Courtship

Bowerbirds

In Biology, for the past few weeks, we have been learning about intraspecific relationships in animals. Intra-specific relationships are interactions among organisms of the same species. An example of this is courtship. Courtship can be described as mate-selection rituals. Animal courtship may involve complicated dances or touching, vocalisations, visual displays of beauty or fighting prowess or via chemical production. Courtship rituals are species specific. Even closely related species have different courtship behaviours. This ensures that energy is not wasted on interspecific mating. Generally, the male of the species initiates the courtship and the female selects the male based on his performance. Performing a display allows the male to present his traits or abilities to a female, allowing her to select the best mate in terms of strength, size, plumage etc. An example of courtship in animal is making bowers in bowerbird. Bowerbirds craft nest-like structures known as bowers, and decorate them with attention-getting items. During the mating season, females are attracted to males that build bowers because these structures provide them protection. The most elaborately decorated bower took more energy and resourcefulness of the male bird, suggesting a greater 'fitness' as a potential mate. This male is more likely to at least qualify food and nest resources and have an increased chance of reproductive success and therefore past those best genes in the next generation

 

hehe enjoy this video 

The Fairness or Justice Approach

For the past few days, in health, we have been learning about ethical approaches. Today, we constructed a hero using a playdoh using our ethical issue. We chose the fairness or justice approach. 

The Fairness (or Justice) Approach states "Treat people the same unless there are morally relevant differences between them." 

• Fair and equitable distribution of good and harm, and/or the social benefits and and social costs, across people in society.

• Fairness requires consistency in the way people are treated. 

• The principle states: TO BE FAIR TO ALL (is ethical) - Social Justice = to be ethical the outcome needs to be fair, inclusive and non-discriminatory.

This is our hero called 'Koro'. Our hero Koro demonstrate a judge. A judge looks at the evidence and reasoning of both people present in the court fairly. The judge's job is to serve justice by rendering a fair impartial decision on the issue.

Potatools :)

We've been learning about hominins for a few weeks now: habit,  skeletal features, diet, and so on. This week, we learned about the stone tools that were used during the evolution of bipedalism, when the freeing of the hands allowed them to make and use simple tools. These tools enabled our forefathers to gain access to protein-rich food sources.

Today, we made these tools using just potatoes and a knife.

(DRAFT) Connections - Klara and the Sun and Blade Runner 2049

What connections can you draw so far between Klara and the Sun and Blade Runner 2049? For example: themes/ideas, characters, relationships, style, etc?

• Genetic Editing: The main and foremost connection between Klara and the Sun and Blade Runner 2049 is genetic editing. In Klara and the Sun, the term "lifted" exists where kids are genetically edited to enhance their intelligence such as Josie. Similarly, in Blade runner 2049, genetic editing also exists where humans are genetically engineered known as "replicants" such as Officer K.
• Discrimination: In both text, a distinction is clearly set  between humans being and those who are genetically edited. In Klara and the sun, kids who are "lifted" are seen as superior compared to those who aren't - they are  more intelligent. In contrast, in Blade Runner, replicants are inferior as they are not normal like other human beings - they do dangerous jobs, they are known as 'slaves'.
• Dystopian/Environmental Decay: Both living worlds are set in the future where they rely more on gadgets/inventions. In the world of Klara and the sun, many citizen face pollution which is caused by the "Cooting's machine" that entirely blocks the sun's rays. In comparison, Blade Runner 2049 reveals a dystopian world caused between the conflict of humans and replicants.
• Personhood: In both texts, the theme of personhood is clearly explored. This links to Officer K and Klara where they are both not technically 'humans' (as they are edited/A.I) but personhood due to their experience with humans.

Has your understanding of what it means to be human/have personhood changed since studying these texts? 

• So far, no. From my understanding, to be human/have personhood, you need to have awareness and have the ability to personally respond to your own surroundings (without instructed or being "edited" to be). 

Osmosis Experiment

In Biology, we are doing an osmosis experiment using a gummy bear. The Gummy bear has a selectively permeable coating that allows water molecules to pass through while blocking larger molecules. Water molecules move into the bear in this osmosis experiment, enlarging it. Using two beakers filled with the same amount water, we  placed three full spoons of sugar and salt on the other. We also had another beaker with the same amount of water with nothing on it.  After we added solute in, we placed gummy bears on each three different beaker.

What is Osmosis? Osmosis is the movement of water molecules from a region high concentration to a region of low concentration. The water molecules move across a semi-permeable membrane. 

Hypothesis:

Normal Water: I predict that the gummy bear will increase as it's hyper-tonic to water - gummy bear has a high concentration of sugar than water.

Salt Water: I predict that the gummy bear will decrease as it's hypo-tonic to water - salt water has a higher concentration of solute compared to the concentration of the gummy bear.

Sugar Water: I predict that the gummy bear will stay the same as both sugar particles are present between the solute and solvent(iso-tonic). However, I predict that it'll increase a bit since I think the sugar in the water has a higher concentration than the gummy bear.

Results 

(red  = normal water)

(yellow = sugar water)

(white = salt water)

As a result, my hypothesis were correct. The gummy bear in the normal water increased as it's hyper-tonic to water. In contrast, the gummy bear in the salt water decreased as it's hypo-tonic to the (salt) water. Interestingly, the gummy bear in the sugar water increased a bit as it's hypo-tonic to the (sugar) water.

gummy gummy!!

SEXXY Paragraph Practice

Brief: In English, we started practicing writing SEXXY paragraphs for our film study. We we're given the scene where K arrives home to based it in our own (practice) paragraph. Below is the one I wrote :)

Movie: Blade Runner 2049

Movie Definition
Replicants - Genetically engineered humans that are not a robot but artificial beings used for slave labour and difficult/dangerous jobs.

Statement: In the scene where K comes home to his apartment, we see the aspect of two shot combined with body language effectively.

Evidence: In this scene, Joi receives an 'emanator' as her anniversary gift from K that lets her move freely. With this gift, she is able to go anywhere without the device she's programmed in(a projector-like in K's apartment that lets her move around). To try this out, both K and Joi stepped outside—on their apartment’s rooftop—finally letting Joi outside and feel the rain. We see the use of these two aspects when K and Joi were captured in the same frame while trying to feel each other’s touch. 

Explanation of director’s purpose: The purpose of this was to depict both Joi and K’s emotional reactions in one shot. In this case, the longing feeling of gratitude they felt for each other. To express this, the director purposely combined this aspect(two shot) with body language where K puts his hand on Joi’s head while she digs her head deep in his neck showing affection. 

Explanation of effect on audience: This helps us understand that Joi was more than an object(AI) to K. She was a person and he treated her as such. This also meant that K was beginning to develop emotions and grow as a character.

Link: These aspects also worked effectively with the use of back-lighting where two silhouettes(K and Joi’s) were created to produce a dramatic effect as they stood in the rain.

As a theme, this is also important because we get to learn that artificial beings(they are considered so in the movie) have learned to love and have affection for each other just as how meaningful human interactions are.  

Unfamiliar text ll Text #3

Text 3 - "The Cellist of Sarajevo"

By: Steven Galloway

1. Define 3 words you do not know

Charred - burnt and blackened
Besieged - (a place) surrounded by armed forces aiming to capture it or force surrender
Inviolable - never to be broken, infringed or dishonored  

2. Identify 3 examples of emotive language (words or phrases that evoke some kind of emotion in the reader)

"He would very much like to feel his father's hand on his shoulder again."

"The war will go around him as he sits in the small crater left at the mortar's point of impact. He'll play Albinoni's Adagio. He''ll do this every for twenty-two days, a day for each person killed."

"It wasn't always like this."

3. What is the tone of the excerpt (author’s attitude towards what he is writing about) and what mood does this suggest (overall feeling of the text)?

- a melancholic mood

4. Identify an example of imagery from the passage (when something is described in vivid detail, making it easy to imagine) and explain its effect on the reader. How effective do you find it?

"It screamed downward, splitting air and sky without effort. A target expanded in size, bought into focus by time and velocity. There was a moment before impact that was the last instant of things at they were. Then the visible world exploded." As a reader, this example of imagery definitely made me feel somewhat hopeless. Just imagining a missile darting from the sky while going on about your day made me realized there are things that sneaks up on us that we would never expect. I find this language feature very effective from its diction to the combinations of words to create a vivid picture.

5. Personal reflections

This excerpt gives a dark flow yet a hear-warming feeling. It's incredibly amazing how the cellist commemorate for the dead during the midst of war. 

Wet & Dry Media - 1.2 Practical Art 90914

In art, I have been currently working on my Wet and Dry media internal. In the slideshow below, I've included all things that I have done as well as a brief explanation about it.

Checklist

Learning Reflection

What was the best lesson and why? According to my memory, I don't think there was any best lesson except for the lessons when we play games. 

What did you enjoy doing and why? When we play games (charades and Kahoot) because it's fun. 

What was one task you were proud of and why? I am proud of all the tasks that I have done especially getting credits from it.

What is something you could do differently / better next term? More motivation!!

Plan: Panel Two

This is a rough layout for my panel two. I'm not quite sure yet about the thumbnail sketch that I drew(except for the big buildings on the side) as well as the layout because my mind might change later. 

Modes of Persuasion

Ethos is a technique for persuading an audience by relying on the authority or credibility of the persuader. An example of this is John Kasich's 2016 Ohio primary victory speech. 

"And you know, ladies and gentlemen, my whole life has been about trying to create a climate of opportunity for people.

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You know, as my father carried that mail on his back and his after was a coal miner, and you know, I was just told by my cousin—I didn't realize this—that my mother, one of four [children], was the only one to graduate from high school. The other three barely made it out of the eighth grade because they were poor.

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And you know, as I've traveled the country and I look into your eyes... You want to believe that your children are going to have ultimately a better America than what we got from our mothers and fathers. That's the great American legacy: that our kids will be better than we are. 

- In this speech, Kasich intends to emphasize that he is "just an ordinary American" and that he will advocate for other hardworking  Americans by stating that he comes from a humble background.

Pathos is a persuasive speech technique that appeals to the audience's emotions. Pathos is a method of persuasion that involves evoking an emotional response from the audience. When trying to persuade an audience, you can use pathos by appealing to their hopes and dreams or appealing to their emotions. An example of this is Ronald Reagan's 1987 "Tear Down This Wall" speech.

"Behind me stands a wall that encircles the free sectors of this city, part of a vast system of barriers that divides the entire continent of Europe...Yet it is here in Berlin where the wall emerges most clearly...Every man is a Berliner, forced to look upon a scar...

General Secretary Gorbachev, if you seek peace, if you seek prosperity for the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, if you seek liberalization: Come here to this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!"

-- By referring to the Wall as a "scar", Reagan evokes outrage from his audience. "Every man is a Berliner", he tells the audience, assuring Germans that the rest of the world is concerned about the city's issues. Finally, he exclaims and rejuvenates the audience by daring Soviet Union President Mikhail Gorbachev to "bring down this wall!".  

Logos is another type of technique that convinces an audience by using logic and reason. Logos is a useful tool of persuasion because your audience is more likely to be persuaded if you can 'prove' your argument through logic and facts. This can be done using statistics, facts, and charts. An example of this is from a speech of Barack Obama's 2015 State of the Union Address.

"But tonight, we turn the page. Tonight, after a breakthrough year for America, our economy is growing and creating jobs at the fastest pace since 1999. Our unemployment rate is now lower than it was before the financial crisis. More of our kids are graduating than ever before. More of our people are insured than ever before. And we are as free from the grip of foreign oil as we’ve been in almost 30 years."

- In this example, Obama talks about historical precedent and economic data from previous years to support his claim that the country's economy is in a good shape. 

1) What are we doing? We are learning about Pathos, Ethos, and Logos by finding their definition as well as some of their examples.

2) Why are we doing it? So we have an idea where to use them in our upcoming persuasive writing

3) What questions do I have? Nothing in particular.

School Outing

 A short opinion piece on whether or not a school outing should be educational or enjoyable... or both

A school outing should be educational as well as enjoyable because if it's going to be just educational, the learning can be just done at school. It should be enjoyable since it's outside of school(most learning at school is boring - students have to sit down and listen). Also, if the school outing is educational and enjoyable, the students can actually learn easily while having fun. If it's just educational, it might be hard for the students to learn since it might bore them. 

My goal to relieve stress

One thing I would do to relieve stress is to get more sleep. I don't have a problem sleeping early since I do it most of the time. Although, the issue that I'm facing right now is waking up too early. From time to time, I would get up around 2:50 am and stay until 4. However, due to this, I wake up late, which means I have less time to do things. For instance, making breakfast for my siblings and cleaning up. For me to relieve stress, my goal is to get at least 7-8 hours so I have more time to get ready in the morning as well as having the motivation to do my work at school. 

AS 90913: Tracey Tawhiao Subversion - Blog Post 5

Summation/Conclusion

What connections can you make between the two Artists Kaupapa and uses of the grid?

Kaupapa: Tracey Tawhiao's Kaupapa is about her Maori culture. She shows this by painting subversive Maori symbols in newspapers and leaving out text she wants to convey to the viewer. Unlike Tawhiao, De Chirico Kaupapa is around “infinity, loneliness, time, mystery and enigma, deserted streets, silent squares dominated by equestrian monuments as if a shadow had been cast on them, statues that embody suspense and waiting, omens, clairvoyant eyes, and figures cloaked in black looking thoughtfully towards the horizon” (translated from “De Chirico”, Giunti, Florence, 1988). 

Source from: Italian Ways

Uses of the grid: For Tawhiao's artwork, she uses newspapers. Since it has thin grids along with it, she uses it to separate parts of her work. On top of them, she outlines its surroundings to make the grids more visible. De Chirico, an Italian artist, also uses grids(but it's less visible ) but also focuses on perspectival shifts.

Artwork's name: "Amazon"

This is an example of Tracey Tawhiao's Artwork using grids from the newspaper as well as outlining each part with different colours: red, blue, indigo, pink and grey.

Artwork's name: "Piazza d'Italia"

This is an example of De Chirico's Artwork using grids and perspective.

Series and Sequences

In Art, we have been focusing on planning out our portfolio boards. To help us out, our teacher gave us a past (excellence) portfolio and we had to label the things that make it relate to the folio as a whole. 

Photography

In art, we have been looking at different photographers and their styles of work. The artist I have chosen is Rinko Kawauchi. Her style of work contains scenery and daily life moments. During one lesson, I took some photos and edited them using photoshop. I tried to replicate her style as I edited them, but I also mixed it with mine. 

These are some of her photographs

These are mine that I took and edited

(With editing, I didn't do much because I wanted to keep the originality of the photo. I only edited a few things such as their contrast, clarity and highlights.)

Theme: Environment/nature

Instead of just taking literal pictures of the environment(to link with my kaupapa), I used 

the idea of the sun causing a shadow, which is why I took this picture.

Film Aspects DLO

What and how are we learning?

WALT: Analyse how film aspects over-the-shoulder, POV, dutch angle, and insert shot show meaning. 
Success Criteria: I can explain why and how over-the-shoulder, dutch angle, establishing, and insert shot are used to show meaning in film.

Why are we learning it?

To develop more knowledge and to help us understand their purpose in the film.

How did it go?

It went quite well and I was able to learn more film aspects that I didn't know before.

Work in Film Aspects by Faith Pavia

AS 90913: Tracey Tawhiao Subversion - Blog Post 4

Surrealist Techniques: Subversive Realism 

Locate one artwork - Quick thumbnail label everything.

                     Reference

Yves Tanguy, Mama! Papa is wounded!, 1927, oil on canvas

                  Thumbnail     

Describe the artwork

This artwork has a flat grey-ish colour(gloomy desert background) along with a bit of blue on top as an exposure of the sky. In the foreground, a strange "shaggy" stick stands bending a bit to the right. Behind it, a big dark cloud looms over. On its lowest section, there are two small-scaled blue clouds. In between these clouds, a T-like letter with rounded corners stands with its shadow.

In the rest of the painting, the repetition of beans floating can be seen, along with their shadows on the surface. One is located on the dark cloud behind the shaggy stick and the other is located bottom midway of the painting. The repetition of grey short-stroke figures can also be perceived with a web-like line connecting them all together. This line then leads to a cactus. On the cactus' side, two strange white forms can be detected: one floating and the other lying down. Above the cactus, three bean-shaped objects are attached while hovering in the sky. 

Two strange objects stand next to each other on the far rear side of the painting: one is a white squiggly line and the other is shaped like the top part of a cotton bud. If you take a closer at the white squiggly object, little particles can be seen flying away from it.

Explain how subversion is demonstrated in this artwork's subject. 

Statement from The Artist

'Several interpretations of the painting were made and some of it made references to the violence of First World War and highlighted the scary and anxiety mood. The Papa was represented by the standing figure of yellow color while the Mama was represented by the cactus. The child of the Mama and Papa was represented by the amorphous mass.'

- According to the quote I have used above, there were many interpretations of the painting, some of which alluded to the violence of the First World War. The objects that were used represents family members - Cactus(mother), Yellow figure(father), and amorphous figurine(child). From my own understanding, subversion is demonstrated through the representation of the objects undermining the effect of war on families - their separation. This explains why all the subjects used in the painting are separated in an unidentified way.

Giorgio de Chirico, The Mystery, and Melancholy of a street, 1914, oil on canvas (Private Collection)

Explain how subversion is demonstrated in the space and paint application used by De Chirico.

The narrow space in the painting shows subversion to feature the girl running in the bright light. The bold colours used in this piece illustrate the two divided zones: the lightness from the left side and the darkness from the right—to highlight the idea he's trying to express. 

What similarities can you list between Tawhiao and De Chirico's work?

One of the similarities between Tawhiao and De Chirico's work is the use of grids. However, De Chirico's grid is less visible and he combines it with the use of perspective. Another similarity between the two artists is the use of certain figures to emphasize their ideas. Tawhiao uses patterns whereas De Chirico uses statues and other unique things. 

AS 90913: Tracey Tawhiao Subversion - Blog Post 3

Subversion through recolonising? 

Sofia Minson -  listen, read the transcript and/or close captions, take notes, link the video.

- Sofia Minson's artworks are about myths, legends, and cosmology.

- She combines different cultures in her artwork.

- Her artworks are named after gods and goddesses such as Queen of Raa and Mother Mary.

- She wants people in her portrait to be seen as ancestors and deities speaking to the viewers.

Locate one artwork -Quick thumbnail label everything. 

                                Reference

Describe the artwork?

This artwork shows a waka(canoe) resting upon an empty shore. It has a gloomy background with a light shining in the middle.  

Does Minson's work show subversion? If so how? If not, why?

Minson's work does show subversion. This is shown through the message behind the artwork. According to its description, this artwork is about a lonely waka resting upon the shores of Aotearoa after a long journey. Minson is trying to bring the fact that Kupe and the Matahorua's crew's presence should be felt after they've abandoned their waka to explore a new land. If they didn't discover it in the first place, they wouldn't be able to come upon the unidentified place - referring to the discovery of New Zealand.

How does she use what exists already to 4 ideas?

"It's mainly the myths, the legends, the cosmology, of—that I get from my Maori Culture that really comes through. Then I sort of find links with Hinduism and Christianity and with Egyptian mythology and sort of love—you know, combining all those different cultures." -Sofia Minson(Interview)

- My understanding from this is that the things she uses that already exist (different cultures) help her create ideas for her artworks by combining and finding links in between them.  

What differences can you list between Minson and Tawhiao's work?

- Tawhiao uses text and Minson doesn't.

- Tawhiao uses grids to separate her work whereas Minson uses objects or patterns.

- Minson uses multiple cultures in her work, but Tawhiao only focuses on one (Maori culture).

- Tawhiao's work is mostly patterns. Unlike Tawhiao, Minson's work is about animals, nature, and landscape.

- Minson uses canvas for her artwork, but Tawhiao uses newspaper.

ESOL Reflection

In the past few weeks, we have been reading a book called "The River" by Gary Paulsen. The river is about a boy who spent 54 days surviving alone in the Canadian wilderness. A few years later, he was hired by a group of men to live in the woods again, so they can learn some survival techniques from him. There was another book before this story, but we didn't have the time to read. Instead, the teacher just read us a summary. 

What I like about this book is the fact that it teaches you some survival things such as making a fire using a flint and a hatchet. There's nothing I don't like about the story, but I quite find it boring sometimes. In the past few lessons, we have also been learning about the essay structure. I haven't really learned new things from it since I've already learnt it before. In the end, I would like to make a game to share my knowledge.