Magazine Exercise

Making a comparison between magazine of choice proved to be an eye opening experience. Essentially it seems that magazines are just a condensed version of one's interests. They take texts, images and other media from all different sources (i.e. books, Internet, culture, etc.) and cut them down to an easily digestible substance. It seems as though they are even more relevant in toady's society where the general public is more adjusted and thus wants a fast paced lifestyle. For instance, Andrew brought a copy of Hip Hop weekly. Not his particular favorite of narrative texts, yet it caters one particular interest and therefore proves to be a more useful source of information. For someone who is only interested in celebrity culture or the musical world it is much better. But then again, even though it is more convenient, is the use of magazines or any shortened text harmful to us? Perhaps it is better to do be faced with a little more sifting through information, like one might find in a newspaper. This way, they get both the articles they find most entertaining, but are still engaged in a broader world. It is possible that the more an individual becomes used to instant gratification, the more they are hindering themselves and as a result becoming isolated from the rest of the world. Regardless, it's only entertainment, right?

Seeing P.91 #1 

1. "A Matter of Scale" was an enchanting essay that was both entertaining and enlightening. Cole provokes so much thought about the effect of scale and perception which humans take for granted. The concept itself is quite captivating, but what especially caught my attention was the idea of how a beings size and lifespan can change the relevance of time. Cole notes the ideas of biologist Stephen Jay Gould that "small mammals tick fast, burn rapidly, and live for a short time; large mammals live long at a steady pace. Measured by their own internal clocks, mammals of different sizes tend to live for the same amount of time." When I began to grasp this fascinating idea an inner dialogue about religion manifested itself in my thoughts. Like any other person, I have had my own internal discussions about the existence of a god. I could never quite understand if there is a god that he could love every single person and be so involved in their lives when, because of his immortal existence, our lives are simply a quick flash in comparison to his. But then to be presented with the idea that I am in fact real, and that there are real living things that, in comparison to my life span, are a flash as well is a bit daunting. And even more intriguing is the relation that I as a human being have to these bacteria life forms. Cole paraphrases microbiologists Lynn Margulis and Dorian Sagans findings that "10 percent of our body weight consists of bacteria - most of which we couldn't live without." Thus not only are these once seemingly insignificant creatures real, but they are also vital to my own existence. Therefore it makes the idea of there actually being a compassionate and attentive god a bit more feasible to grasp.
Coles essay was non stop fascinating; every single part will most likely stick with me. However, the fact that it conjured up a fresh idea in my ongoing debate about what I believe in was even more remarkable to me. It's safe to say I very much enjoyed reading this.

2. The way Cole uses the ending quote has a very different purpose than the way she quotes and references other authors. Throughout the essay these external sources mostly serve as either evidence to support what she is saying in her essay, or they present a new and relevant idea that she comments and discusses there after. However quoting Schrödinger seemed to be less of a piece of evidence and more of a traditional conclusion method. It summarizes some of the ideas presented in the essay without being repetitive yet still leaves the audience with another idea to think about when the essay is complete. By doing this it accomplishes a great purpose of all essays, which is of course to keep the reader informed and thinking about a particular idea or string of ideas. I think it fit quite nicely at the end, especially due to the somewhat fanciful nature of the comparison between a "triangular circle" and a "winged lion."

Seeing #1 & #2, page 42

1. First, I would attempt to describe Peter Menzel's photographic portraits as objectively as possible. Each photograph depicts family members posing beside packages or groupings of food that are being displayed in the center. Each person is making direct eye contact with the camera and is undoubtably being posed and thus aware of the picture. Then, I would proceed into telling them the facts you could not mealy assume from looking at the picture. Each family is of different race, lives in a different place and has a very unique diet. These food choices both represent the people culturally as well as economically and vary in types of food, price of food, and also amount of food present.
For example, the food of the Mendoza Family of Guatemala present in the first picture represents the family's culture very well. The fruits and vegetables displayed represent a traditional lifestyle that is very rural. From my own perspective it is much more minimal than my family's weekly diet but they seem to be just as happy. To me, food is something I put in my body just to survive. I don't really put a lot of effort into my cooking and do not hold much value to the process of consuming food. But it seems as though food to this family is not only used to maintain a healthy lifestyle as referenced in D'Aluisio's summary, but it is also a bonding mechanism. The process it must take to make the food in contrast with my diet of easy cook meals most likely plays a large effect in the family's togetherness.

2. The photographs of the Fernandez Family of the United States and the Aboubakar Family of Chad are the easiest juxtaposition to make because there is so much contrast present between the food of the two families. The Fernandez family seems to represent the American eating lifestyle. They have a bounty of processed food big enough to fill their home and everyone's stomachs to the brim. The Aboubakar family on the other hand has very little, and what they do possess does not seem to obtain a great deal of substance. What is interesting about both of them is separately the represent very well the place where the family comes from. There are many stereotypical conclusions you can draw from each culture just based of the composition of the photograph. The background of both pictures represents the country and lifestyle well. However something the two pictures have in common is the essence of family. Despite the large differences in their meals, neither family looks very unhappy. They pose together, connected to each other. And since food is generally a large connector between people in a family, neither group is lacking that connection. This is something more beautiful or touching to be observed about the to pictures, and perhaps that is a message that Menzel and D'Aluisio were trying to convey with this project.