking about what to write this blog on.  I saw this one talk about penguins, and I have always adored penguins since I was a little girl.  Every single time I went to the zoo, I had to always go see the penguins.  It is so sad that the population of penguins is declining drastically because of climate change and the effects that humans have on the environment and also on the ecosystems of animals.  Penguins are such cute, innocent, and smart animals, and I can not think of anyone who would ever want to hurt them intentionally.   
  I have heard some different sad scenarios like this one with the penguins, and it is so sad.  I am not a PITA or a big animal rights activist, but the things I have heard lately have really bothered me.  I heard about how the Japanese kill tons of dolphins recreationally and now this with the penguins.  Unlike the dolphin situation, people are not purposefully harming the penguins.  The presence of humans and the industrial world that humans live in and bring with them to their environments and surroundings are what harm the animals. 
   I decided against doing anything related to religion in the slightest sense, so that I avoid any hot topics.  I really am interested in this talk and others that are similar, but I do not know how I could possibly turn this into a research paper, or I can not think of any topics that are related to this talk that I could write an entire research paper off of either.

I had decided a while ago that I wanted to use a religious TED talk for the My Search research paper, so I searched TED and found this talk. I really liked it.  Karen Armstrong has an interesting background that makes this talk more powerful.  I agree that the Golden Rule is very important to Christianity, but I do not agree that the Torah is basically the Golden Rule, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you," with commentary.  The Torah and Old Testament is so much more than that.  In the New Testament the religious leaders tried to test Jesus to prove that Jesus is not the Son of God by asking Him, "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?"  Jesus replied, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.  This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.  All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."  This is taken from Matthew 22:36-40.  I agree that the Golden Rule should be applied to global politics and relations in general.  She is right that religion is about behaving differently, but I disagree with her statement that religion is not about believing things because you have to believe things that change your life to behave differently.  So the first step is deciding whether you believe in God or not, even though that is not what she says. 

A continuation of contextual analysis

          The cartoon's elements reflect the sensitivity and the controversial nature of the issue of the Second World War. The cartoon is harsh because it had to be in order to grab the necessary attention to make people rethink their position and see the fallacy in the isolationist viewpoint. The harsh attitude also signifies the importance of the issue. The involvement of the United States could mean life or death for the other countries and was vital for the defeat of the Nazi party.
         The cartoon carries some cultural and political implications in the message. The cultural implications accuse the people for being selfish and not responding until there was a direct attack on the United States, making it impossible to avoid the war anymore. It challenges the morals of the people for not helping the other countries and causes people to wonder if the American culture had begun to disintegrate because the U.S. had always been that international police officer. The political implications imply the ignorance of the belief that the Nazis taking over the world would not influence the U.S. Also, it reveals the arrogance of thinking that the Nazis would not come to attack the United States.
          The initial audience probably would have responded to this cartoon in anger if they supported isolationism. This cartoon was offensive and certainly aroused the emotions of any American. However, the message was clear and important enough that the audience would have had to sit down and think about it and the truth of the matter. If the audience did not support isolationism, the cartoon would have served as a battle cry and would have encouraged them to make a difference and get involved in the war effort.

Start on my contextual analysis

The isolationist position can be defined as the United States unwillingness to become entangled in wars or alliances of Europe but also even abstaining from economic relations with European countries.  The supporters of isolationism believed that the United States had a different perception of the world than the European countries, and that the United States did not need war in order to encourage the spread of democracy and freedom.

            The American people held many different beliefs that caused this isolationist policy in the United States during the beginning of World War Two.  First, they saw their involvement in World War One as a dreadful mistake.  The U.S. suffered around three hundred and twenty-three thousand casualties in the First World War.  Secondly, people thought that the First World War caused the Great Depression.  Next, pacifism was becoming more popular because of the brutality of World War One.  Lastly, some people thought that Europe was not worthy of our help.  All these reasons faded away, though, when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor December 7.

Geisel was very outspoken in his political cartoons about his feelings towards isolationism and the Second World War.  He was angered by the United States' lack of assistance in the fight against Hitler until the attack on Pearl Harbor.  He was a very patriotic person that felt like America was not doing its part in the world's affairs. 

Children of Men

    I really liked Children of Men.  It really kept me thinking and constantly paying attention and alert to figure out what was going on and why.  It was confusing and hard to follow at times and understand all the random different factors and how they play in in the big scheme of the movie.  After seeing the real life events that occurred that the movie symbolized, the movie makes more sense to me. 
     The movie was really interesting and evokes a lot of emotion, using pathos, especially with the lack of the ability to reproduce in the world.  It also evokes emotion with the prison scene where Miriam is taken and probably tortured and killed.  She was the only alive person in the movie at this time that could help Key and this baby.  Also, the story behind Theo and Jilian and their child.  It was depressing that they lost their baby boy and then separated for whatever reason.  Then when Theo is kidnapped by Jilian's people, we see this odd relationship.  Jilian made her crew stop being mean to him, showing she does have some feelings for him still, but it seems so weird since she had him kidnapped and just how the whole thing was handled.  Next, Jilian kisses Theo right before they go somewhere, which gives light that maybe there is hope for this relationship.  Then Jilian is killed by her own people, which abruptly destroys this hope.  This movie is constantly showing a tiny sliver of hope and then destroys it with this awful tragic event, except for at the end with the boat "Tomorrow" approaching Key in the little dingy. 

Unemployment

    This political cartoon is very realistic, unfortunately.  It relates to all kids in college who are working towards a career, kids in high school wanting to start working after graduating, and the people who just graduated from college.  Tennessee's unemployment rate was 10.1% as of June 2010, and the nation's unemployment rate altogether was recorded as 9.6% in June 2010.  Both the nation and Tennessee were around 6% from 2002 until 2009, when it suddenly skyrocketed to as high as 11.3%.  This is very high, and it seems like many people are constantly losing their jobs and searching for new ones, just so they can feed and provide for their family.  This is a very sad situation.
    This cartoon really does illustrate the economic situation perfectly, as sad as it is.  It is much easier to find a war to join and have something to fight for, rather than being able to find a job.  The soldier, all dressed and ready for war even with his gun over his shoulder and pack on his back, is speaking to the student that just graduated.  Neither of the men are smiling.  Both look irritated and kind of surprised at the bad economic situation.  They are facing different directions, going on their ways in opposite directions, suggesting the separation in the paths.  This cartoon does not offer another option or a middle ground or a combination of the two.  Both men are holding their papers tightly rolled up in their left hands, maybe suggesting that they are both in a similar situation.  This cartoon appeals to the emotions of struggling to find a job and the patriotic pride that comes with a U.S. soldier.

More Analysis

The cartoon appeals to Americans and to the patriotic pride instilled within every American heart by depicting Uncle Sam, but the cartoon's intent is not to encourage or endorse the current policy or actions; but the cartoon's purpose is to shame them for taking such a ridiculous, irresponsible, and insensitive approach and turning their back on the rest of the world when they are so desperate.  The United States had been viewed as the international police officer for decades, and now the police officer is turning a blind eye to an international crisis.  Geisel appeals to the inner sense of responsibility to help others that the Americans had always harbored.  It entreats the people to think if it is morally and ethically sound to ignore the Nazi party conquering people group after people group, country after country.  The cartoon is designed to reveal the selfishness in continuing to ignore the cries for help and twiddle our thumbs and shut our eyes. Geisel beseeches the United States to look around and see the worldwide destruction as a motivation to fight for the freedom of others and suppression of the strong Nazi party, so that no one country controls and rules over the entire world.

            President Franklin Delano Roosevelt addressed the nation on December 8, 1941 as the nation desperately looked to the leader of the country during this distressing and tragic time to figure out the next move.  He bravely declares:

Yesterday, December 7, 1941 - a date which will live in infamy - The United States of             America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of           Japan...As Commander-in-Chief of the Army and Navy, I have directed that all measures be      taken for our defense...With confidence in our armed forces - with the unbounded                     determination of our people - we will gain the inevitable triumph - so help us God.

Was it ethical and the right decision to wait until our country was attacked and devastated to join the war, or should we have come to the aid and support of our fellow countries to help and defend them against the Nazi party?

I am sorry, but the formatting would not cooperate on the block quote.

Political Cartoon Analysis

Uncle Sam's body language reflects the United States' position as well.  He is sitting up straight but comfortably on a dainty nest with his legs crossed elegantly.  He has a pleasant look on his face with a smile, indicating that the Nazi domination does not bother, displease, or even faze Uncle Sam.  The events and damage around him do not affect his countenance, disposition, or comfortable demeanor and posture.  He is also twiddling his thumbs, as if he is bored and has nothing productive or better to do.  His eyes are closed, suggesting he does not want to look around and see the wreckage all around him; because if he looks around, he may be compelled to help or attempt to stop the Nazi party.  He would rather look at the back of his eyelids and pretend to be ignorant than see the need of the other countries.  Uncle Sam's back is turned to the other countries while they are being subjugated, signifying the betrayal in not assisting the others.  He is also sitting above every other tree except for Britain, which is currently on its way down because of the woodpecker.  This implies that he thinks he is higher, and possibly too high, to be attacked by the woodpecker.  Uncle Sam is not even holding onto the tree tightly, affirming he is not expecting the woodpecker to move onto his tree.

            Most Dr. Seuss cartoons burst with bright colors, but Geisel neglects color.  Color is generally associated with happiness, excitement, and other expressive emotions, so this cartoon appears very bleak, murky, and somber.  There is only one cloud in the entire cartoon, and it is positioned directly above the British tree the Nazi woodpecker is furiously pecking down, foreshadowing the fall and doom of Britain. 

Interesting Political Cartoon

This cartoon caught my attention when I was on Google, and I thought it would make a good topic for a blog. Every presidential candidate always criticizes the last president during the election, saying that they have done so badly in handling the country. The candidates always say that they can fix all the problems the last president created and put the country back on its feet. The candidate always tries to make himself out to be a hero against the terrible former president. Every president has to deal with the mess that the last one made, and each one is trying to do their best. I personally think it is ridiculous and completely immature how the candidates trash the former presidents. George Bush had to deal with president Clinton's policies and his problems while dealing with September 11. George did not carry problems into the United States, but he was surely handed them in the very beginning of his first term of his presidency. I am not against George Bush, but I do not believe that he was a perfect president either. I think he did his best and did as good as anyone else could have done in his place. George Bush is a man just like everyone else, therefore he makes mistakes like everyone else. I believe that he did his best to protect this country and serve the people of the United States. I realize that everyone has the freedom of speech and can say almost whatever they think, and that this freedom is very important to our country, but I do not feel that everything is appropriate or is constructive criticism.

I chose this particular political cartoon because it is very controversial, and the message was very interesting. It has a deep meaning besides the superficial meaning of the United States just sitting around and watching the Nazi party in Germany destroy the nations of the world and have complete power. In the cartoon the United States is identified by the Dr. Seuss version of Uncle Sam that is sitting on top of the tree, which represents the individual countries. The United States is the only country that the Nazi woodpecker has not "pecked" down. The only words in the entire cartoon shows the United States' indifference to the Nazi party taking over the world. This is one of my favorite periods of history to study because it was one of the most critical times in the history of our country.
During World War Two, the United States and other countries tried to appease the Nazi party. They only slapped the Nazi party on the hand for disobeying the rules and terms of the treaty of World War One. Germany had been punished so badly from World War One that the people were desperate, starving, and dying for some political change. When Hitler came around, he gained support solely because he promised reform to the people. Hitler started breaking the terms of the treaty, and the countries did not really want to deal with it. The countries then just told Hitler not to do it again and reiterated the conditions of the treaty. He continued to break the rules, and the United States still did not react appropriately or attempt to stop him.

The Copyright Law

Eric Faden uses the Disney clips to create a common ground between the person watching and Faden himself. Most people today have grown up watching the fairy tales that Disney has produced or are at the least very familiar with the characters and story lines.  Using these clips provides an entertaining way to get his point across about the copyright law, instead of just presenting his case as a plain, boring essay.  He successfully shows that the amount of time the copyright lasts is extended past a reasonable length of time.  His video succeeds in persuading the people watching that the law is becoming ridiculous, and that copyrights are lasting basically forever now.  There are so many stipultions and regulations surrounding the copyright material and when it can or cannot be used, that it is just easier to avoid the material all together.  He successfully persuades his audience that the copyright law needs to be reformed until it has a reasonable length of time and not have such strict rules that it is so hard to use the material. The law needs to take a more neutral approach and not have the copyright last so long.  The person who copyrights the material needs to have a reasonable length of time that he owns all the rights, but with a maximum of 15 years. There needs to be regulations and stipulations on how and when the material can be used but not as strict as the current ones.  The material needs to be more accessible to the public.