30
Jun 15

Pee to see cancer

The first TED talk that I watched described a prospective detection and treatment method for cancer. Tal Danino (the guy speaking) began the speech by introducing concepts such as quorum sensing and basic application of quorum sensing. He also described the prospect of “programming” bacteria to take advantage of quorum sensing of bacteria. As he continued he introduced a bacteria that he and his lab ‘programmed’. This bacteria was genetically modified to seek out malignant tumors in the Liver. The speaker effectively conveys the entirety of his topic in a clear and concise manner. But what truly draws the audience in is his excitement in his topic. An audience will never be excited about a topic if the presenter is not himself enthralled. By using active gesticulation and simply keeping a smile, Tal keeps us drawn into whatever he says. This is proven when you see the audience erupt into thunderous applause at the end.

The second TED talk I watched was simply the recitation of a poem. Lee Mokobe is a transgender case where she was born identifying of a he. The first rhetorical device that comes screaming out of the talk is kairos. Media outlets everywhere have been screaming about Caitlyn/Bruce Jenner. This talk gives a first person perspective on the early development of someone who is transgender. An air of strong pathos draws in the audience to almost feel what the speaker is feeling or felt. While many people have many views on such a controversial topic, the speaker focuses on the pain that they have experienced rather than attacking those that caused the pain they felt. So while Lee is being quite frank on some of the finer problems that transgender folk face each and every day. He uses the same form of persuasion that completely humanizes those under such persecution


30
Jun 15

Quelque chose pour voter….

One of the ‘ickiest’ words that I could say in a blog is about to be said, and that is none other than…. politics. We are so used to over zealous poly sci majors ranting about their grievances and sending them off to the internet to be not cared about by nearly everyone that reads it. Luckily I am not going to try and air my own opinions (however close they are to the topic at hand), but rather I am going to dive into French politics. Now that we (hopefully) have started to remove debilitating stereotypes onto the French, lets not add others by assuming all Frenchmen everywhere are like minded and agree on everything. That simply just is not true. That would be like saying that every Texas Republican and every California Democrat have the same opinions. What I will discuss is the general trend, recognizing that this only an analysis of observations.

So first, lets start off by stating a fact, the president of France is a socialist. You might be thinking “Ew! How could anybody associate themselves with those violent leftist radicals of the 19th and early 20th century? And is this thought bubble just a ploy to bump up word count?” To address the first question, I must say that socialism has, since its conception, been an alive and well movement throughout France. This differs from the United States because as Socialist movements abounded in Europe, right wingers like Joseph McCarthy launched crusades against any ‘commies’ in infamous cases like the red scare. No such cultural stigmas existed in western Europe and consequentially those seeking to fight for the lower classes were often met with great support. As for the second question… no comment. Back to the point, François Hollande is the Socialist president of a very leftist in many (but not all) aspects. In France, the poorest of the poor are taken care of at the federal level. For instance, if somebody only makes 6,011 euros in one year, they pay a 0% tax rate. As where if you lie in the top tax bracket you can be paying 45% or more in income tax. Whether you feel that this is just or not, this style of income taxation has provided France with large budgets to go towards things like (God forbid *sarcasm*) healthcare, unemployment programs, infrastructure, and much much more. As where in the United States, the rich are not taxed as much so they can pay for their own frivolous luxuries, like healthcare. Please do note the sarcasm. Anyways, what I’m trying to get at is that even though some of these concepts may seem really foreign to us, there are those across the globe that practice systems seemingly opposite to our own. So whether you agree with the French version of light-socialism or not, you are going to have to exist alongside it. Perhaps even some of these seemingly foreign concepts are coming to a government year near you? Just take a look at the roaring debate that is occuring on whether the US government should subsidize healthcare?

~Laissez les bons temps rouler!


29
Jun 15

Quelque chose pour penser…

Eiffel
It would seem that in discussing and exploring the vastness of French culture, I have forgotten what makes French culture what it is. That would be nothing other than the language itself. The language of love, or just another dying romantic language in the wake of Anglo dominance? I would argue that French is at dawn of great awakening.
French language was born in the barbaric age of Gaul when Roman Latin dominated the land. But as the empire fell and cultural/societal independence spawned so too did the precursor of modern French. As the language progressed and fused with neighboring languages through great events like the battle of Hastings, it slowly became what we know today. For centuries French was the go to language of the higher orders and of diplomacy. So few people seem to appreciate the role French language played in historic agreements between nations. It also found importance in institutions such as the Roman Catholic Church. For instance when the Church came about in writing its first Catechism, it was published in French in order to be understood and read by the greatest amount of people.
This language of the highest in society flourished as French colonial stakes spread across the globe. For instance one of the most common contemporary examples exists in North Africa. Areas such as the Congo and Cote D’Ivoire contain large populations of Francophones. Also, a little closer to home, the “Quebecois” as they call themselves seem to dominate Quebec, Canada. The sphere of Francophone influence is a lot larger than many are comfortable admitting. For some reason there is a very large stigma against French language and culture in our society. Pop culture illustrates negative stereotypes of the French in anything from news media to kids’ cartoons.
We must not forget the role of the French language in our own King’s English. Remember the aforementioned battle of Hastings? When William of Normandy (Like the site of the allied invasion in WW2) successfully conquered the Anglo Saxons at his victory in this infamous battle, Norman French and Anglo-Saxon English effectively merged. This merger of languages exchanged thousands words and grammatical concepts. So because of this single historical event, we have the English we do today (after much development over a thousand years, but you get the point). In a matter of fact, French gives just as many words directly to English as Latin. Even though this statistic is slightly skewed because French effectively comes from Latin, it still gives one an interesting perspective on exchange that happened and is still happening between English and French.
So I encourage all of you to consider the effects that French has had on the way this very blog post is written on. Who knows? Perhaps you will find yourself enamored (that word comes from French) with the French language and will try to learn it. I can guarantee you will find yourself appreciating not just French or English, but all other languages and all their nuances.


29
Jun 15

Rhetorical Analysis

Rhetorical Analysis Rough Draft
9/11
September 1st 2001, a day that the American people and the world will never forget. Or is it just us? On that day three-thousand people lost their lives as a direct result of a series of attacks on the United States of America. We all view that day as one of the most tragic in our recent history, but the World Wide Fund for Nature uses this to spread tsunami awareness. This shocking advertisement uses a mix of societal attitudes of infamous tragedies and shocking imagery in an effective rhetorical manner.
In understanding the effective use of rhetoric in this particular awareness poster, one must first analyze its target audience. It is very unfortunate that the media culture in the United States has very predictable trends in their concern for human life. For instance, the Indian tsunami of 2004 killed nearly 300,000 people. This would be an example of an extreme case of natural disaster, though it still makes the events of September 11th look miniscule. The advertisement itself addresses this by placing a great number of jetliners approaching the twin towers. This encompasses the entire “avant-garde” aspect of the advertisement. Americans everywhere were outraged when the WWF first presented this advertisement. While their fury may be justified, is it not the point of the poster itself? The WWF recognizes the strong emotional reaction and timing of the poster to evoke the strongest response. Thus this poster is a prime example of the exploitation of Kairos. It may seem like the poster came a little late, as in eight years late, but the kairotic reverb of such an event as 9/11 is pretty engrained into American attitudes.
With the advertisement’s kairotic motives exposed, fully understanding the poster follows suit. The most apparent feature of the poster is the presence of the twin towers. Upon seeing this image, most Americans immediately recall everything 9/11 and to some this is an overwhelming emotional response. Calling upon this response testifies to the pathological appeal of the advertisement. Upon second glance, the second most prevalent image is the multiplicity of air planes. Most Americans have seen the horrific images and videos of the moment the airplanes crashed into the side of the twin towers. So the mere presentation these familiar planes strikes a bit of panic into the average person. With such an event as 9/11 pathos is probably the strongest appeal a rhetorical device such as this can have. However, this particular appeal to pathos does not even relate to the true subject matter of the piece. The intent of the poster is to redirect strong emotional responses evoked by 9/11 towards a prevalent issue. In this case the prevalent issue is the death tolls due to tsunamis. The reason the WWF picks 9/11 to create awareness of an issue that is widely detached from the United States. While we have our fair share of natural disasters, never in our history have 300,000 Americans died as a direct result of a tsunami or earthquake. Thus by exposing a significant event in American history that has had significant death tolls, the WWF creates an emotional solidarity with those that do suffer from such disasters.
Despite the strong pathological appeal evoked by this advertisement, the WWF does take into account other appeals. One of these appeals is that of logos. This mode of rhetorical persuasion is not immediately obvious. What is immediately obvious is the phrase in the upper right hand corner that reads “THE TSUNAMI KILLED 100 TIMES MORE PEOPLE THAN 9/11”. This may not instantly blow you away, but once you consider that about three-thousand people died as a result of 9/11. Staggering numbers like the death tolls of tsunamis almost raise questions about the media otherwise ignored. Questioning the media gives one unique perspective of understanding who is actually reporting on such large scale issues. Logos is clearly at the center of such an argument. It is through simple logic that one can figure out the overwhelming bias that exists in media outlets. Most Americans would probably be shocked at the scale of such numbers. To put it in perspective, 300,000 people dying at once would be like the entire population simply gone.
The purpose behind the WWF’s effective use of logos is, however, more apparent. Organizations like the WWF have grown in great multiplicity and popularity, especially in the past decade. Society has had a great awakening in terms of environmental responsibility. Therefore groups that go to proliferate such awareness have gained the upper hand in their ethos. The WWF uses their ethos in regards to environmental issues to create awareness for issues such as tsunamis. Some may argue that their creation of this particular poster may have overstepped their region of influence. This perceived “overstep” begins at their use of 9/11 to capture the attention of the vast majority of Americans. It is however worth saying that this may have been the most effective means of capturing our attention. Despite this many still believe this to have been an unorthodox use of an otherwise touchy topic in American politics.
Once one gets past the controversy of the poster itself, it is easy to understand the ideology the WWF pushes through this medium. The WWF desires equality of representation in the media. Shooting for such a goal pushes their global concept of justice and environmental responsibility. In the WWF’s ideal world, nations would not act independently and self-centered upon natural disasters. The world would unite and educate all of its citizens in order to cohesively combat the detrimental effects of tsunamis, earthquakes, and other adverse natural events. An interesting thought experiment in considering the ideology put forward by the WWF is wondering what such a poster would look like pre-9/11. Would the poster require to be more candid and direct about their message? Or was it the actual event of 9/11 that evoked American centricity in our media?
It will always take organizations like WWF to keep society focused. Utilization of controversial appeals to pathos gave this shocking poster attention. Upon gaining this attention, the numbers that it provides gives the average person a sense of the scale of natural disasters that seem a world away. The rhetorical devices used in this awareness poster create a series of considerations that leave the viewer in deep thought on blind eye turned upon less developed nations struck by horrible disasters.


25
Jun 15

RCL Speech Outline

Speech: The Call to Civic action from Barrack Obama’s 2013 inaugural address

I. Introduction + Body
a. I will begin by addressing the class as “my fellow Americans” as to begin with a humorous hook
b. Thesis: President Obama’s inaugural speech contends with many other contemporary speeches as an effective call to civic engagement.
c. Introduce the main points of the speech
i. “The patriots of 1776 did not fight to replace the tyranny of a king with the privileges of a few or the rule of a mob.”
1. The president uses a pathological approach in his speech.
2. He relates to the common man being very conscious of his audience in this situation.
ii. “We know that America thrives when every person can find independence and pride in their work; when the wages of honest labor liberate families from the brink of hardship.”
1. Correlate American ideals with president’s
2. Follows through with his appeal to the common man.
3. Kairotic argument: As the United States climbs out of its recession many of its citizens deeply connect with the idea of climbing out of hardship.
iii. “You and I, as citizens, have the power to set this country’s course. You and I, as citizens, have the obligation to shape the debates of our time — not only with the votes we cast, but with the voices we lift in defense of our most ancient values and enduring ideals.”
1. This is the punchline of the whole speech
2. This particular section explicitly calls each and every one of us as citizens of the United States to be involved in civics
3. He derives the duty of civic involvement from precedent values found in the history of our nation.
II. Conclusion
a. Summarize why we ought to be involved in civics as citizens of not only the U.S but of the world!


25
Jun 15

Quelque chose pour manger!

We all know about the French and their cheese. Our culture has seemingly destroyed one of the finest yet simplest treat in the world. Unfortunately the average person’s perception of fine cheese is nuking a block of Velveeta only to be scarfed down with the nearest tortilla chip. The French would (rightfully so) be appalled by such a disgrace. In France this dairy delight has an entire branch of etiquette dedicated to maintaining the sacred nature of its consumption. It is no false stereotype to say that the French adore their cheese. In fact the country is noted for producing four-hundred distinct types of cheese (Not including all of the local variants of one cheese).
You might be wondering to yourself “how in the world could there possibly be so many different types of cheese?” So in understanding the variety of French cheese, we must look at where they are produced. For instance, Chèvre (goat) cheeses are typically made in the Loire valley regions. This is due to the fact that this region houses the greatest number of goats. Local attitudes and values also play a huge role in how they take their fromage. We all like to think that cultures are defined by distinct political borders, but this simply is not true in France. Because it lies at the heart of Western Europe, France is a melting pot of Italian, German, Spanish, and North African customs. This means staunch cultural varieties of different cheeses. In regions like Alsace-Lorraine, German culture takes it root in cheeses like Munster (NOT Muenster) that is more in accordance with Germanic sharp cheeses. Yet, Munster maintains its French roots being a soft and creamy ‘brie-like’ cheese.

Though the forms of cheese in France are numerous, everyone seems to agree on the ritual of how to consume it. Ways of eating cheese in France is very specific and disgracing such a delicate act may lead to a few strange looks, but with a little savoir faire it is a piece of cake! First, one must consider the shape of the cheese, as preserving the form of the cheese is only proper. For example, if the cheese is in a wheel, it is proper to cut out wedges like a pizza. One should NEVER cut out cubes as this just looks wrong and will most definitely give the nearest Frenchman a headache. So if you find yourself in a situation where you are unsure on how to consume the delicate dairy delight that sits before you, just ask. While the French are known for their copious amount of cultural particulars, they appreciate and take enjoyment in teaching others about their traditions. While this may seem like a whole lot of pressure over cheese, I can guarantee you that it is not silly to those (especially the French) who take great pride in the foods that are staples of their culture. So please, next time you see some unpronounceable French cheese, just consider what kind of heritage and tradition there really is behind such a seemingly simple thing.

~Bonne Journée


21
Jun 15

Irresponsibility With Vaccines

As recent developments have indicated, there has been a distinct movement against public safety. This infraction against public health has taken the form of parents exempting their children from receiving vaccination before attending school. They denied the unanimous conclusion of the scientific community that vaccines, in fact, have no correlation with developing autism. This movement has lasted since the beginning of vaccination itself. It was the media that used recent conditions and proliferation of diseases once thought to be conquered to expose this issue. This entire situation takes advantage of the key points of kairos. In terms of time, this issue has existed for quite a long time, but the media exploited situational conditions to maximize public reaction. These conditions arose in a recent outbreak of measles: a disease which otherwise was “conquered”. This outbreak caused mass uneasiness as places such as Disneyland took actions to prevent its spreading. The uneasiness felt by a wide variety of people across the nation subjected them to a strong desire to get to the root of the issue. Using this uneasiness, the media created a mass public awareness campaign for vaccinating your children. Uneasiness is a very strong force as it causes self concern which then causes people to take action. Once the
“stage was set”, many popular media outlets drew a very strong ethos by citing highly trusted institutions like the CDC. As awareness of the issue grew, the situation became a lot more favorable use of kairos to fix a very prominent civic issue. Though kairos differs from Greek concepts such as ‘chronos’ , the entirety of this civic issue happened over a very short chronological period. This entire event enacted by the media ultimately provided for the dispelling of the myth of autism caused by vaccination. Media outlets often use very prominent situations to exploit the public in positive or even negative ways by the means of kairos.

~Bonne Journée


21
Jun 15

Quelque Chose Pour écrire…

In embarking on the quest to begin this blog, I have reached an impasse. I have come to realize that throughout life’s many twists and turns, passions abound. Yet, we can have an infinite number of passions and none of them matter if we so choose to not act upon them. For example, what is a passionate musician without his instrument? Thus as I begin my undergraduate studies at Penn State, I will embark upon the essential “follow through” of my passions (outside of my major) by extrapolating upon them in the form of a blog. So now I am faced with a tough choice: deciding my topic. We have all been exposed to the French stereotype of a mustached, baguette wielding, romantic who strides around Paris with an arrogant jaunt of self superiority with. As most stereotypes are, this particular one could not be more false (except for maybe the baguette part). Through studying French language I have been introduced to the richness of its culture. Its ideals of a perfect balance between leisure and work seem to contrast other prolific cultures of “work will set your free”. French culture promotes the sublime aspects of everyday events that others seem to overlook and abuse, such as appreciation of haute cuisine versus over-consumption of daily mediocre fare. While French culture fascinates me, I am equally captured by science fiction in pop culture. We are all too familiar with earth shattering titles such as Star Wars or Jurassic Park , but what is it about these staples of sci-fi that captivate audiences across the globe? I am not a sociologist and cannot speak for the trends of our culture, but I can address why I dream day in and day out about worlds that are merely human constructs. Thus I must decide which of these two interests I will pursue in blog format. After much deliberation I have decided to explore french culture further and post my findings through this medium.

~Bonne Journée


19
Jun 15

Premier

Hon hon hon


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