272 Essay

Music, musica, Muziek, however you may say it, music is a vital bond that connects people from every culture together. Whether it is country, gospel, or metal, the rhythms remains the same in every language, the notes resonating in the same tone in every country. The only difference that lies in music is perception. Lyrics to one may be a theme song to another. A chorus may simply fill an empty space or complete an empty void. Being a musician, it is a habit, a ritual to feel the beat around me, to immerse myself in the passion of myself and others. Never have i felt a grander connection with others, some of those I haven't yet met, than when the harmony and melody of our parts come together with a perfect chord. Never have I felt more elated than after a performance when I have given my self, my soul, to every being in the audience. Like Maya Angelou, "Music is my refuge", I find solace in the feeling of the sanctity it provides. Although I had never met Angelou or had experienced the culture she had lived in, we share a universal feeling of gratitude towards the subject. Although blizzard to find in everyday interaction, human empathy is fluent in music. With every stroke of a pen, the composer concedes in the musician to feel as he has felt, to breathe life into the piece his conscious and subconscious morphed together for. These symphonies, these musical pieces are intended to make the audience emerge from themselves and understand one another. This is beauty. This is the triumph of human nature.

Eng III Vocab 3-4 Original Comp

“Your people watching has become obsessive, Olivia, have you heard any of what I said?” Michael waves his had in front of her face, trying to motion her attention back to the archaic coffee table. 

“I’m sorry, could you repeat that?”  Olivia asks, stirring her coffee idly.

Sighing heavily, Michael repeats “Your professor is inducing you into work that is not conducive. I have sat in on his lectures before and his constant tangents on evolution are an attack on religion. With a man that is more of a demagogue than a teacher, what will you gain? How do you expect your mother and me to pay for this education when you’re not investing in a future for yourself?”

Fidgeting with the porcelain cup in hand, Olivia slides uneasily in her chair, looking around the café, channeling her anger into the right words. “How dare you speak so egregiously of that astounding man? He has inspired me to think beyond the constraints of the Bible, beyond my Sunday school teachings. Professor Mendalli has introduced me into a world that is outside of the box of rote recitation and text book answers. If he is not an icon, I don’t know what would be.” Peering deep into the eyes of her step-father, she silently annunciates her point.

“Don’t be so hard-headed, Olivia. I am simply looking out for your future and taking note of this rebellious stage of yours. You will get over this phase before too long and it is important to that you have solid work to fall back on.” Michael leans back in the oak chair, weaving his fingers in one another, with a look of ease and puissance.

“I do believe I am capable of finding my own way. This is my future after all, I am in charge of it and I can shape it however I please.” With great assertion, Olivia stands, slamming her palms on the table, shaking the delicate porcelain glasses and sending waves through their contents.  “You may have your opinion, but under no circumstances are you a potentate over me. My mother chose to marry you and have you in her life, but I did not.”

Amidst his obvious agitation, Michael remained seated, keeping a cold eye on his step- daughter.  “You had better watch your tongue, young lady. I could just as easily quit funding this silly endeavor of yours. Whether or not you like it, you will terminate your communication with Professor Mendalli and focus on your other classes, putting an end to this childish anarchy.”

“So if I continue to participate in his lectures, you will cut me off?” Sitting gracefully, Olivia crosses her arms in opposition.

“Ah, so now you see my point. Exactly.” With a grin of satisfaction, Michael relents, knowing he had won the battle.

“Then so be it.”

Factoid Friday #12

In President Eisenhower's speech on the addition of "Under God", had states that "From this day forward, the millions of our school children will daily proclaim...the dedication of our nation of our nation and our people to the Almighty," respecting an establishment of religion

From ProCon.org

You Can't Make This Stuff Up #3

In this section, I feel that I learned a whole lesson opposed to small pieces of advice. What was mainly focused on was Building Blocks, or scenes.  How Gutkind suggested to determine the ratio of information to scenes was the highlighting test. I can understand how this would work through his examples, but I feel that if I thought of writing that way, there would be more separation in my writing opposed to fluidity.. Instead of a highlighting test, I usually read through the paper and try it find the information embedded in the scenes and if they are harder to find, then I know I used enough of the "building blocks". I like how Gutkind expanded on this idea with explaining the Creative NonFiction Dance. Using visuals as well as a verbal explanation cemented the order (Scene, information, Scene with embedded information, information, etc.)  in my brain. What made me truly appreciate Gutkinds writing though, was the annotations on the piece " Difficult Decisions". Not only did he teach the subject, use his own advice in examples, but he also walks the reader through a crash course with the subject. I look forward to more of Gutkinds explanations through the rest of the book.

You Can't Make This Stuff Up #2

 Reading into the second section, I was not disappointed. As I had hoped, Gutkind included information on immersion and had also discussed the power of story and how to read. Although there wasn't much, I learned about the end of an immersion and it will most likely effect the author more than the subject. I find it to be interesting that after spending an immense amount of time with somebody, the two could still have opposing viewpoints on the experience both had gone through. When Gutkind explained his story of the doctor who disagreed with his portrayal, I was shocked that he had not felt he was accurately depicted, even after the cafeteria lady called him a hero. I found that Gutkind's use of the story of Thomas and Linda  to teach the power of story follows his advice on using story to teach information and it was nice to see an author put his advice into action. Although it was extremely personal and sad, it was an example that will stick with readers. Last, I enjoyed the introduction to how to read. It seems like such a simple task, but I m sure Gutkind has method behind his madness.

You Can't Make This Stuff Up #1

As the book started, I wasn't initially very impressed, but as I read on, I fell into the writing pattern of Gutkind and fell in love with the topic. With very little knowledge on non fiction, I assumed there wasn't much to it, but now I not only understand the complexity of non fiction but also that of creative non fiction.one of my favorite parts of this section is  the story of D'Agata and his relentless wish to publish a story that was largely exaggerated and false. It made me think of how journalists could truly paint any picture in the readers mind they wished without fact checking and readers that are aware of the world around them. As an aspiring journalist, it also terrifies me that with a simple mistake, someone's reputation could crumble. Another topic that caught my attention was Immersion. Maybe it's because I believed that was the only way to collect factual information for a story,  but the concept intrigues me. Granted it's not a life long goal, I would love to spend time immersing myself in someone else's life to share their story. However, after reading Gutkinds explanation on how long you should remain immersed with a subject baffles me. My question is how do you know when the story ends? I feel that everyday, no matter how miniscule,  is another story that makes an end impossible to find without death. I look forward to reading more on his philosophy on immersion and his advice on how to conduct it.

Factoid Friday 11

The establishment clause states that congress may not make any law "respecting an establishment of religion". This not only forbids the establishment if an official religion but also actions that unduly favor one religion over another and preferring religion over non-religion or non-religion over religion. This is the law often referenced when "Under God" is challenged in court. 

www.law.cornell.edu/wex/establishment_clause

Factoid Friday #10

The most recent case against the Pledge was in Massachusetts , in which an atheist family is fighting on behalf of students who are non-believing and thus violates  the guarantee  of equal rights contained in the Massachusetts Constitution

Factoid Friday #9

It was in 1943 that congress passed legislation that states children could not be forced o recite the pledge

Www.ushistory.org/documents/pledge.html

Stiff Chapter 9 Summary

Although one of hype most disturbing chapter so far, chapter nine Just a Head  focused on the topic of the different ways that heads (human and animals) are used in the world of science. The chapter begins with the story of S.T. Sommering and his belief that the head could still use it's sense and feel for a short amount of time after decapitation (via the guillotine). He lobbied against its use, but lost of the community did not take his allegations seriously, especially since George's Martin, an assistant executioner, who re assured the medical community that after every execution, the heads made no movement. It wasn't until Jean Baptiste Vincent Lombarde spent many years research and experimenting (often foiled because the deliveries were always late) that there was any proof of life in the decapitated heads. Soon after, experimenters Hayem and Barrier took over, experimenting with animal heads that there was record of consciousness of the heads on the exterior for up to three or four seconds.this lead to investigation of head transplants, in which Charles Guthrie, a pioneer in the field of organ transplantation, successfully grafted the head of one dog to another dogs neck. After many scientists experimented with this idea, neurosurgeon Robert White began trying his hand at "isolated brain preparations". White had many famous experiments with this, including implanting a his transplants of one monkey's head to another's body. White looks forward to a future in these transplants so quadriplegics could extend their lifetime up to two decades, although he argues that the funding would be the problem. Because it would take so much time convincing a donors family to donate the whole body to this cause and an immense amount of money to follow through, it would only be available to the rich. Also, this raises the question of whether it would be a head or body transplant which complicates things legally.

Factoid Friday #9

American Center for Law and Justice believes that reciting the Pledge in public schools separates America from other atheistic nations

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Stiff chapter 8 Summary

In How To Know If You're Dead, Mary Roach visits the life of beating-heart (or live) cadavers. Following in specific, a female cadaver called H. H is a dead woman of whom the staff of the University of California at San Francisco Medical Center was keeping "alive" for organ harvesting. While on her visit at the medical center, she contemplates when exactly the soul leaves the body and when somebody is truly dead. Doctors, such as Duncan Macdougall and Robert Whytt, have all had a fascination with both when the soul leaves the body after death and where the would presides while the individual is living. Theories range from the soul living in the liver, the heart and the brain, but there aren't any valid answers yet. Robert Whytt, with the hardest theory to disprove, hypothesized that the would did not have a set resting place, but was infused throughout in the blood. Roach had also told the story of Thomas Edison, who like many others, had his own theory which consisted of humans being controlled by "life units" and not a soul. Another portion of this chapter was how the legal and medical community views the moment when someone dies. Through the case of Andrew Lyons, the accusation if the harvester of the victims organs killing the victim and, not Lyons, legislation soon made brain death the legal definition of death. Worry in the medical community had arisen with this though conscerning a "locked in state". In his state the body is paralyzed, but the person, still alive, has control over the mind, but doctors worry that heart transplants may take place on the false pretense that the patient is dead and not just in a "locked in state". The chapter then ends again with Roach's personal opinion, this time on organ donation. She, like myself, believes that with the high death rate of people on waiting lists for organs, why should one hold that back after death?

 

 

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Speech Reflection

The speech given on same-sex marriage, although I don't believe in what I was saying, went pretty well. From the reaction of the audience, I could tell they clearly understood the logical fallacies sarcastically embedded in the arguement and knew my claim. My speech was sort of a joke, and next time in would like to raise the bar and pull it off as politicians do- invalid but somehow persuasive. Next time I will put more time into an arguement that will be less on the side of humorous and more serious.

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Halloween Arguement

 

The images from David Lynch's collection of Halloween photos circa 1875-1955 may seem creepier than Halloween costumes now, but why? It could possibly be the vintage, eerie format of the photos, but the meaning runs deeper. Media now uses these horrific ideas from the past and morphs them into movies that haunt our culture, whilst Halloween now doesn't have the same scary effect. Halloween has become a fashion show, to see who can be the most creative. The mystery behind the mask also adds to the scare factor. Simple and basic designs, yet it gives the ominous feeling of "who could be behind that's mask? What is behind that mask?".

 

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Chapter 7 Stiff Summary

In chapter 7, Mary Roach explored the realm of crucifixion experiments on cadavers. Two scientists in specific were Dr. Barbet and Frederick Zugibe, who both devoted their lives to finding the cause of the famed double flow marks on the Shroud of Turin. Roach goes into detail on how Barbet experimented with cadavers, nailing them and sometimes just parts of cadavers (he used anything he could get) to a homemade wooden cross in various positions. He did this in order to find the exact spot where Jesus was nailed to the cross. After years of experimenting though, it was Frederick Zugibe who disproved Barbet's theories, one by one. Zugibe constructed a cross in his garage, and began experimenting, although not quite like Dr. Barbet. Instead, Zugibe strapped live human beings to his cross, all willing and wanting to feel how they believe their savior had felt on the day he had been crucified. After spending time in his lab and at home "crucifying" religious followers, Zugibe finally came to a conclusion that the double flow marks on the shroud had come from the angle in which Jesus' Palm was nailed. Roach ends the chapter with her explanation that alleviation should not cater to enlightenment, but rather to pain, unlike Dr. Barbert's beliefs.

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Factoid Friday #8

It was Dwight D. Eisenhower who got the phrase "under god" formally added to the pledge of allegiance in 1954

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Stiff Chapter 6 Review

In chapter six, The Cadaver Who Joined the Army, Mary Roach focuses on scientific testing involving weapons. She discusses in depth the processes used when testing these weapons on cadavers (and ballistics) and how ethics creates a barrier in further research with cadavers. Starting with the history dating back to 1892, Roach tells the story of Captain Louis La Garde. She tells that after and experiment of shooting cadavers to test the physiological effect of different guns on the human body and how Garde influenced a movement on ballistics work on cadavers for a more humanitarian approach on gun battle. He proposed that stopping someone opposed to killing them weas a better option, otherwise know as incapacitation. Another main point brought up in this chapter is the psychological theory- the idea that people who know they have been shot act more accordingly, falling the ground quickly while animals and some Native Americans can continue in battle long after being shot. Opposing the psychological theory, the neurological overload is also believed to be the reason of the stopping affect some people get after being shot or harmed. This is explained that the reticular activating system is to blame, when rcieving signals of pain, it shuts certain muscles down (including the legs) which cause the collapse.the neural overload can also be caused by the "stretch cavity", the point of entry of the bullet in the body the stretch causes an overload in the circuits of the body, temporarily causing the body to shut down.. Pigs are used for this research instead of cadavers for the ethical reason and also because pigs have very similar organ structure. To test this, scIentists shoot animals until they stop moving and record levels of chemicals in the body. Roach also experiments with ballistics gelatin, a resource that is muscle-like and can display similar reactions that a human body would make. This is often chosen over real cadavers so people do t have to hear if their relatives bodies being used as a shooting dummy, the material a are easy to retrieve, and also the a cleanup is a lot easier. The last experiment explored by Roach is the testing of armor for the military. Some organizations risk losing their funding if they use cadavers because it is considered disrespectful, but one organization in Houston, Texas has taken the courageous leap to test footwear for the military in land mines. Granted, it may become an emotional distress lawsuit, this organization experiments in good faith, trying to find the best gear for our soldiers. This chapter ends with Roach's personal preference of donating her body to be a cadaver. She believes that using her body for science is beneficial and she wouldn't mind if she was used to be shot at or blown up.

 

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Factoid Friday October 18th

The original Pldege was

"I pledge allegiance to my Flag and the Republic for which it stands, one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

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Cliches

A post a minute keeps the friends at bay

Digging yourself in a trench

I'm back in the saddle...wait. How do you ride a horse?

Abandon ship...into the life boats!

Cry all the way back from the bank

 

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