Monthly Archives: March 2014

PAS#6 Kristen Stewart

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I know that everyone has a particular dis-liking or an indifferent attitude toward this particular actress, especially since her rise to stardom was her leading role as Isabella “Bella” Swan in the Twilight Saga franchise. As a Twi-Hard I was obviously obsessed with her and her co-star, Robert Pattinson, playing my favorite fictional couple.  I loved them even more when they were going out fro real. But, since the franchise has ended my obsession has gone from a 20 down to like a 5. I still love re-reading the novels and re-watching the movies. They will always be a part of me. Sadly when I heard that she cheated on my ex (Robert Pattinson lol) I was confused and hurt  because I only approved of her being with him because it just felt right. Look at me sounding as if I really know these people lol. Well I feel like I do since I’ve followed their careers for like 6 years of my life lol. Anyway, I became indifferent toward their relationship since the franchise has been over but I hop they can work things out. I mean we are flesh and blood so making mistakes is going to happen. I still think that she is a very talented actor and she offers a lot to the roles that she plays, despite people’s opinions of her lack of facial expressions and serious demeanor. Since the Twilight Saga are the only movies that I really liked her in I will talk about those films lol.

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The Twilight Saga: I read the books the summer before the first film was suppose to come out and i was was excited. I looked up the cast when I started the first book and I automatically could not imagine the characters in any other way. I instantly fell in love with them. Kristen was the perfect Bell in my eyes because she just had the look about her that screamed Bella, and anyone who has read the books and agrees with me knows what I am talking about. As each film came out you can see her grow as an actor just as Bella developed into who she really was. Despite a lot of criticism that the entire franchise often got I commend them to being dedicated to it all the way through and portrayed the books in the way that would make the fans happy and anyone who has followed all five films (pre and post production) you can tell that the little details mattered to everyone involved. In Breaking Dawn pt 1 & 2 I was the most impressed with Kristen because she brought Bella as a vampire to life in such a way that it was more than what I was expecting because Breaking Dawn is the crux of the entire series and has a lot of detail and the most complex to bring to the screen. I really wish that Stephenie Meyer would continue to write about these characters because I would love to see Kirsten, and the entire cast come together again. But, even great things have to come to an end and I am very satisfied with the outcome. I did see Kirsten in Snow White and the Huntsman and I will honestly say that she did a very good job in it and it was nice to see her in something like that. I did see The Messengers, which she starred in before Twilight came out and I liked that one as well. That’s all I really have to say about this actress so tune in for next week!

RCL#3 Orcinus Orca

As a kid I have always been fascinated by Killer Whales. Even though I have never seen one in person, just looking at pictures and watching documentaries about them resonates something in me that is indescribable. From the research that I have done on my own, they do not seem that different from us. There is no question that they have a conscious and process feelings and emotions. Just by their behavior it can be seen how there is something about them that sets them apart from other land and sea animals/mammals. When I was younger I always wanted to go to SeaWorld because I thought that was the only way that I would get to see these majestic animals up close. But after doing some research and discovering how those creatures are treated it turns me away from wanting to invest money in a place that uses these huge creatures for a profit when they are meant to be in the wild. If there were not as many incidents as there are involving these creatures who are in captivity then maybe this would not be a huge issue. I believe that when we look at all these animals put on display we are looking through rose colored glasses. It looks good on the surface but underneath things are very messy and the question of ethics and morals come into play. I’m not saying that animals cannot be rescued because they are in danger and need to be nursed back to health. But when you combine that with making them do “behaviors” and perform in front of audiences, it just does not sit well with me at all. Especially when you have mammals as massive as Orca Whales, in tanks. No matter how big or deep you make it, that creature is still not free. I don’t want my opinions to get in the way with the outcome of my paper but I am very passionate about these animals and I can only imagine how they feel having to do perform over and over and over again for many years. I think that one of the biggest misconceptions about Orca’s and animals in captivity in general, is that they are better off being taken care of when not in the wild because they will have access to medicine that they could need. I mean that could be a valid reason but animals have been evolving and surviving in the wild since the dawn of time, everything they know comes from instincts and adaptation. In the end, I genuinely want to know the pros and cons of these animals being in captivity.

So, my focused research questions are as followed,

1. What kind of emotional and physical ordeals does being in captivity have on Orca Whales?

2. Because Orca’s are very social animals how is that compromised by being in captivity?

3. Does the environment play a part in these animals to become more aggressive toward each other?

Book citation:

Behavioral Biology Of Killer Whales

Kirkevold, Barbara C., and Joan S. Lockard. Behavioral Biology of Killer Whales. New York, NY: A.R. Liss, 1986. Print. 

 

CIV #3 The Poor & Welfare

As stated in my previous Civic Issues post, the government has limited snap benefits for those who have them. In my Sociology 001 class we have been talking about the sociological aspect of people who live below the poverty line in America. The data she gave is is from the Census Bureau.

The poverty index was created to try and figure out how much it would cost to feed a family at an adequate, yet at the same time, inexpensive rate. Under the Johnson administration there was a program created called ADC, Aid for Dependent Children, which was suppose to help fight the war on poverty. The problem with this program was that if you had a man in the house the family would not qualify to receive this public aid. In response to this men would leave their families and every trace of a man ever living in the house was cleared away so that families could qualify for assistance. When the government saw that this was not working out too well It was eventually changed to AFDC, Aid to Families with Dependent Children. The significant change for this program is that the idea of not just providing assistance for the children, but to the parents because they saw that having just a mother and father providing was not enough for certain families. In 1996 it changed to the current system that we use today is the TANF, Temporary Aid for Needy Families. With this program it is temporary, as in a two year span. As we know this is not the only government welfare aid program but I hope this little history will show you that the definition of welfare for families has taken leaps over the decades and they continue to change now. There is always going to be modifications to this issue because so many people have their own definitions and opinions of what should happen to people who cannot provide for themselves and their families. For 2014, the poverty line index for a family of four has stopped at $23,850. So that means that anyone at and or below this dollar amount are living in poverty. The poverty line changes constantly because the cost of living rises constantly, and as that rises so does the cost of education. Everything is in a vicious cycle and as it continues to climb higher and higher more people are going to fall lower and lower behind that horrible line.

PAS #5 Leonardo and the Oscars

Ok people I am deviating this weeks blog to talk about the Academy Awards. One of the biggest things I will be discussing is the fact that Leonardo, THE DiCaprio, not winning an Oscar yet again.

To start on a positive note I think that I need to make it my mission to watch Frozen when it comes out on DVD or Netflix because it won in so many categories on Sunday night. I was firmly against seeing it over winter break because I was just not in the mood at all for another Disney animate musical. Don’t get me wrong I love Disney, but I just was not mentally ready to tolerate it at the time lol. Anyway I think that I should at least give it a chance watch it at some point. I was very excited to see Lupita Nyong’o wing Best Supporting Actress in 12 Years A Slave. Her speech was very motivational and made me want to push even more to make my dreams a reality. When she was talking about kids and saying that “Your dreams are Valid!”. Those were some of the most simple influential words that i have ever heard. She was just very encouraging and I can tell that she is going to be the new face of elegance and beauty in our generation. As a side note I absolutely loved the gown she was wearing as well.

Lupita-Nyongo-2014So…I know that Leonardo has won plenty of other awards, but the Oscars is the highest honor in the world of Hollywood. I just wonder what runs through his mind every year. I bet he does not even get phased anymore. I definitely wouldn’t. I’m glad that the The Great Gatsby won best production design, so at least it took something home. But I think Leo’s acting in it should have gotten him an Oscar.  After all the years and dedication that he has put into his films I am kind of disappointed that the Academy could not honor him with an Oscar. It kind of makes me feel bad because there are younger actors that have received Oscars and they do not have the years of experience that he has. He’s done dozen of films, where as that ONE film they did, that one film that was their breakout film, got them an Oscar. Maybe it is something else altogether. Maybe it has nothing to do with his talent. Maybe he pissed the Academy off in some way at the beginning of his career and it black balled him for the rest of his career. I see that as highly unlikely but anything is up for suggestion because it doesn’t make sense. At least not to me. My roommate and I were like yelling when they announced Matthew McConaughey as Best Actor. I think he is a great actor too, but….I didn’t even hear of the movie that he won for, Dallas Buyers Club. The Academy Awards always plays with my emotions because they are like four hours long and they announce best actor very last so Sunday night I was just drained lol. Ellen was a very entertaining host, especially when she ordered pizza and Meryl Streep, Brad Pitt, and Kerry Washington, plus some others actually ate some. It just shows how down to earth and human they are. I love them so much lol.

Things should go back to normal after break, I just needed to vent about this. Have a wonderful and safe break!