Alex Boylston's Blog

Blog #6 Video Parody

2011-03-07T13:40:00.000-08:00

This snuggie parody uses almost all of the types of humor many times through out the video. The title for one uses unexpected bluntness. By calling a snuggie the WTF blanket, this gives a viewer the over all theme for the video as well as make the viewers laugh at the straight forwardness of the title. The unexpected bluntness continues on when the narrator calls the lady in the video an asshole because she is having difficulty putting on a normal blanket. With the unexpected bluntness continued, exaggeration is put to use as well. When the narrator introduces the WTF blanket he says that "It's the blanket that will ruin your sex life". This is extremely blunt and a little exaggerated because we do not know if the snuggie could actually ruin someones sex life. When the video gets to the part were its shows a old man in a chair with the WTF blanket on, the old man says "I can't believe a black mans President". This comes out of no where so bluntness was put to use, as well as a the stereotype of older white people not liking Obama as much as the younger generation. The video is said with a very sarcastic tone from the narrator. But the sarcasm really comes out when the narrator says that "the WTF blanket is made out of the same materiel as a regular blanket, but looks twice as retarded! Basically its a robe you wear backwards". Then he goes on to say that people can "So go ahead color a book, drink some tea, hold a baby! You know, stuff you couldn't do with a regular blanket". This uses a kernel of truth because the original commercial made it seem like you couldn't do every day stuff with a normal blanket, you could only successfully do it with a snuggie or WTF blanket. The parody exposes the fact that, yes you can actually answer a phone and hold a baby with a regular blanket. As the video continues to explain what you can do with the WTF blanket, he very quickly says that "with the WTF blanket you can take your dog and roast him on a open fire". This is using twisted logic, because no sane person would take their dog and roast him. The sarcasm and bluntness continues when the narrator talks about how you can wear the WTF blanket when "your reading the obituaries, clogging your arteries, watching scrambled porn, or telling a racist joke. You will look like a tool". These things are all very random and blunt and really have nothing to do with one another; except for when the narrator connects them all by saying if you do these things with a WTF blanket on, you will look like a tool. This unexpectedness is portrayed throughout the whole video. When the video claimed that "some dumb asses would pay as much as $60 for a WTF blanket". This is a kernel of truth, because a lot of people over pay for items like a snuggie when really the snuggie is only a piece of cloth with sleeves. One of the most sarcastic, blunt and twisted things said through out the whole video was at the end when the narrator described the side effects of the WTF blanket. For one, there should not be side effects for using a blanket. But when it did list off the side effects it said you could get heart failure, herpes, social awkwardness, never getting laid, looking like a dick, and super herpes. These are all exaggerated and twisted symptoms coming from a blanket. There is no such thing as super herpes. The WTF blanket video is clearly making fun of the snuggie for being a stupid excuse for a blanket that is over priced. Everything the narrator says is sarcastic and points out everything that doesn't really make sense in the original video. Just by pointing out bluntly the little things in the original commercial that just seem stupid and don't really add up, was what made this parody funny. The video was one big kernel of truth showing how the snuggie was a stupid product, a backwards robe, that advertisers wanted viewers to think was the coolest thing ever.

Visual Essay

2011-01-23T16:28:00.000-08:00

Human Trafficking is one of the fastest growing criminal industries in the world. With over 2.5 million women and children being trafficked each year, into over 130 different countries, modern day slavery is more of a reality in society then most people realize. Human Trafficking victims are placed into two categories, forced labor and sexual exploitation With most victims being under the age of 18 and coming from all over the world, there seems to be not much stopping the expansion of trafficking. Many third world countries have factories that are run by human trafficking corporations or gangs. By not buying products made in third world countries, the income that it takes to transport the people will go down, and in turn the amount of people who are being sex trafficked and put in modern day slavery will do down as well.

Emotional appeal plays a huge part in the visual essay. The up close picture of the girl with sold across her mouth is to represent the actual buying process of human trafficking. The duck tape across her mouth makes it so that she can not speak, representing how she can not defend herself. The word sold represents how she is just treated like property and nothing else. The Sepia picture of the little Indian girl naked with her arms to her chest was to appeal to the viewers emotions. She is standing their by her self, nothing to clothe herself with and seems to be all alone. The colorless photography makes the viewers feel more sadness then if it were in all color. The blank look on the girls face gives off a feeling of hopelessness. The ad with all the people in the jars represented a lot about human trafficking. It was put more towards the end of the video to make the viewers see a good representation of how these women and children are treated. The jar’s represent when the women and children are kidnapped and held against their will. The grocery store style shelves represents how anyone could come and buy the people like property. Stated above in the claim was how factories in third world countries, like NIKE uses children for labor. The NIKE swoosh symbol can be identified by almost everyone in the world. By putting it in the place of the V in slavery, it makes people associate NIKE with slavery. The protesting pictures, were to show that people are trying to stop human trafficking and forced labor. Also it shows what viewers could do as an individual to help, which is make people aware. The very last picture is to state that people can and should not be treated like property. The black and white color makes the feeling more sad. While the angle for the camera is going down on the little girl makes her seem more small and innocent. The viewers are suppose to feel bad for the little girl and want to help her. The words act like a final message for the whole video.

The classical music piece Moonlight Sonata is defined as a sad song. It was an easy fit for such a serious and depressing topic. The slow pace makes the audience very calm and aware of the pictures. The timing of some of the pictures was purposefully placed with the music to give off a more dramatic affect. The timing of how long the picture stayed on the screen also had to do with the video. If the pictures were zooming in fast and changing slides every two seconds, the feel would be much more hectic. The slow movements of the pictures with the slow paced music together give off a sort of melancholy affect. The song is all played on the piano, which is a very somber type of instrument, which can give off very loud dramatic effects or slow sad paced ones. The entire song was being played with very low drawn out notes, this causes the mood to become very dark and serious.

Blog #5 Modes of Discourse

2010-12-06T16:26:00.000-08:00

Comparison and Contrast: Although DWI and DUI sound very familiar and are based on the same saying, don't drink and drive, they are two different things. A DWI is when you are Driving While under the Influence, meaning your under the influence of not just alcohol but could also be drugs or other things. A DWI stands for Driving While Intoxicated, this means your were operating your vehicle and were totally drunk doing it. Even though there are some differences between the two both will make you end up with high fines and might even end in a arrest.

Example: My mother always told me, " Do good now, the good karma will come back.". As following the belief of the Buddhist culture, many people believe that if you do good deeds for others, that in time that it will come back as repay you in more then full. With good karma, there is also a association with bad karma. It is said that if you do wrongful doing to someone or something, it will eventually come back and haunt you. Whether you believe this or not, there always seems to be good things happening to good people or the other way around.

Classification: There are three different main types of Volcanoes. The cinder cone, the shield volcano and the strato volcano. The first volcano, the cinder cone, is very small and its height is less than 300m high. The materials, like the name is made up of cinder, and the eruption type is explosive. The second volcano, the shield volcano is a large gentle slope volcano measuring about 10s of kms across. The material is fluid lava flow and the eruption type is quiet. The last volcano type is the strato volcano. This volcano had a gentle lower slope with a steep upper slope and concave upward. It is one of the largest with 1-10 km in diameter. Also its materials consist of numerous layers of lava and pyroclastics and has an explosive eruption.

Division of Analysis: Shampoo is not just some sticky liquid you pour onto your head every day. There is a large spectrum of shampoo's that you can use to help your specific hair type. One kind is a dry shampoo, which is a powder that you brush into your hair and back out. It does not really clean, but for those who can not shampoo it will do the trick. Another kind is baby shampoo, this one is for baby use only, it is meant for a small amount of fine hair, this would not work on a grown adults head. If you have ever color treated your hair then you most likely use a color treated shampoo. This shampoo has rich moisturizers and protein to return water to the shaft of your head. The most basic shampoo however is the daily use shampoo. This is a very gentle shampoo and has low amounts of cleansers and usually contains conditioners.

Cause and Effect: The law is put into place because without one our world would be in total and under chaos. Some of the laws may seem pointless, but there is a reason they are there, to protect all of us. If there were no laws, then just think, everyone could do whatever they wanted. There would be no balance or order. Crimes would be committed on daily bases. With the making of the laws, it gives people freedom to a certain extent. This way you still can express yourself, but within certain boundaries.

Definition: Love is an intense feeling of affection. Almost all humans beings have felt love at some point in their life. Whether it comes from parents, siblings, or a partner. You do not only have to love people, you can love whatever you want. It could be a certain style of music or food or movie, whatever you want. One of the first feelings of love come from a mother to its child, the child feels a immediate attachment to the mother while still in the womb. People can start to love someone over time, love grows in people and after the love grows enough in certain people, they call this falling in love with someone.

Argument: The coca cola company first came out with the original flavor, coca cola in the red bottle. Over the years the company has come out with many more flavors, but one has tended to stand above them all. Diet coke was first introduced and people went crazy over it. It had the same great coca cola taste, but with no sugars or calories. Many people stuck with the original flavor, but many transferred over to the diet version. The classic flavor has 97 calories per serving, the diet has zero. So why go for all the extra sugar and carbs when you can have the same refreshing taste, with zero amount of the guilt.

Process Analysis: The first few steps on how to properly straighten your hair go accordingly. First make sure that your hair is totally dry, unless of course you have a straightener that can flat iron damp hair. Take a ponytail holder and take every layer of your hair except the bottom part, and put it in a ponytail. Begin to straighten each bottom section of your hair until you have gone through the whole layer. Then take another layer out of the ponytail, and put the remaining layers back up in the ponytail. Start to straighten the second layer on top of the first. Continue doing this until you no longer have any layers or your hair is straightened to your satisfaction.

Narration: My first job ever was at a dry cleaners. As a 15 year old girl I was willing to take any job I could get, money was money. But after about 3 months of working at Ivy Cleaners, I started to realize how crappy the job really was. I was getting paid minimum wage and taken advantage of because I could never saw "no", when my co-workers would ask me to cover their shifts. Finally, after about a year of working there I decided enough was enough and I handed in my two weeks notice slip.

Description: As the elk ran through the forest their eyes bounced all around looking for any signs of danger. The cool due covered ground below their feet. The light breeze blowing surrounding every one of them. Stopping only to take a drink from the stream near by. As the elk lowered their heads to the crisp cool water, of in the distance they heard a loud crack. Freezing with the sudden sound almost all at once the pack took off, continuing till they felt safe again.

Blog #4 Confused

2010-11-17T18:11:00.000-08:00

Airports can be a confusing place for anyone, especially for a terrified 7 year old girl. I had always traveled with my parents, that was easy. My dad knew where all the gates were by heart, my mom always held my hand making sure I never fell behind. We would mostly travel to visit my grandparents twice a year. That didn't seem like enough for my grandparents.
My grandparents live down south in Marietta, Georgia, and my family and I visit as much as we can. But one year, when I was about 7, my parents decided that my grandparents needed to see me more, so they shipped me down there for a week all by myself. I was young and didn't mind it, I love my grandparents. But the one thing I didn't like about the situation was that I had to fly on a airplane all alone.
Ever since I saw the movie Castaway with my mom, I was terrified of getting onto airplanes without my parents. So you can imagine that I was a little more then nervous getting ready for my first plane ride alone. Not only was I nervous but once I got to the airport I had no idea what the heck I was suppose to do. I had never done this on my own, it was all so complicated to me. Checking my bags and going through airport security was like a foreign language to me.
But of course their was a lovely flight attendant that was suppose to help me around the airport. Please note the word, suppose. Instead of holding my hand while walking me through the crowded terminal she said "Stay close, or your on your own." I had always thought that flight attendant were nice ladies that brought you soda. Not anymore, my view had forever changed with this one mean lady. And on top of that, I of course did not stay close and through all the masses of people I got very lost and very confused. So as my little 7 year old self stood their trying to figure out what do, I guess the flight attendant realized that I was missing, and called airport security to come and find me.
While all this was happening I decided to just walk through some of the shops and just wait for the "lovely" flight attendant to find me again. Eventually after some time I got bored of waiting and walked around the many gates getting ready to board. After awhile, I started to get worried because I couldn't recognize anything around me. I tried to walk back to where I got lost in the first place but I just kept confusing myself more and more. I had no idea what to do, I thought I was going to get in trouble or something, so I didn't want to ask for help from anyone working at the airport.
It got to the point where I had no idea where I was and I was so desperate to get out of the airport, that I finally stopped aimlessly walking around and asked what I should do. This lady brought me to the front desk of some terminal and security guards came down and walked me to my proper gate where that lovely flight attendant was waiting for me with this fake smile. All she did was express very unemotionally how happy she was that I was all right. All I cared about was that I was getting out of that airport. The flight attendant walked me to my gate, while watching me very carefully. I was so relived when I sat down on those uncomfortable chairs waiting for people to start boarding. After the announcement was made I jumped up and at once I realized that I had to get onto a plane all alone. The fear started to set in, but at least I wasn't confused about it.

Blog #3. Sometime when I was confused.

2010-10-24T15:18:00.000-07:00

When it comes to being a confused person, I'm your girl. I mix up so many things numerous times a day, and it is quite annoying. I hate it, because a lot of the time when I do get confused I get dragged into the "dumb blonde" stereotype. I honestly do not try to act stupid or not listen, I guess I just can not focus as well as some people. Take my friends telling me directions when I am driving somewhere. They will say take your next left and for some odd reason i take my next right. It can get very complicated sometimes driving with me. But I still try my best not to get obnoxiously confused all the time. But the absolute worst time that I had ever gotten confused was when I flew by myself on a plane for the first time.
So my grandparents live down south in Marietta, Georgia, and my family and I always go and see them at least twice a year. But one year, when I was about 7, my parents decided that my grandparents needed to see me more, so they shipped me down their for a week all by myself. I was young and didn't mind it, I love my grandparents. But the one thing I didn't like about the situation was that I had to fly on a airplane all alone.
Ever since I saw the movie Castaway with my mom, I was terrified of getting onto airplanes without my mom or dad. So you can imagine that I was a little more then nervous getting ready for my first plane ride alone. Not only was I nervous but once I got to the airport I had no idea what the heck I was suppose to do. I had never done this on my own, it was all so complicated to me. Checking my bags and going through airport security was like a foreign language to me.
But of course their was a lovely flight attendant that was suppose to help me around the airport. Please note the word, suppose. Instead of holding my hand while walking me through the crowded terminal she said " Stay close, or your on your own. " And of course I did not stay close and through all the masses of people, I got very lost and very confused on what I was suppose to be doing. So as my little 7 year old self stood their trying to figure out what do, I guess the flight attendant realized that I was missing, and called airport security to come and find me.
While all this was happening I decided to just walk through some of the shops and just wait for the lovely flight attendant to find me again. Eventually after some time I got bored of waiting and walked around the many gates getting ready to board their passengers. After awhile I started to get worried because I couldn't recognize anything around me. I tried to walk back where I got lost in the first place but I just kept confusing myself more and more. I had no idea what to do, I thought I was going to get in trouble or something like that, so I didn't want to ask for help from anyone working at the airport.
It got to the point where I had no idea where I was and I was so desperate to get out of the airport, that I finally stopped aimlessly walking around and asked what I should do. This lady brought me to the front desk of some terminal and security guards came down and walked me to my proper gate where that lovely flight attendant was waiting for me with this fake smile. All she did was express very unemotionally how happy she was that I was all right. All I cared about was that I was getting out of that airport. But as soon as I realized that, I realized that I had to get onto a plane all alone. The fear started to set in, but at least I wasn't confused about it.

Blog #2 Something that I think is funny.

2010-10-07T13:32:00.001-07:00

I laugh constantly through out the day, whether it be at home, school, or even work. So it is easy to say that I find things very funny a lot of the time. But something that just always cracks me up no matter what the situation is, is when my dog, Rudy, tries to catch live flies with his mouth in the window. This may sound like something very stupid to think is funny, but once you see his little head going in figure eight's trying to track the fly, you can't help but laugh at it.
This is how the situation usually goes down, my dog Rudy will be sitting in front of the sliding glass window door, just waiting for flies. He won't move a muscle, just sit and wait. Then finally once a fly come's buzzing over to the window, Rudy gets ready for the attack. Now Rudy is a Papillon, which is a very small, long haired dog, so Rudy can not jump all that high. So he must wait for the fly to come down to his level, and once the fly becomes low enough Rudy takes his chances and literally pounces at the fly. Just watching this process happen is funny enough, but then you need to remember that all this is taking place facing a glass sliding door. So what most likely happens is that Rudy will pounce at the fly, miss the fly, and go head first into the sliding glass door. If not hitting the glass once wasn't funny enough, Rudy acts like he didn't even hit anything, and continues this process over and over again.
Watching Rudy try to catch fly's, pounce, and hit his head all at the same time can make anyone fall over laughing, especially me. But the question is why do I think this is funny. I mean I'm watching my dog make himself look like a mindless animal while hitting himself in the process. When you break it down to what is really happening, what Rudy is doing is not all that funny. He tries to catch the fly because it is most likely related to his animal instincts coming into play. And he pounces at it trying to catch it. And maybe the reason he keeps hitting his head on the glass door over and over again without any hesitation, is because he has some serious disability where he can not register what he is doing wrong. And because of that he is considered to be a little dim witted for a dog. But who knows, maybe Rudy just likes chasing fly's, maybe he just doesn't care enough about not hitting the door, and is too focused on trying to catch the fly again. Who knows what is going on in his mind to want to do that. I would never really be able to tell you which is correct but Rudy seems happy with what he is doing and I sure get a good kick out of it.
But why would I think any of this is funny. The denotation of funny is attempting to amuse (someone). That would be considered a clown or comedian or a entertainer of some sorts, not my 3 year old dog hitting his head constantly against a window. I think I should credit my sense of humor to all the cartoon shows that I watched as a little kid. There were always talking animals on the shows that would do dim-witted things. I guess it was just the norm for me at the time, being a young kid, to think that kind of stuff was really funny and after a few years that type of humor become part of what I think is funny.
I think I can contribute what I think is funny, to how I was brought up as well. My mom cracks up right next to me as Rudy is doing this. I most likely got my sense of humor from her. Though not everyone will think my dog Rudy watching intently as fly's buzz by and then him crashing into a window, to be funny. And that's ok, because for the time being I don't need those certain people's approval to think its funny. And so, I will stay perfectly entertained with my dogs dimwittedness.

#1 The Benefits of Writing

2010-09-13T09:05:00.000-07:00

#1 I believe that writing is a great way for people to remember things. If you write it down you have to think about what you are writing, and that way you have a better chance of remembering what you were writing instead of just saying it over and over again. I do this when studying for a test, it is way to study and remember the material.
Before the world had telephones and computers and all that technology, people had to write to one another to communicate. The only way someone would be able to talk to someone far away was if he or she knew how to write a letter. Writing helped many people, before communication technologically came into play. Deals were made through writing, husbands and wife's wrote love letters to each other. Writing use to and still is sometimes the main way people talked to each other.
Also for many teenage girls, a diary is a great way for them to vent over all the major drama in their life.This way they have a way to vent out all of their emotions on paper, in secret. Writing lets you express your feelings in a more secure and personal way. If someone is not an outgoing person when it comes to talking out loud, they could be an amazing writing. Because they can get everything there keeping inside out, onto paper. Some of the greatest writers expressed their deepest emotions in their books. Writing was extremely personal for them, but they still got their feelings and beliefs out.
Some of the school benefits for writing is the note taking process. If I were to not write down a single thing during the entire class period I would lose a lot of useful information about the class. For one I would not have any notes to study for the tests, I wouldn't write down my homework for the night so I would have no clue what to do. Like I said above to, writing things down help me remember them better. That way during class when I am learning something new, writing it insures that much more that I will remember it later that night while doing homework.
The only way we would ever know anything about our past is from textbooks and written down facts about the world before our time. If the people in the 1600's didn't write anything down, we would have no idea what those people at that time looked like, what they ate, how they dressed or anything. The whole world benefited from writing because today we now know what did actually happen in history and we learn from that. Without writing, history would hardly be known.
Another benefit of writing consist of the more you do it, the better you get at it. It is a known fact that the more you do something the more familiar you get with it. So the clear and easiest way to become a better writer is to just write more.

Top 5 Euro

2010-05-26T19:52:00.000-07:00

Well hey, this is my first blog other then the Harry Potter one (class assignment). I haven't been able to make it to all of the meetings, because of work, but even if i don't show it i am so pumped for this Europe trip. Below our my top five reason's I am excited for Europe.
1. This will be my first trip outside of the country. I've done the yearly family road trip and such, yes I've been on plane. But a totally different continent trip I've never done. I grew up moving around so I like seeing new places and different ways of life. I love to travel and this will also be my first trip without my parents ha.
2. Second reason, I'm almost done with World History and all term I've been learning about all these amazing artist and monuments, and now I can actually experience some of the things I learned about. I get to see the Eiffel tour in person not just in my textbook. I can not wait to see all the history in these places where wars, and revolutions happened and being where kings and queens once lived.
3. The shopping, yes I know Mrs. Decker said not to write that much about it, but come on. Its Europe, you can't not talk about the shopping. I am going to have a party in all the french department stores. Also seeing how they dress in Europe will be really fun to compare to American style's. I plan on coming home with a whole new wardrobe if possible.
4. I get bragging rights with my friends! All of my friends are not going anywhere this summer for vacation and here I am going to Europe! They say they wished they would have signed up for the trip and all I can do is agree with them. They are all asking me to bring them presents back and take lots of pictures and of course I will. Who isn't going to go to Europe and not bring amazing memories back to share.
5. Meeting all the awesome people going on the trip. At the meeting's I have gone too, everyone seems really cool and down to earth. Also the teachers are hilarious and its going to be so much fun touring all around Europe with them. I really came into this trip not knowing anyone else going at all so I was a little scared. I am one of the two Sophomores going. I am extremly excited to get to know all of you guys on the trip, we're going to have a great timre going! June 14th needs to come sooner!
Thanks for reading(:

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Harry Potter Banned From Schools

2009-10-11T14:18:00.000-07:00

Harry Potter has been banned from many parts of the US and the UK, and been criticized by many reading associations, all based on the whole plot of the book. The plot tells kids who read the book that it is ok to break the rules and get rewarded for it. In some religions, that do not believe in witchcraft, the book goes against everything that the churches have taught the children who attend. Also many parents that have read the book believe that it may be too dark and scary for the age group that usually reads the books. A school teacher agrued that the book could alter the child's future and make the child a much more dark or depressed person , becasue of all the death and destruction thats included in the book.

The Harry Potter books have been acussed of setting bad examples for children, by the way that Harry lies and sneaks his way out of situations at his school. It could teach children that lying to teachers and doing what they think is best could always reward them in the end. This was causing a major problem at a Christian School in Kent, England. The head teacher was saying how the bible said that you should not associate with any type of witchcraft and how the readings might confuse the children what they were being taught.

I feel that the Harry Potter books do not need to be banned, because children do understand that it is a fictional book and is not real. The books are very long and most children reading them are much older than a little child that could be easily made to think that magic is real, and the older children do know the difference between real and fake and that includes magic. Although Harry and his friends do break the rules of their school, they usually do it for a good cause and not just for their own enjoyment. Over, all I feel that Harry Potter is a better role model for kids then some of the other characters portrayed in the book. As far as the book being too scary, studies have shown that reading about death and destruction can somehow help kids be able to cope with it, if needed, in reality. The first time I ever read the Harry Potter books I loved them, it makes you feel as if you are in another world, as if to get away from reality for a bit. The books never made me want to become a witch or sneak off into the night to go make potions in the bathroom. Harry Potter was just a good read for me and made me use my imagination. I do not think there is any reason to ban the Harry Potter books, because most kids can tell the difference between real and fake and Harry Potter is just another made up kids book.

Question To Discuss: Do you think that if a child were to read the Harry Potter book's, that it would make the child look at life situations differently?