Current Events Quiz 2/25/15

A. bae - 12. Used as a term of endearment for one's romantic partner.
B. binge-watch - 10. To watch multiple episodes of a television program in rapid succession, typically by means of DVD's or digital streaming.
C. bitcoin - 3. Digital currency in which transactions can be performed without the need for a central bank.
D. budtender - 6. Person whose job is to serve customers in a cannabis dispensary or shop.
E. contactless - 7. Relating to or involving technologies that allow a smart card, mobile phone, etc. to contact wirelessly to an electronic reader, typically to make a payment.
F. indyref - 1. Abbreviation of "independence referendum," in reference to the referendum on Scottish independence, held in Scotland on Sept. 18, 2014, in which voters were asked to answer yes or no to the question: Should Scotland be an independent country?G. efference 
H. normcore - 11. Trend in which ordinary, unfashionable clothing is worn as a fashion statement.
I. olinguito - 8. Small furry mammal found in the mountain forests in Columbia and Ecuador; the smalls member of the raccoon family.
J. schmeat - 4. Form of meat produced synthetically from biological tissue.
K. monotic
L. showrooming - 9. The practice of visiting a shop or shops to examine product before buying it online at a lower price.
M. slacktivism - 5. Informal actions performed via the internet in support of a political or social cause but regarded as requiring little time or involvement, e.g. signing an online petition or joining a campaign group on a social media website.
N. twerk - 2. Dance to popular music in a provocative manner involving thrusting hip and a low, squatting stance.

Front Pages of the World

What is your favorite newspaper front page? Why? 

I liked the Libération cover from Paris because of the big graphic on the front. What is your favorite headline from that newspaper? Why are you interested in it? 

"Nonprofit manga takes aim at teen sexual exploitation" I'm interested in it because I've heard about that issue in Japan, and I'd like to read more about how people are combating it. How many stories are on the front page of your favorite? 

None, only small blurbs that lead to the full story in other pages. What do you notice that all newspaper front pages have in common? Look at design, size of photos, size of story text, etc.

Many of them use fonts similar to Times New Roman, black text, bold titles.What are things that vary (or are different) on the front pages of different newspapers? Look at design, size of photos, size of headlines, etc. 

Some have smaller text size in the actual story body, some don't have as many stories on the front, some use more pictures than others. 

Current Events Quiz 2/23/15

1. How much more money could it cost Travis County drivers to register their car next year? Page A1 "Twin bills would pay…"
Up to $20.

2. How much does a cubic foot of snow weigh? How much does a cubic foot of ice weigh? Why is this important? Page A2 "New England roofs fail…"
8 pounds. 64 pounds. This can become a hazard when ice and snow pile up on people's roofs. 

3. What is the political cartoon by Dana Summers on page A11 trying to say, in your opinion?
That the US is no match for ISIS.

4. What are some of the objects that Maureen Gilman added to her garden to give it more of a "family" feel? Page SA3 "Artifacts added to…"
Wagon wheels, an old sugar vat, and old metal buckets. 

5.  What was the primary mode of advertising for music clubs in Austin's past AND which of the 8 pictured was your favorite? Page D1 (Austin 360) "Homegrown"
Artist-created posters; my favorite was the top left one. 

Short Answer:

The lead story in the Statesman today is about same-sex marriage. Please read the first part of the story on Page 1, if you want to read the entire story please do, but you don't need it to answer the question below.

What do you think about same-sex marriage? Should it be legal? Should a man be able to marry another man, or a woman to marry another woman? WHY or WHY NOT?
Yes and yes. I'm a member of the LGBTQ+ community as are many of my friends and family members, and it's an issue very close to my heart. Though I don't think that marriage is the only problem facing the community, or even the most important one (see: murders and assaults against members of the community), but for Texas, a traditionally very conservative state, overturning the ban would be a step forward. 

First Manual Shoot Photographs

Abandoned Theme Parks Photoblog

1. Tell me which amusement park featured in the two articles that you would like to visit and take your camera along and what about that park made you want to go there. Write at least a paragraph.
I'd like to visit Takakanonuma Greenland in Japan because not only is the wreckage of the amusement park really interesting, but the scenery around it is very beautiful. I think that the fog and foliage could make for some very atmospheric and creepy photographs, especially with the rusted metal rides contrasting the green of the leaves. 

2. Post one photo from that park. You may use the photos from the link, or you can google an entirely new photo. I would prefer to see a photo of the park in disrepair and not a photo of it when it was still operating.

3. Think of at least FIVE other unusual places you think would be of interest to photographers. List them.

• abandoned shopping malls
• empty schools after dark
• airports late at night/early in the morning
• the most destitute parts of a big city
• the nightlife in tiny towns

4. Use google or another search engine to research ONE of your five places and see if anyone has already started documenting that place. If you find that someone has already started - post at least one photo of their work.

5. Write a paragraph about why you think that it would be fun to document that location. Tell me what interests you about that place and what kind of photos you could expect to take there.

I think it would be fun to document one of America's abandoned malls because there's something inherently creepy about being the only person in a place that should be or was once crowded with people. Everyone has been to a shopping mall, but to see it in such disrepair is eerie as well as oddly depressing. I'm interested in how atmospheric and melancholic these photos turn out, giving the viewer a little slice of the apocalypse. 
6. Tell me what it would take for you to go and take photos at your location. What would you need as far as equipment goes, travel plans, expenses you might encounter and what laws you would have to take into consideration to take photos at your spot.

I would have to consider trespassing laws. I would probably do research on who owns the land now and see if it's actively guarded or fenced in or anything like that. I wouldn't have to take much stuff, but if I was going to be there for a few hours I'd have to take a water bottle and a snack and maybe a flashlight for going into darkened stores and things like that. 

Africa Photoblog

1. On your blog post your reactions to what you read and what you saw. How about 3-4 sentences.
I think the photographer has a really interesting point of view when it comes to how he views the African animals. Usually when you see photographs of life on the African savanna it's action shots, cheetahs on the heels of gazelles and stuff like that. But these photographs have a sense of serenity about them.
2. Do a google image search for Nick Brandt, find your favorite photo and post it on your blog.

3. Describe it and tell me why its your favorite.
This is a photograph of a park ranger with the tusks of a killed elephant. I find it intensely emotional and provocative, with the man hiding his face behind a tusk and crouching with the tusks resting on his shoulder allows the viewer to feel the weight of his grief. 
4. What rules of photography are evident in the photos you selected, be sure to explain the rule to me?
A lot of his photos have depth of field, the vast plains of africa stretching out behind many of the subjects in his photographs. Also, he uses a lot of simplicity in his backgrounds, making sure that the subject is clearly the focus of the image.
Do a google search for Nick Brandt

5. What kind of camera and lens does he use and why is this important?
He uses a Pentax 67II without telephoto or zoom lenses because he thinks that it allows him to capture both his subject and the scenery properly.

6. What is his reason for taking these photos?
He wants to capture the natural beauty of East African wildlife before it's gone.

7. What is his hope by taking these type of photos?
He hopes that by showing the beauty of these animals and people and landscapes that it may motivate the world to try and preserve them.

8. Find something he has to say about Africa, and post the quote on your blog.
There is something profoundly iconic, mythological even, about the animals of East and southern Africa. There is also something deeply, emotionally stirring and affecting about the plains of Africa—those vast, green rolling plains punctuated by graphically perfect acacia trees under the huge skies.

Current Events Quiz 2/2/15

1. Who won the Super Bowl, what was the score and who won the MVP of the game? Page C1
The New England Patriots won the Super Bowl, the score was 28-24, and the MVP was Tom Brady.

2. Where can you go in Texas to see bison in their natural habitat? Page B1 "State Park's bison…"
Caprock Canyons State Park.

3. Why are profits drastically falling for major oil companies? Page B5 "Big Oil facing…"
Oil prices decreased drastically.

4. In the Photo Extra section - tell me which photo in this 4 page section is your favorite and why? Also tell me what rules of photography you see evident in the photo.
My favorite photo was that of the Carnival dancers because I like the colors and the movement evident in it. I see viewpoint and rule of thirds.

5. Why do Texans not really need a groundhog in Pennsylvania to tell them what the weather will be like the next six weeks? Page D1 "Happy Groundhog…"
Texas is, in the words of the man quoted "essentially it's own country." 

Short Answer:

Read the Water Cooler on page A11

The topic of this discussion held on-line is whether Texans should be able to openly carry handguns on their person.

What do you think about this? Do you think anyone should be able to wear a handgun around their waist as they go about their daily business. Make sure you tell me WHY you think this.
No. I think open carry is absolutely ridiculous and normal citizens have no reason to carry a gun on them, openly or concealed, while they're going about their business unless they're planning on pulling a George Zimmerman. Personally I find the idea of people just carrying around guns at all rather disconcerting, if not frightening—it reminds me of the time over winter break when I saw an open carry procession on 6th street, the participants carrying assault rifles on their backs and carrying signs with Hitler quotes on them. Sure, not all open-carriers are neo-Nazis, but it leaves a bad taste in my mouth.