PORTFOLIO 20: "A feminist is a man or woman who..."

PORTFOLIO 20: "A feminist is a man or woman who..."

"A Woman on a Roof" by Doris Lessing 

 To read the short story click here: A Woman on a Roof.

Some important concepts:

• characters: men have names (Harry, Stanley and Tom), ages (45, 17), roles (workers)
• woman (no name) subverts the due image of women in patriarchal soceties (indiference & non-verbal communication)
• she makes no compromise to patriarchal society.
• woman shows her endowed power

Phenomenal Woman" by Maya Angelou

 Maya Angelous' s poem is considered a feminist one because of the use of words that describe women in the world. She affirms that women should not be in silent and women should be proud of themselves.

Maya Angelou's biography

Maya Angelou was a civil rights activist, poet and award-winning author known for her acclaimed 1969 memoir, 'I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings', and her numerous poetry and essay collections.

Who Was Maya Angelou?

Maya Angelou was an American author, actress, screenwriter, dancer, poet and civil rights activist best known for her 1969 memoir, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, which made literary history as the first nonfiction bestseller by an African American woman. Angelou received several honors throughout her career, including two NAACP Image Awards in the outstanding literary work (nonfiction) category, in 2005 and 2009. 

CHIMAMANDA NGOZI ADICHIE >>"We should all be Feminists" by Chimamanda Adichie.

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In this video Chimamanda defends women confidence and adresses them to be strong and not to believe that they are the weaker sex. Women are able to do the same as men do, she also talks about her experiences at school and her everyday life.

IN PROGRESS... 

St. I know that my entry is incomplete :/ sorry for that, at this time I feel exhausted that is not an excuse but I tried to do the best these two months. :)

About James Petras

James Petras is a Bartle Professor (Emeritus) of Sociology at Binghamton University, New York.

He is the author of more than 62 books published in 29 languages, and over 600 articles in professional journals, including the American Sociological Review, British Journal of Sociology, Social Research, and Journal of Peasant Studies. He has published over 2000 articles in nonprofessional journals such as the New York Times, the Guardian, the Nation, Christian Science Monitor, Foreign Policy, New Left Review, Partisan Review, TempsModerne, Le Monde Diplomatique, and his commentary is widely carried on the internet.

His publishers have included Random House, John Wiley, Westview, Routledge, Macmillan, Verso, Zed Books and Pluto Books. He is winner of the Career of Distinguished Service Award from the American Sociological Association’s Marxist Sociology Section, the Robert Kenny Award for Best Book, 2002, and the Best Dissertation, Western Political Science Association in 1968. His most recent titles include Unmasking Globalization: Imperialism of the Twenty-First Century (2001); co-author The Dynamics of Social Change in Latin America (2000), System in Crisis (2003), co-author Social Movements and State Power (2003), co-author Empire With Imperialism (2005), co-author)Multinationals on Trial (2006).

These are the key concepts of The Fall of the Berlin Wall and the Multiplication of Western Walls: 
NATO
Berlin Wall
Progressive Walls
Reactionary Walls

PORTFOLIO 18.2: WALLS OF DIFFERENT KINDS.

PORTFOLIO 18.2: WALLS OF DIFFERENT KINDS.

Along the reading about Walls, it shocked me the fact that when the Berlin Wall fell in 1989 there were only 16 bordier fences around the world. However, In the 21st century, the purpose of borders has changed leading to a surge in construction of bordier barriers that mark different economic, political and...

Click here to read the complete reflection ... Walls

PORTFOLIO 18.1: WALLS

PORTFOLIO 18.1: WALLS

"Don't ask me where I'm from, ask me where I am a local."

When someone asks you where you're from … do you sometimes not know how to answer? Writer Taiye Selasi speaks on behalf of "multi-local" people, who feel at home in the town where they grew up, the city they live now and maybe another place or two. "How can I come from a country?" she asks. "How can a human being come from a concept?"

The writer Taiye Selasi compares herself with Nike "a multinational brand" stating that she is not an object neither a concept. She establishes that she belongs to numerous places that she has been visiting ,and therefore she cannot be tied to a single country, her parents were born in countries which nowadays do not exist anymore. It can be said that the identity is the mixture of experiencies, Selasi affirms she is multi-local so she does not forget all the cities she has been before and now.  The writer proposes asking ourselves where are we local, she names the three Ts which imply rituals, relationships and restrictions, these are the steps we have to take into account to define our identity.

To my view, this point of gathering the experiences that you have lived is a good way to not to be attached to an unique concept, sharing moments with different people in your daily life. Then, people will be able to be open-minded in terms of cultures, values and stereotypes, and realized the fact that the country of origin does not define ourselves; in a way being local is the best option that we can choose to meet deeply foreigners, classmates, workmates and listen to each other stories. In my opinion, everyone has rituals, relationships and restrictions in other places. Last year I felt serene and relaxed when I went to Misiones, far away from the bustling Longchamps, people from there were so respectful and I could rest from the noisierand rushing daily routine.

"Don't ask me where I'm from, ask me where I am a local."

PORTFOLIO #18 WALLS

PORTFOLIO #18 WALLS

Sidewalls

Sidewalls is an Argentinian film that allows us to meditate on the fact that people who live in the large urban center feel miserable as they live in a constant rush; ignoring one each other ,inmersing in the technologies of nowadays and having the tendency to be insensitive and gloomy. In some cases this is true,people's expectations are somehow darkened by their experiences.Mariana and Martin, the main characters, are afraid of undergoing  friendships or relationships owing to their failure in love which made them lose their self-esteem and led them to the origin of their phobias. They exhibited guilt due to their couples had abandoned them, as a consequence Martin and Mariana developed an irrational fear (She was claustrophobic and he was a phobic of means of transport).
In my opinion, Sidewalls also reflects the negative aspects of dating;in fact, it is difficult to find a person with the same interests, way of thinking and dreams.The characters are frustated because of their sexual encounters , it will be assumed that they really crave a relationship, since the sense of loneliness and lack of love perpetuated their daily lives. Apart from this,both of them have something in common, they are dependant on their personal objects, it can be said that they make them their treasures ;even though they try to be in contact with strangers, they cannot afford it nor establishing a bond with people being happy neither.

TED has also included WALLS among its talks. Forget Wi-Fi , meet the new Li-Fi Internet by Harald Haas

Harald Haas demonstrates that it is possible to transmit a video from a standard off-the-shelf LED lamp to a solar cell with a laptop acting as a receiver, taking into account that there is no Wi-Fi involved, it is just light. Even though, there will be a massive extension of the Internet to close the digital device and also to allow for what we call "the Internet of things",leading to the connection of  tens of billions of devices to the Internet. Harald encourages the use of existing infrastructure like Li-fi or Light Fidelity to transmit data incredibly fast ;and also in a safe and secure manner due to this data is transported by the light and encoded in subtle changes of the brightness. There are so many LEDs around us , so there is a rich infrastructure of Li-Fi transmitters. Another way of using existing infrastructure to receive data from the Li-Fi lights are solar cells and solar panels. Solar cells absorb light and convert it into electrical energy, for that reason we can use a solar cell to charge our mobile phones.

Harald has discovered that fifty megabytes per second can be received from a standard off-the- shelf solar cell, and it is faster than most broadband connections in these days. In the video he explains and shows a lab demonstration of the process of using a new techonology, in that case he proves that the solar cell is able to decode and stream information. A solar cell has become a receiver for high-speed wireless signals encoded in light, while it maintains its primary function as an energy harvesting device, it could be said that it is possible to use existing solar cells on the roof of a hut to act as a broadband receiver from a laser station on a close by hill, or indeed, lamp post.

I am inclined to believe that this new technology will be useful in order to be aware of other types of receiving data information, We can access to Internet freely with something that it is everywhere and that is light spectrum.This methodology has been experimenting in order to decrease the potentially harmful electromagnetic pollution emitted by wireless internet routers, therefore we are protecting the environment and also access to Internet without paying, it can be said that Li-Fi will provide internet signals fast without interferences in a secure way.

PORTFOLIO 17. Arguments and Counterarguments: Capital Punishment.

PORTFOLIO 17. Arguments and Counterarguments: Capital Punishment.

Jeremy Irons gives arguments and counterarguments against death penalty. They will be developed in the following chart. 

For	Against
Some countries execute people who were under 18 years old when the crime was committed, others use the death penalty against people with mental and intellectual disabilities and several others apply the death penalty after unfair trials	Death penalty is not a deterrent of crime and it is irreversible.
A person who murders other one deserve to die. Any single person must be judged by his/her offends.	There are criminals who prefer to live outside of the rules that society sets. These individuals may never be rehabilitated. The death penalty completely eliminates that possibility from the equation
When someone commits a horrific crime capital punishment provides a safety net for the rest of the society. A sentence of death prevents that person from committing another horrific crime. It also reduces the influence that person would have on prison populations.	Death penalty abuses two of the most basic human rights. Everyone has the right to live and no one shall be subject to torture. Death penalty  tortures physically  by the brutal nature of execution and psychologically by forcing individuals to wait to be killed
Capital punishment laws create space for potential rehabilitation without dealing with issues of prison over-population.	It costs more to implement the death penalty than offer life in prison.

PORTFOLIO 16 & WRITING TERM TEST.

PORTFOLIO 16 & WRITING TERM TEST.

Some people think that some types of criminals should not go to prison. Instead they should do unpaid work in the community. To what extent do you agree?

Owing to the great variety of crimes that can be punishable by prison, some people argue that not all criminals are the same and it would therefore be more appropriate to give certain criminals community service instead. I agree that in some cases, prison may not be the best solution and community service would probably have more benefits.

One justification given for prisons is to keep society safe by removing criminals from the outside world. So the first thing to consider is if someone who has broken the law is a danger to other people. In the case of violent crime, there is an argument to keep the perpetrator away from society. However, burglary or possession of drugs, for example, does not involve violence against other people so the criminal does not present a direct danger to anyone in the community. Keeping these types of criminals in prison is expensive for the taxpayer and does not appear to be an effective punishment as they often commit the same crime again when they come out of prison.

Personally, I also believe punishments should reform people so they do not reoffend. A further reason not to put these people in prison is that they may mix with more dangerous and violent criminals, potentially committing a worse crime when they are released. By keeping them in the community, helping others, they not only learn new skills, but they could also develop more empathy and care towards others. If this occurs, society can only benefit.

Critics of this more rehabilitative approach to crime believe that justice should be harsh in order to deter people from committing similar crimes and that community service could be less likely to have that effect. However, there is very little evidence to suggest that long prison sentences deter criminals.

In conclusion, putting criminals who are not a danger to society in prison is expensive and, in my opinion, ineffective, both as a deterrent and as a form of rehabilitation. Community service for non-violent crimes benefits both society and the offender. That said, it would be useful to have more data to work out whether community service or prison is more likely to stop someone reoffending. I strongly believe that decisions on how best to deal with criminals should be based on evidence of what actually works.

Tips

1. Introduce your essay by restating the question in your own words.
2. If the essay asks you to what extent do you agree?, make your opinion clear throughout. You can either agree, partially agree or disagree with the statement, explaining and justifying your opinion.
3. The structure should be:

• Introduction
• The first reason why you agree/disagree
• The second reason why you agree/disagree
• The third reason why you agree/disagree (if you have one)
• Conclusion

      4. Use phrases to organise and link your ideas, e.g. Owing to … , One justification for … , The first thing to consider is … , A further reason … , In conclusion ... .
      5. If you do not have solid evidence for your ideas, use modal verbs such as might, may or could (e.g. they could develop more empathy and care) or other tentative phrases (e.g. it does not appear to be an effective punishment).
     6. Conclude by restating your opinion and summarising your two or three main arguments.

Jeremy Irons: Death penalty

Death penalty

Jeremy Irons talks about death penalty, he mentions some arguments and counter arguments against death penalty. His position is against Death penalty,he says that it is not a deterrent against the crime that it punishes and it also does not stop criminal chaos. Even though, it targets the economically disadvantage for those who cannot afford good legal councel, those without a voice in society, it can be assumed that it will help those societies
Nevertheless death penalty is irreversible, and results in the death of innocence when someone is dead a retrospective pardon is of little use to them or their family. Basically, it abuses two of the most basic human rights: everyone has the right to live and no one shall be subject to torture, they are applied to every single human being.Taking everything into consideration, it does not matter how terrible was the crime, everyone has the right to life.