windsandsun's Xanga

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Tue, 20 May 2008 23:50:12 GMT

update coming soon... =)

Friday, March 07, 2008

Fri, 07 Mar 2008 09:37:33 GMT

Masks, Reality, Expression, Screens: Things that David Foster Wallace chooses to educate the reader about through his story in Little Expressionless Animals.

Author: Christine (yes, that's me)

“Stares straight ahead,” (3), “her face hangs loosely,” (3), “everything about her is sort of permeable,” (13), “Julie sits staring at herself in the harsh makeup mirror… her face loose and expressionless,” (17), “’I continue to worry about my smile. That it’s starting to maybe be a tired smile. Which is not an inviting smile, which is professionally worrying,’” (19), “the faces remind you of the carved faces of pumpkins,” (35). David Foster Wallace’s short story, Little Expressionless Animals, is a story that is engrossed in how people’s expressions are given and received Julie’s struggles with her own dislike of blank and loose faces that hold no expression at all and her love for Faye is when her face is in motion, “That’s when I love you… is when your face moves into expression,” (41).

Expression plays a key role in television as seen in “JEOPARDY!” Television images are invested with human features, therefore indicate a blur of the boundary between images and real things. But this blur has a more philosophical side to it: as television images become more humanized, real human beings are increasingly treated only as objects that we watch. Wallace has many examples in the story but one that is most intriguing is when Dee is watching and conversing with the television. Julie and Faye watch her through the remote viewer in Faye’s office, and by doing so, turn Dee into an object that is just watched and discussed, not treated like a human in suffering. Julie tells Faye, "It's mean to watch her like this," (9) Julie senses that by spying on Dee they somehow have reduced her of her individual features.

Another passage in the story discusses screens and how people view things through them. While trying to come up with stories as to why Faye is a lesbian, an idea about a college boy who gradually turns his girlfriend into an aesthetic object comes up. He makes her diet or gain weight, exercise, and supervises her haircuts and make-overs. During the night he watches her naked body lifting weights in his room. Finally, he watches her from outside his window. He has literally put a screen between him and his girlfriend, and thereby turned her one step further into an object. Yet, there remains some form of exchange between them because he can see her and she can see him and then is broken the moment he invites his friends to stare at her too. This imitates a TV-like situation; a gaping crowd outside and a dehumanized body inside. The exchange between the girl and her boyfriend is now only one-way. He can still see her, but she cannot distinguish him anymore in the midst of the faces outside, which remind her of carved pumpkins whose faces do not move in expressions but stay in one, like a mask.

Masks play a key role to Julie and her struggle with people who choose to wear them. Julie explains time and time again that when a person puts on this mask there are no holes to grab onto, “Tell them there are no holes for your fingers in the masks of men. Tell them how could you ever even hope to love what you can’t grab onto,” (32). When people put their masks on they separate themselves from reality. Television stars often do this to allow for a more agreeable (or disagreeable, whatever the stage calls for) character and therefore hide their own true character in exchange for the more acceptable one. In Trebek’s case his smile plays a key role in his performance on JEOPARDY! “I continue to worry about my smile… that it’s not an inviting smile… which is professionally worrying,” (19).He is in constant worry about his appearance and makes sure that he is always inviting and friendly to the crowds who in return that only see his “expressions” and base his “character” off of those. The crowd still views him as an object but they need to be engrossed in the object(s) so they won’t turn off the television. “’I’m just glad he’s on the inside of the set, and I’m on the outside and I can turn him off whenever I want,’” (31).

Julie sometimes slips into a loose or expressionless face, especially when she is on air with JEOPARDY! This is an odd case because usually audiences don’t like expressionless people on stage. They eventually conclude that, “her expression, brightly serene, radiates a sort of oneness with the board’s data,” (17). Given no character they assume one for her and love her for it. She is a mystery to them and they want to learn more. Wearing the mask during taping she then takes it off when the cameras stop rolling. Tears spill out of her eyes and she becomes human again with real emotions, not just some robot-like person who can spit out almost every answer that JEOPARDY! throws are her. Trebek makes an observation about her smile that troubled him because her smile breaks him out of his own fake reality behind his mask and realizes the reality outside of it. “Odd girl. Something odd about her. When she smiled things got too bright, too focused. It took the fun out of it, somehow,” (21). By smiling with so much emotion people could tell she was not wearing a mask and accepted reality at that moment. It was trouble especially at a place where people needed to wear the masks to obtain higher ratings from the viewers.

Julie’s dislike for expressionless faces stems from her being abandoned by her mother near a cow. “Tell them the cow stood there all day, chewing at something it had swallowed long ago, and looking at you…the cow’s face had no expression on it… it stood there all day, looking at you with a big face that had no expression… A cow watches you, standing, the same way it watches anything,” (40). While this may seem a bit extreme, the reader must put themselves in Julie’s shoes when she was a child. Her mother left her and her autistic brother standing in a field with their hands on a fence post all day. She told them she would come back for them, she never did. Children tend to associate things with emotions or situations and in this situation the cow stood there while the children suffered, indifferent to their situation. While looking for something to reach out to and be comforted by, Julie was met with an expressionless animal who continued to watch her as it would anything.

With so many references to expression and the stress that is associated with it, it is no wonder that people choose to put masks on and not deal with the reality of their emotions or character. Expression plays a large part in society and everything that people do. It allows some to climb the corporate ladder and others to fall down it or people to be loved by the crowd or hated by the crowd. People revolve around their emotions, how they can hide or express them and the effects it has on others. Little Expressionless Animals shows the reader this and allows them to examine his or her own mask and true reality.

Thursday, February 28, 2008

Thu, 28 Feb 2008 12:50:05 GMT

I like math, I always thought it to be amusing but I never thought I would put it to good use until yesterday.... There I was, innocently drawing some pattern in my art class when I found myself without a protractor and in need of a 90* angle!!! Thankfully I was supplied with a compass and remembering my geometry professor's wise words about how to construct such an angle I carefully applied the correct circles and marks and came out with a perfect 90* angle.

Latest news however... I took up Muay Thai and Kali/FMA this month. Its been amazing and I've come along with my bag work, punching/elbows/knees/kicking. The teaching style is different then my ninjistu class but I still enjoy it.. Also three of the guys in my Dojo got promoted to black belts! Which is amazing, they totally deserve it. Hopefully I'll be there someday.

School's going well... although I should be studying for my statistics test right now... I really hope I don't get slaughtered... :gulp: And spring break is going to be uber amazing because Nick is coming out! I've got alot planned to show him how amazing CO is. And of course we're going skiing... I just haven't been in quite a while and I hope I don't biff... :cross fingers:

Ok.. back to studying... I really need to update this thing more. lol.

Blessings!

CloverField

Mon, 21 Jan 2008 11:17:53 GMT

So I went out to watch this movie with an open mind. I wasn't expecting anything, just saw a preview once and needed to pick a movie because I was going out with a friend and I'd seen the other good ones.

Now I think since I went with an open mind and wasn't expecting anything it was fairly good. The way they shot the movie was a bit awkward at first and I found myself tilting my head to make up for the video camera angles at times, lol. It was a great way to bring out the story though.

The beginning was a bit slow but set up some background stuff for the characters of it. I think they chose some interesting people and they all did a good job.

It’s not a movie I'd watch over and over again but it was decent and I'm glad I saw it on the big screen because that helped with the camera views.

Anyway, I'd give this 3.5 out of 5 stars. 5 out of 5 stars for their awesome advertising.

New Year Resolutions

Tue, 01 Jan 2008 14:29:08 GMT

A comment to someone I have recently had the privilege of talking to.

I do not mean that everyday is nothing to celebrate. I am saying just the opposite. Sorry if it came out differently. I guess to rephrase it… I am not against New Years’ celebrations because as you said, it is an American tradition. I just dislike how many people wait for the New Years to make their “Resolutions.” I believe that if someone truly wants to change they should not wait for the “New Year.” I believe that each day can hold as much promise as a new year. “The journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.” I see a New Year as a thousand mile journey and the days as a single step. Especially since I have to take many many steps to get that far as such are the days with the year.

I think many people set themselves up to fail with the New Year’s resolutions because they are thinking about the thousand miles first and not the steps like it should be. “There is no sudden leap into the stratosphere. There is only advancing step by step, slowly and tortuously, up the pyramid towards your goals.” (Ben Stein) “Great results cannot be achieved at once; and we must be satisfied to advance in life as we walk step by step.” (Samuel Smiles)

Each day holds new promises as well and if people live life one step at a time their change is stronger because they have taken the chance to build each step well. A house with a foundation of sand will fall much quicker then a house with a foundation of rock. (Reference to Matthew 7:24-27 but not with the Christian application.) You have to start with a good foundation before you can build a good house.

Lol. Ok so my argument is still not totally thought through but that’s my two cents. I’m just kind of writing this on the fly and flow of my thought. Which isn’t always a good thing. Lol.

I guess on the flip side as well it helps many people to look at the horizon more then just each step. “Never look down to test the ground before taking your next step; only those who keep their eye fixed on the far horizon will find their right road.” (Dag Hammarskjold) They can get miffed if they think of the many steps a thousand miles takes or the 365 day obstacle course they have to live through to complete 1 year. “The heights charm us, but the steps do not; with the mountain in our view we love to walk to plains.” (Johann Wolfgang von Goethe)

~Christine~

“Everyday is a new opportunity. You can build on yesterday’s success or put is failures behind and start over again. That’s the way life is, with a new game everyday, and that’s the way baseball is.” (Bob Feller)

Monday, December 10, 2007

Mon, 10 Dec 2007 17:57:58 GMT

So pretty sure life is kinda confusing right now. Lots of emotions about different people, lots of thoughts on religion, who I want to be, who I was, what others want me to be. Bla. Can make a girl crazy. Wish I could just shut off my emotions for a week... or forever. That'd be good.... or not. I don't wanna be a psychopath. =/ I really just need to go lose myself in the wilderness for a week, forget about people, my life and reclear my head. I'm not suppose to feel this way near Christmas!! Maybe its just finals getting to my head and lack of sleep... I'll ATTRIBUTE it to that. ()

Friday, November 30, 2007

Fri, 30 Nov 2007 11:48:49 GMT

So I was getting sick of my old layout. what's new? ha. The last one didn't have some of the main features I wanted and I'm not savvy enough to change them. So another update.

Life is good. Busy with finals and all but pretty decent (except being kinda sick. I'm fighting it back... I think i'm winning.. lol. we'll see). Sad this semester is coming to an end but the next one should be pretty awesome. Finished a thesis paper last night on criminals... ooh. maybe i'll just post that on here.. =) if you want my references just ask but i'm not going to post them on here. and no plagerizing!!

BORN TO BE A CRIMINAL?

Written by Christine

The statement 'are criminals born, or made?' is wide reaching and still the subject of many debates. Beginning over a hundred years ago in the late 18th century social and criminal anthropologists began to wonder at the causes of criminality and delinquency and set about to investigate. Most theorists at the time believed that it had to be a deep-rooted trait and an innate tendency. Over the years that followed, many other sociologists and psychologists have tried to decipher this complicated question, some staying on the side of biological causes, and some looking further into environmental causes. Does the chubby baby with the toothless smile have the genes to be a ruthless serial killer? What motivated such crazy psychotic killers such as Jeffery Dahmer, Ted Dundy or Andrew Kehoe? Is it strictly genes? Could personal experience in development make somebody a criminal?

People are in fact, not born criminals and do have a ‘choice’ when they grow up. The environment and personal experiences can change what people’s genetics can bring out in them. It can certainly be shown that modern studies and theories are much more in favor of environmental causes of criminality, causes that can be controlled and repressed. Heredity may predispose temperament differences (Emde and others, 1992; Gabbay, 1992; Robinson and others, 1992.). However, people can be brought up to control those temperaments. A study involving monkeys has proven that monkeys are able to change what their genetics predispose them to a point. In this study there are the bold monkeys and the timid monkeys. A very young timid monkey is taken away from its mother and given to a bold sergeant mother to raise. After a time experiments are done to show the young monkey’s changed behavior to boldness. However, the monkey still possesses its timidness but not to its previous extreme extent. “People with identical genes but differing experiences… have similar though not identical minds.”

Looking at another angle; people who are genetically inclined to be ‘accepted’ by society and show no extreme temperate genes could be shaped by their environment to have criminal behaviors. According to the 1996 Youth Gang Survey, after adjusting for the number of gang members reported in every jurisdiction, the makeup of minority nationwide memberships is 86%. The minorities make up the majority of the lower class and therefore are exposed to a community in a state of anomie. By the social structure theory these people are more prone to crime.

In this paper, studies and other theories will be brought together to show that it is a mixture of both genetics and environment that makes a criminal.

The theory of heredity has been traced back as far as the Old Testament. However, the first systematic efforts to identify biological causes of crime can be traced back to Franz Joseph Gall (1758-1828) who presented Phrenology as a causation of criminal behavior. Phrenology is a study based on the outmoded idea that a person’s mental faculties are indicated by the shape of his or her skull. In all theories of crime, the question of what factors are responsible for people who seem to be criminals from an early age has intimidated great thinkers for thousands of years. Physiognomists believe that a person’s character can be ascertained from external appearance. Phrenologists taught that a the brain consists of many different faculties each governing an aspect of human behavior and thus contributed greatly to the early 19th Century beliefs of criminality being a mental illness. Degeneration theory was brought about by the Phrenologists view that people can induce criminal activity by over eating, drinking and sex. Cesare Lombroso put forth yet another theory of crime: criminal anthropology.

Anthropological criminology is a field of offender profiling, based on perceived links between the nature of a crime and the personality or physical appearance of the offender. The term criminal anthropology is generally reserved for the works of the Italian school of criminology of the late 19th century with Cesare Lombroso, Enrico Ferri, and Raffaele Garofalo. Lombroso thought that criminals were born with inferior physiological differences which were detectable. He popularized the notion of "born criminal" and thought that criminality was a hereditary disposition. His central idea was to locate crime completely within the individual and utterly divorce it from the surrounding social conditions and structures. A founder of the Positivist school of criminology, Lombroso hereby opposed social positivism developed by the Chicago school and environmental criminology. He believed criminals were biological degenerates or throwback to primitive genetic forms, referring to them as homo deliquens. The physiognomist Johann Kaspar Lavater (1741-1801) was one of the first to suggest a link between facial figures and crime. Franz Joseph Gall then developed in 1810 his work on craniology, in which he alleged that crime was one of the behaviors organically controlled by a specific area of the brain. The philosopher Jacob Fries (1773–1843) also suggested a link between crime and physical appearance when he published a criminal anthropology handbook in 1820.

In a study to determine biological factors involving the gene that encodes the brain enzyme monoamine oxidase A (MAOA), it is found that genetics can have an effect. The MAOA gene is located on the X chromosome, and the enzyme it produces breaks down important neurotransmitters such as serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine, rendering them inactive. These neurotransmitters control mood, aggression, and pleasure. Earlier studies have linked genetic deficiencies in MAOA activity to increased aggression in mice and humans. Subjects with low MAOA activity seem to react much more strongly to stress than those with high activity.

Researchers at the University of Wisconsin looked at a cohort of 442 males from New Zealand whose lives had been followed from birth to age 26. Genotype analysis found 279 subjects had high MAOA activity and 163 had low activity. The researchers also considered whether the subjects had experienced abuse as children. By age 11, 36 percent had suffered either "severe maltreatment" (8 percent) or "probable maltreatment" (28 percent).

Subjects who both suffered abuse and carried the low-activity MAOA gene were nine times as likely as the rest of the study group to engage in antisocial behavior such as persistent fighting, bullying, lying, stealing, or disobeying rules in adolescence. They accounted for only 12 percent of the subjects but 44 percent of the study group's convictions for violent crime.

The results were even starker for the subjects who had suffered the most serious abuse. "As adults, 85 percent of the severely maltreated children who also had the gene for low MAOA activity developed antisocial outcomes, such as violent criminal behavior," said Terrie Moffitt, one of the lead researchers.

Even in this group, some subjects were not antisocial, showing that genetics contain higher risks and not predestination. Subjects who carried the low-activity version of the MAOA gene and who were not abused were no more likely to engage in antisocial behavior than those carrying the high-activity version. Conversely, subjects who had been abused but who carried the high-activity version of the MAOA gene were no more likely to engage in antisocial behavior than those who had suffered no abuse at all.

Females receive two X chromosomes, which means they have a much greater chance of getting at least one high-activity version of the MAOA gene. This may partially explain why women are less prone to violent and criminal behavior. For example, only 15 percent of people arrested in the United States for violent crimes are women.

What are the social implications of this study? One can imagine criminal defense attorneys arguing that their clients are not guilty because "their genes made them do it." In the United State’s psychotherapy-obsessed culture, this sort of strategy--trying to absolve people of responsibility by attributing their behavior to their genes, their environment, or some combination of the two--is not exactly novel. How often does one hear from death penalty opponents that a murderer must be crazy, since no normal person would commit such a heinous crime?

Clearly, theories can go only so far down the slippery slope of genetic absolution. Knowing that one will be held responsible for criminal acts inhibits the antisocial impulses that people harbor from time to time. Just as the balance of brain chemicals can be modified by childhood maltreatment, it can be tempered by social institutions. Criminals are punished not just out of vengeance but also to deter others

Minority youths tend to be disproportionately involved in violent criminality in terms of arrest and detention. However, white youths account for more then half of juvenile arrests for crimes of violence each year. Neighborhood circumstances have been shown in a number of studies to be related to the onset and continuation of juvenile violence. These neighborhoods are characterized by poverty, family disruption, high crime rate, a high rate of racial and ethnic minorities, high stress levels, single-parent families, family violence, weak economic opportunities and other factors. If someone is introduced to violence early, has aggressive behavior, likes risk taking, belongs to a dysfunctional family, has trouble with school and antisocial behavior they have a higher risk of becoming a criminal. Some of these factors are genetics but can be easily altered with a correct social setting that promotes social norms and acceptance/love of the person.

Social control theories argue that all individuals have the potential and opportunity to perpetrate delinquent or criminal offenses, but most refrain from such because of fear and social constraints. This perspective explains juvenile delinquency as a reflection of inadequate external social control and internalized social values for some youths, creating a freedom in which delinquent conduct may occur. Control theorists are not as concerned with what motivates youths to deviate from the norm as with the social institutions that create conditions favorable to either violating the laws or refraining from doing so. Social control theories seek to explain the patterns of delinquent behavior by identifying those social situations in which the ties are weakest and sanctions are least likely to be experienced subjectively.

Another theory is the social bonding theory that was put forth by Travis Hirschi (1969). It makes a point that social bonds tie people to social order. This social bond is made up of four components: attachment to family and peers, commitment to social conformity, involvement in legitimate activates and belief/attitude towards conformity. According to Hirschi, the less an individual believes he or she should conform to social convention, the more likely the individual is to not conform or become antisocial. This theory can be true in some cases but usually falls short in accounting for the variance in the frequency of delinquent offenses.

Minorities make up the majority of the lower class and are exposed to a community in a state of anomie. By this it is meant that the goals of this group are changed from culturally prescribed goals to a different set of goals that can be are achieved with no consideration of institutional means of attainment. In 1976, blacks comprised 11.5 percent of the American population, but 31.3 percent of them were also classified as poor. Of course minorities are shaped by their environment to commit crimes, some need to do so to provide for their family or they grew up in such a culture that didn’t care (anomie). It is crucial to understand why poor minorities are responsible for so much crime. Mark Twain once observed, “There is no distinctly native American criminal class except Congress,” which has few black members.

On July 12, 1993, in Oklahoma, fifteen year old Herman Dutton and his twelve year old brother, James, used a deer rifle to shoot to death their abusive father while he slept. Brought up in an abusive family these boys were unable to stand up for themselves physically. They, like most people, did the only thing they knew to do in order to survive, kill or be killed. Genetics does not play an important role in this case like the environment does. If the boys did not feel threatened they probably would not have killed their father.

People are in fact, not born criminals and do have a ‘choice’ when they grow up. Genetics contain higher risks for criminality and not predestination as the MAOA study showed through antisocial behavior. Heredity may predispose temperaments on people but through their environment people have a choice of change. “People with identical genes but differing experiences… have similar though not identical minds.”

So there you have it. My two cents.

Sunday, November 11, 2007

Sun, 11 Nov 2007 00:48:40 GMT

As I was reminded by Trent, , it is time for me to update. lets see..

Well, the Rockies lost.. big time.. oh well, there's always next year. School is going well, my grades are still up and those that aren't where I want them to be are coming up to! So that's always good. My dad and I went to Moab for a 25 mile endurance race which was AMAZINGLY BEAUTIFUL!!!! www.moabendurance.com Dad and I hooked up with a friend from our NATRC rides (competitive trail rides... wiki it ) and she was so helpful! THANKS OLGA!! We kept behind the lead pack the first 7 miles and we were moving at a decent pace. Well where the vet check was suspose to be we didn't see it so olga, dad and i just stayed at the watering hole while the other riders wandered around looking for someone. Well come to find out the lady at the jeep we passed by and said hello to was our vet and she was just doing a visual check. go figure. so Olga, dad and I left.. and guess what. heck yeah. we were the new leaders of the pack of 40-50 riders in a race!! whoot whoot! It only lasted for another 5 miles or so. We were going through some rocky/sandy terrain and perfered sound and healthy horses when we got back to camp. We were still in 3rd-5th place and were quite a bit ahead but we missed a ribbion turn and ended going up an extra half mile and back a half mile so it was a mile detour sticking us back to 6th-8th place. That's how we finished. Olga took 6th leading the way then entire time and being such a great leader she deserved it! Cloudy dropped her pulse very quickly below a 60 (in order to finish in a 25 mile race your horse has to 'pulse down' below 60. in 50 or above miles its just first one across the finish line.. 25 miles is considered 'limited distance'. HA!) So she finished ahead of my dad's horse Chico who took another min. to pulse down and recieved 8th place. I'm so proud of my little girl! She was every bit of a lady and did exactly what I asked her to. The years of hard work paid off and I can't tell you how proud I am of her. 7th place first time endurance ride out of 45 ish riders is awesome beyond awesomeness. My poor dad insisted on wearing jeans while he rides so he was chaffed and all his leg hairs were rubbed off. ouch.

Other then that not much else, still working 2 jobs and going to school. I watched "Sicko" by Michael Moore tonight. It was very moving even if some of his cases were tipped to his favor. I encourage anyone who reads this to see it. Watch it was a careful ear but it really opens up one's mind about healthcare. I for one give standing applause to Mr. Moore for doing an amazing job even if I don't agree with all of his views.

Well, there's my update.. I'll try to give a better one next time soon.

Thursday, October 18, 2007

Thu, 18 Oct 2007 01:48:11 GMT

!!!

Saturday, October 06, 2007

Sat, 06 Oct 2007 22:42:54 GMT

Hey everyone! Life is great right now, busy but not stressfully so. I'm working two jobs, one as a waitress and one at Kohl's and I'm having fun at both. I'm taking 15 credtis at Mesa State College and am enjoying every min of it. I'm taking Health and Wellness, Swimming (yes, a swimming class!!), Gen. Psychology, Anatomy and Physiology Lab, A&P Lecture, Astronomy and Intro To Criminal Justice. I'm in the top of my classes and the professors are fantastic. We're disecting a cat in my lab class which is kinda creepy but I'm learning alot. The nice thing here is that there isn't a big midterms week, the past 5 weeks I've had a test a week and have 2 tests this coming week and one the week after so i'm forced to stay ontop of my learning which is great.
I've been riding my horse alot. My dad and I did a Competitive Trial Ride in NM (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Competitive_trail_riding ) and we're planning on doing two endurance rides these next few months too. I won my Lightweight Novice division, my horse won her Lightweight Novice as well. Combined we won the whole Novice category... Beating my dad. :-X lol. But dad and Chico did win Novice Heavyweight. The whole time teasing Open that we're going to join them next year and beat them too. lol. The one later this fall may be 50 miles or 25, depending on how we feel and the other one will be 25 miles in Moab. It'll be beautiful. I'm very excited. Well that's it for now. Take Care.

~Christine