1. Are there certain ideas, or social messages, that influence the kinds of photos that girls typically post? How might these attitudes affect the kinds of photo comments girls post amongst themselves?

Believe me, I am no expert when the subject of girls come up. However, I do believe that some, not all girls tend to follow up on trends, and try to prove themselves to be cute, which is apparent in the photos that are posted. An example of this is the typical ‘duck face’. I do not have any clue of who created this trend, however, making the face of a ‘waterbird with a broad blunt bill’ is definitely not the definition of, ‘cute’. I do, though, respect their decisions and would not like any of those who do post these kind of pictures to be offended, as I should not be ‘judging’ first of all. It is also necessary to note that I have not once in my life, have seen a single girl’s profile picture without any compliments on them. I find that it is nice when girls compliment each other, but when they go over the top and possibly even talk trash behind their back, it is highly debatable to whether or not anyone is being truthful.

2. Are there certain ideas, or social messages, that influence the kinds of photos that guys typically post? How might these attitudes affect the kinds of photo comments guys post amongst themselves?

Not really. If there was a statistic for this, I would post it. Unfortunately, there isn’t. I estimate that approximately two to four in ten males that have a Facebook account do not go on it regularly, which basically means infers that they do not prioritize their virtual online identity in any way. I do believe that a girl has higher expectations from society to look good on Facebook, but I personally think that it shows inner strength to deviate from their so-called social standards, because they really don’t matter when it comes down to it.

3. Are people aware of their online images? Do they try to make themeslves look certain ways? Why or why not?

4. Do we have different expectations for how girls and guys should look or act online? If so, where do we learn these attitudes? If not, why not?

5. How aware are you of how you comment on other people’s photos? Do you think this differs for guys and girls?

And remember: Think before you post, before you comment, before it’s too late..!

8A Drama: Persuasive Speeches from YIS Arts on Vimeo.

I believe that the persuasive speech that I had delivered regarding the flaws of modern day grading systems, was significantly better in terms of delivery.

Despite the similarities in volume, I personally think that the persuasive speech, rather than the impromptu speech, sounded less shaky, which resulted in a slightly more confident, and impactful speech. In addition, I managed to vary my pitch, not only in circumstances where inflection was required, but also in order to emphasize specific points within the speech, and simply not to bore the audience, as I know that for some (not for me), grading systems are the least of their worries. It is, however, obvious and expected that I would not have any occasions that I would stop to think about the words I would blurt out next, as in the previous speech, and I believe that the success that I had attained in this aspect contributed largely to the success of the entire speech, as it forced the audience to listen, because it signified that I possessed a thorough understanding of my topic. I was also able to emphasize specific points by speaking louder, slower, and with more power on certain words or phrases, which enhanced the quality of my speech. I incorporated several dramatic pauses, mostly following large, conceptual questions, in order to capture the viewer’s attention, and encourage them to ponder about the questions asked. I also utilized inflection in the case where I would ask the audience a rhetorical question, and I think that this had help captivate the audience.

I believe that the physical aspects that were present in my speech could have definitely been improved upon. The cause, however, to all of this, originated in the type of note cards that I had chose to utilize the week prior to the speech. As a matter of fact, the only stack of note cards that I had, to be honest, were incredibly miniscule in size. Due to this inconvenience, I was forced to shuffle in between cards, at literally every twenty seconds. As a result, I would have to refer to my note cards to check whether or not the note card that I would be on, is relevant to the material that I would be speaking about at the very moment. Therefore, I was not able to maintain an excellent, confident posture, which would undoubtedly be an aspect of my speech that I would like to improve on. In addition, facing toward the audience more have resulted in a better speech overall.

I strongly believe that the structure of the information presented enhanced the quality of my speech, as it showed absolutely no signs of irrelevance to my topic. I ‘hooked’ and interacted with the audience to introduce my topic, and presented information that could be supported by pure logic and reasoning to the audience. I believe that the ways in which I had attempted to persuade the audience had worked, especially because it was a topic that was somewhat relevant to their everyday lives. I assured myself that my speech possessed a unique beginning, middle, and end, in the speech plan that I had written prior to the summative task.

8A Drama: Persuasive Speeches from YIS Arts on Vimeo.

Masaki delivered a speech regarding the proposed prevention of tax increase in Japan, and the negative results that it would produce for this country. Overall, I believe that his speech was fairly successful in a variety of aspects. The information he presented was not only supported by logic and reasoning, but also statistics from other nations in similar situations. In addition, he was able to ignore any mistakes or errors that he made throughout his speech, and continue as if nothing had occurred. In addition, his passion in resolving this problem was evident in the volume, emphasis, and pauses that he utilized throughout his speech.

I have selected two songs, ‘Johnny B Goode’ by Chuck Berry, and ‘Let It Be’ by the Beatles, that I believe can serve as excellent representatives of music in their respective decades. Before I start to analyze these two pieces in depth, however, please refer to the two YouTube videos in order to hear exactly how these two songs sound like*

‘Johnny B Goode’ by Chuck Berry – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ofD9t_sULM

‘Let It Be’ by The Beatles - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajCYQL8ouqw

The Beatles were an extremely popular band which was formed in Liverpool, England, in the 1960′s decade. Though the group was initially based on 50′s rock and roll, however, they began experimenting with different genres, with psychedelic rock and  pop ballads, while still retaining the classical elements that were present in their earlier times. Not only were they arguably the best group of musicians of their time, they were also fashion icons as well, popularizing the ‘mop top’ hairstyle.

On the other hand, Chuck Berry is best known for his contributions as a premier pioneer of rock and roll music, and was credited for setting rock and roll music apart from other genres. In addition, he also based many of his song lyrics off of teen life, as he developed an great interest in music in his high school years in St. Louis, Missouri.

Despite the countless aspects in which these two musical pieces differ from each other, the five different qualities that we will focus on, are the following: instruments, tempo, story of lyrics, musical elements, and form. Provided below, is a back-to-back comparison of the different instruments used in the original versions of the respective songs:

‘Johnny B Goode’

Chuck Berry – Main vocals, guitar.

Lafayette Leake – Piano.

Willie Dixon – Bass.

Fred Below – Drums.

‘Let It Be’

Paul McCartney – Main vocals, piano.

John Lennon – Six-string bass.

George Harrison – Lead guitar, backing vocal.

Ringo Starr – Drums.

It is interesting to note that although the instruments that are used do not vary much between the two songs, ‘Johnny B Goode’ and ‘Let It Be’ do not sound similar in any way. We can conclude that both bands had utilized five different instruments, but perhaps a few uncredited artists had contributed to these tracks as well.

In addition, another attribute of a musical piece that sets these two songs apart, is tempo. While ‘Johnny B Goode’ aims to add enthusiasm to the crowd, ‘Let It Be’ discusses the problems that we face in life, and a spiritual way in which we can approach solving these problems. Naturally, ‘Johnny B Goode’ possesses a fast tempo, while ‘Let It Be’ has a slower, slightly more melodic tempo.

The variation of these two songs in terms of meaning also sets these two piece apart greatly. While Chuck Berry makes autographical references to his childhood (about a colored country boy who wants to escape the country to attract fame), ‘Let It Be’ refers to a dream that Paul McCartney had about his mother, who passed away due to cancer, where his mother had told me, ‘It will be alright, just let it be.’

It would also be necessary to note the difference in the hooks/choruses of the two songs. It is definitely of no doubt that both songs possess hooks, but it seems that ‘Let it Be’ incorporates the three main words of the song, ‘let it be’, in the verses a little more than ‘Johnny B Goode’. I believe that this adds to the emphasis that is put on the meaning of ‘Let it Be’. In addition, the hook in ‘Let it Be’ is fundamentally shorter than that of ‘Johnny B Goode’. ‘Let it Be’ alters each repetition of the hook, while Chuck Berry uses the exact same hook on every occasion to make the song ‘catchier’. Below, are the respective hooks:

Let it Be

Let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be
Whisper words of wisdom, let it be
Let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be
Whisper words of wisdom, let it be

Johnny B Goode

Go go
Go Johnny go
Go
Go Johnny go
Go
Go Johnny go
Go
Go Johnny go
Go
Johnny B. Goode

Copyright. Does it hinder or cultivate creativity? I believe that it cultivates it. Without the enforcement of copyright laws, creators of original content will not be properly credited with incredible work that they may have produced. By simply copying the exact design of an original piece of work, anyone can manufacture an identical product and sell it for a cheaper price. In brief, if copyright laws were non-existent, the single line of criteria that there would be in determining whether or not a product will be successful, is how inexpensive it is. It would make it tremendously difficult to build a ‘brand’, as I believe that a ‘brand’ gains its wonderful reputation through hard work and excellence, thus, it should not be mistaken for something of injustice. I believe that there is a certain ‘beauty’ or fascinating aspect of it. However, the non-existence of copyright laws would not allow any sort of monopoly in today’s market, as innumerable companies will be feeding off the ideas of profits of each other. I think that the reason to why we are able to choose a variety of products, and not large amounts of the same product, is due to the copyright laws enforced around parts of the world. Copyright does not hinder creativity, and cultivate may be the wrong word for it. It literally forces creativity.

Over the course of our third unit in Physical Education this year, we, as a class, explored the various rules and tactics of handball, and also had an opportunity to brush up our leadership skills. As our assessment at the end of the unit, we were instructed to write a blog post comprising of two parts, the first of the two explaining the rules about handball, while the latter will explain two warm-ups that I have either created or modified.

Part 1

Handball (also known as team handball, Olympic handball, European (team) handball, and/or Borden ball) is a team sport in which two teams of seven total players each (six outfield players and a goalkeeper on each team) pass or dribble a ball to throw it into the goal of the other team. A standard match consists of 2 periods of 30 minutes, and the team that outscores their opponent wins. Modern handball is usually played in an indoor gym, but outdoor variants exist in the forms of field, Czech, and neach handball. The game is quite fast and includes body contact, as the defenders try to stop the attackers from approaching the goal. Players can dribble the ball like in basketball and can take 3 steps. They can also pass using, chest pass, bounce pass and overhead pass. Players that are positioned stationary are only allowed to be in remain in this position with the ball for 3 seconds before either passing or shooting at goal. The game has different phases. Firstly a team needs to gain possession of the ball and this usually occurs with the goalkeeper or a steal from an opposing player. The objective is to turn defense into attack. The next phase is moving the ball away from your own goal, and to advance closer to your opponent’s goal. The next phase is to get into a scoring position, and to shoot the ball into the opponent’s goal. Only goalkeepers are allowed inside the D zone. Fouls occur when players use excessive force and play is re-started with a jump ball. Players are allowed an unlimited number of faults (defensive contact that impedes the opposing team from scoring, but fouls are present in handball, when excessive force is applied in defensive situation, and as a result, the opposing team may be rewarded a free-throw, a seven-meter throw, or possibly a 2-minute suspension for the other team.

Part 2

Handball-Suited Warm-Up – UltimateBall

The aim of UltimateBall is simple; to either hit as many people you can with one of the three dodge balls, or ‘dodge’ these balls that are thrown at you. This warm-up requires three dodge balls, a large area which you can play the game in, and at least ten people. Two people will start off as ‘its’, and will pass the ball among themselves (the three step rule also applies) to hit any of the ‘non-its’. If one that is not ‘it’ is hit, s/he must take off the bib that s/he wore at the start (which signifies that s/he is not ‘it’), and will join the ‘its’ in trying to accomplish the goal of this warm-up.

Skill Exercise – Pass, Dribble, and Shoot

As inferred by the name, the skill exercise, ‘Pass, Dribble, and Shoot’ aims to improve one’s ability to perform these three basic tasks in game-alike situations. In order to set up this warm-up properly, you will need to prepare four lines of at least two people in each line, as well as two handballs in the first and third lines. Line 1 will pair with Line 2, while Line 3 will pair with the fourth line. When a signal to start the warm-up is provided, the people in the front of their respective lines will pass and dribble their way to the D-Zone on the other side of the court/field, and attempt to score, with their partner from the lines adjacent to them.

What is Progress? – Bangladesh

Under Practical Classwork