*~ bLoG XI ~ *

Angelina Jolie as 2008 President

Angelina Jolie would make a suitable president for 2008 because of many factors. She is self-determined, head strong, and an achiever. She is successful in everything that she puts her mind to from becoming an actress to a popular superstar to a heroine. For five years now Angelina has dedicated herself as a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. And they didn’t call her but she called them for the support. She has visited many international countries and donated much to them such as $1 to Afganistan. In September 2006 Jolie announced the founding of the Jolie/Pitt Foundation which made initial donations to Global Action for Children and Doctors Without Borders of $1 million each. Donating money to the needy is not enough for Jolie to consider herself helping out; she adopts three children from three different countries and shelter and love them as her own. She is capable of doing all this herself and still able to keep her own life together with Brad Pitt. With three kids adopted, she also gave birth to a daughter. Therefore, Angelina Jolie would make a great U.S. president for next year because of her ability to focus not only her life but also the world and be successful in them.

*~ bLoG X ~*

Strong Response: Darwin's God


I agree with Robin Henig for three reasons. First, the Darwin theory. Second, people believe in God more back than then now because of brain development. Lastly, eventhough we are here on earth does not really mean we have a purpose eternally. To think about it, people back than uses God to explain everything that happens like how Zeus create thunder and lightening or how apollo creates night and day. As we know today that it's science that create the changes. Our brains have developed and advanced over time and therefore there are atheists out there now who contradict the idea of God. We are more advanced now than before; therefore we think deeply than, as before, just accept what our culture provided to us. We all learned science and have been exposed to the idea that we evolved from monkeys. Science has proven this to be true through biology and how genes have come about. Darwin explains more clearly of evolution- selctive reproduction, survival of the fittest, and population thinking. From that idea maybe we ought to reconsider our existence on earth.

*~ bLoG IX ~*

Night At The Museum

"Night At The Museum," is a friendly, pro-family film that anyone would be able to enjoy. The movie is about a Ben Stiller trying to find a job to make money in order for him to be able to continue seeing his son. When he finally found a job, to his surprise, it was not an ordinary one. His position was supposed to be a night guard in a museum, but after one night he found out that his position was more than that. Instead, he has to guard the museum when everything comes to live and also has to protect his own life.

This movie interests me for it is a totally different story from the rest. For instance, most horror films have the same basic theme like a huanted house but just with different characters and lines. Most family movies have family issues to solve towards the end. This movie has a family issue with Stiller needing money but it is not the theme of the movie. The theme is actually for Stiller to make a difference, saving the museum and making his son proud.

*~ bLog IIX ~*

Vietnam the Ally

As most would know, the US and Vietnam were at war in 1975. This is the period when no Viet can be trusted. However, the trauma is slowly fading as time passes by. Many US enemies during the war are not working together with the Americans. One former Viet Cong Nguyen Thanh Trung, for example, is now the head chief of the Vietnam Airline and is proudly announcing his first entrance to the US airport. Another former enemy Ton-Nu-Thi-Ninh is now a member of the National Assembly and vice-chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee; "For a country [like Vietnam] that wants to escape from poverty... to build its place in the sun, in peace, this is the opportunity of centuries, of millennia and we've got to grab it" she said. Henry Nguyen is a former US enemy's son, who was raised in the US, is now investing in Vietnam. He said,"Vietnam... doesn't want too much influence from China and, at the same time, tries to balance out with the US and vice-versa." With Vietnam and the United States letting go of the past and start over is economically beneficial for both countries. Vietnam is economically advancing quickly, such as the the rapid growing American food industry like Mcdonald's, Taco Bell, Popeyes, and etc. that have been spreading. Other US influences are fashion, broadcasting, etc. Likewise, the US is also improving economically by Vietnam is advancing by a different thinking.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/crossing_continents/5169638.stm

*~ bLoG VII ~*

Art Response

The art piece called "Hector and Andromache" was painted in oil on a canvas in 1918 by Giorgio de Chirico. This painting caught my eyes because of the the bright neutral multi-colors and shapes that the artist used. Not to mention, the two figures in such graceful gesture also something that interested me. The picture shown above was actually painted in 1917, which is not the finished one. The one that I witnessed had more bright but not gloomy colors like that one and had more details. When I first viewed the art piece, I saw the two figures first. Their gesture seemed to be gracefully and romantically leaning against one another as if they were in love. As I looked more, I noticed that there were two buildings that were on either side of them. These buildings were quite different in stucture,designs, and colors. Therefore, I concluded that Chirico must intended to capture a love scene of two different people from two different worlds like the story of "Romeo and Juliet." After a short research, I found out that "Hector and Andromache" were actually characters from the story The Iliad by Homer. Mainly, the story about those two were about Hector had to leave for war, leaving his wife Andromache and his son back. This artwork is defined as a surreal piece, which means to "disrupt our normal way of seeing things by accessing images that lurk in our subconsciouness" (handout). I also found out that a famous artist, who appreciated Chirico's artwork, is Picasso. He is known for his "cubism" artwork, which is "An art style developed in 1908 by Picasso and Braque whereby the artist breaks down the natural forms of the subjects into geometric shapes and creates a new kind of pictorial space. In contrast to traditional painting styles where the perspective of subjects is fixed and complete, cubist work can portray the subject from multiple perspectives" (www.lithokrome.com/s-47-glossary.aspx). This would explain the reasons for Chirico's choice of art; he wanted to capture the love scene of "Hector and Andromache" but also wanted for his viewers to see deeper into the scene than the general idea that everyone has at first instinct; that is why he used the cubism method for his surreal piece.

*~ bLoG V ~*

World Crisis

Italy currently is in a volcanic alert in the island of Stromboli. This volcano has been active for about 2,ooo years already and now it is starting to spread its lava. The last eruption in 2002 caused a tsunami. Although, this situation is life threatening, however, there is no evacuation.

This is a situation where I believe America should react and send people over for aid. The president should send people over to Italy and announce an immediate evacuation because if not than it might be too late once the lava really spreads in the island and it might also cause another tsunami.

We, as the role model nation, should not only inform the evacuation but also to let the Italians be sheltered in our sheltered homes because the last thing we want to know is our ally dying from liquid fire and drowning to death.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6401701.stm

*~ bLog IV ~*

Movie Review

WHERE THE HEART IS

Sometimes, we are touched most by a simple story well told; such is offered by "Where the Heart Is". Natalie Portman plays Novalee Nation is pregnant in the movie. In a world of confusion and cynicism where young women are so often brought down by pregnancies , Novalee achieves her success by her head-strong and determination with an innocence that seeks the best for people around her. Everyone she knows, even those who have betrayed her, are touched. Novalee, however, does not view herself the same way as others. In her own being, she is full of doubt about her worth.

Novalee leaves Tennessee in an old car with her handsome, white trash boyfriend (Willy Jack played by Dylan Bruno) on a trek to California. They are, however, not going to Hollywood or the beach, but are headed for Bakersfield, a central California farm town. The thought of living with Novalee and taking responsibility for the child are just too much for Willy Jack. He abandons Novalee at a Wal-Mart in Oklahoma. In order to survive, she stays in the store every night. James Frain ,Novalee’s friend Forney is a librarian who has to take care of his mentally disturbed sister. He takes part in Novalee's life by smashing through the plate glass window of the Wal-Mart in order to get Novalee to the hospital to deliver her baby, Americus. The critical element of the story is for Novalee and Forney to find a deeper love for each other, but they have to communicate and overcome their lack of self-confidence since they are good friends.

"Where the Heart is" is not a fairy tale. It comes from the heart of a white, trailer trash, unwed teen mother who ultimately transforms her life and that of others by the purity of love and innocence that conquers cynicism.