Architecture Preview

Select 5 of the following buildings and do a google search on them. Find your favorite photo of each and post it on your blog. In addition, please do some research on the building itself.

Answer the following questions:

1. Who is the architect (the person who built it)?
Antoni Gaudi and Josep Maria Jujol
2. When was it built?
1910
3. Where is it located?
Barcelona Spain
4. Is it a private building or can you visit it?
You can go and visit it.
5. Is there information on how much it cost to build?
It cost about 500,000 pesetas to build.
6. Is there a reason the building was created or the history of the building itself?

7. Why did you pick this building? (write at least a paragraph on this question)
Here are the names of the buildings and the country they are located, remember pick 5 of these:

La Pedrera, Spain
Strong National Museum of Play, USA
Nautilus House, Mexico
Hundertwasserhaus (Forest Spiral, The Hundertwasser Building), Germany
Atomium, Belgium
Kunsthaus Graz, Austria
Kansas City Public Library, United States
Eden project, United Kingdom
National Centre for the Performing Arts, China
Burj Al Arab, Dubai, UAE
Sculptured House, USA
Turning Torso, Sweden
Nord LB building, Germany
Krzywy Domek (The Crooked House), Poland
The Longaberger Company (The Basket Building), United States
Habitat 67, Canada
Cubic Houses, Netherlands
Stone House, Guimarães, Portugal
The Ufo House, Taiwan
Guggenheim Museum, Spain

Nut Graff

       The Nut Graf is a lot like the thesis in writing. It is the lead sentence or paragraph explaining why the rest of the story is important. This is the beginning of the paper and it is what is seen first by the reader. It should contain the basic information that the story is based off of. This is what the reader will read to tell if they are interested in the rest of the story or not. It is like the summary or the main idea of the story.
     The Nut Graf's purpose is also to draw the reader into the story and to make them want to read it. Most Nut Grafs are a single paragraph in length. It gives the reader information that will later be taken into more detail and justification in the story where the statements and quotes are located.

News Values

1. Conflict
2. The article that I chose relates to the reason "conflict" because it is about a man who kindly offered money and wise words of help to young Muslims who were willing to fight in Syria and Somalia, or to cause trouble in Europe. This is a "conflict" because this man believed in harming others as he was part of an internet group who wrote helpful guides on how to fight and travel with ISIS. He has now been arrested.
3. A Brussels Mentor Who taught 'Gangster Islam' to the Young and Angry
4. http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/12/world/europe/a-brussels-mentor-who-taught-gangster-islam-to-the-young-and-angry.html?ref=world&_r=0

1. Impact
2. This article relates to the reason "impact" because the article is about a drought in Africa that greatly affects the people and economy around it. This article has an impact on it's audience because it makes people feel bad for the Africans who are having a hard time finding clean water to do their daily activities in a developing country.
3. Drought in Zambia Cuts Electricity and Cripples Economy
4. http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/13/world/africa/zambia-drought-climate-change-economy.html?ref=world

1. Timeliness
2. This article is considered "timeliness" because it is about the time efficient matter of a missing sailor who has to be found before he dies. There are most likely lots of updates on the search for this sailor since the search "continues" and is an article that is insignificant once the sailor is found.
3. Search Continues for Sailor Missing off N.C. Coast
4. http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2016/04/10/search-continues-sailor-missing-off-nc-coast/82870982/

1. Human Interest
2. This article relates to "human interest" because it is about an NFL star taking an autistic teen to prom which pulls at the emotional heart strings since the popular football player did it out of kindness. Having a disability is probably very hard and while many people see disabled people as different, the football star takes the time to make this disabled girl feel special.
3. NFL star Steve Smith Sr. to take autistic N.C. teen to prom
4. http://usatodayhss.com/2016/nfl-star-steve-smith-sr-to-take-autistic-n-c-teen-to-her-prom

1. Proximity
2. This article relates to

1. Novelty
2. This article relates to "novelty" because it is about the internet's obsession with food porn. The article talks about why it is so popular right now and why people are making such a big deal out of pictures of food.
3. A closer look at our generation's obsession with food porn
4.http://college.usatoday.com/2015/04/22/a-closer-look-at-our-generations-food-porn-obsession/

1. Prominence
2. This article relates to "prominence" because since the presidential election is coming up, many people are interested in new advances that the president has like a new plan of Hillary Clinton's. This is a very newsworthy article since it contains information that leads to who will win the upcoming election.
3. How Hillary Clinton plans to hold off Bernie Sanders in New York
4. http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2016/04/12/hillary-clinton-bernie-sanders-new-york-primary/82926574/

Student of the Month Story

Who - Cathy Reynolds
What - Won the student of the month award
Where - Bowie High School
When - Last week through a letter
Why - she had good grades and did lots of community work
How - she had good grades, participation, and did lots of community work

Bowie high school student Cathy Reynolds was decided student of the month by the office administrators last week through a letter.

Reyolds was very happy with her award when she won it. "It feels grew, unexpected and I'm so glad I won it."

She was told that she won student of the month by the office administrators. "Last week in a letter."

This achievement is so big that her letter was personally sent by the Principal himself. "The principal sent the letter to me."

It takes a lot of participation and outside of school work to win student of the month. "I have lots of good grades and I do a ton of community work."

Reynolds thinks that winning student of the month will make other students notice and respect her more. When asked how being student of the month would influence her status as a student at Bowie, Reynolds said, "people will respect me more and know who I am.

According to Reynolds, winning student of the month leads to a very positive affect from teachers. "My teachers notice that I am in class and they talk to me more.

Reynolds is very humble about her accomplishment. "It came to me as a surprise because I was sure that there were other students doing better than me."

Winning student of the month requires lots of intense focus and not letting stress get in the way. "I worked hard for my grades and didn't let stress get in the way.

Reynolds thinks that sharing awards with others and likes to tell others about her accomplishments. "I enjoy telling my friends,(about her award) because what's the point of winning an award without sharing it?"

Before winning student of the month, Reynolds didn't have many friends, but apparently she has gained some friends after winning the award. "Everyone hated me (prior to winning student of the month) and I had no friends."

Reynolds reaction to finding out she had won student of the month showed that she definitely was surprised when she got the letter in the mail. Reynolds says "I couldn't believe it, I thought it was so crazy that I was chosen.

Portfolio Analysis

Name: Anthony Souffle
General Focus: sports and emotion photos.
3 problems:

1. basic photos
2. some lack individuality
3. shot was taken a little too late

2 things the judges like:

1. strong pictures
2. perfectly timed shots

Overall Impression: The photographer is good but some of the photos were definitely not contest winning material.

Name: Deryl Peyeto
General Focus: people and patterns
3 problems:

1. subject is unclear
2. photo has no clear story or meaning
3. Too many senior portraits

2 things the judges like:

1. clear photos
2. photos that are unique

Overall Impression: I liked that the photographer went to other countries where life is different and took pictures but he definitely should not have included those senior portraits in his portfolio.

Name: Melissa Golden
General Focus: telling a story through a series of pictures.
3 problems:

1. boring pictures lacking interest
2. blur in the wrong places
3. no clear point of interest

2 things the judges like:

1. strong portraits
2. pictures that can't be recreated

Overall Impression: I wasn't too impressed with this person's pictures because most of them were basic and boring.

Winning Portfolio: Daniel Snipes

What the judges saw as strengths: The judges liked when there was a clear subject and an interesting composition. They also liked it when there was a ball in the sports photos.

What I saw as strengths: The photographer had some very interesting patterns and was very good at capturing the timing on his pictures perfectly.

Winner Deciding Process:
The judges weighed out the contestants and compares the amount of good photos to bad photos by looking at the portfolios as a whole. They go in and see who's pictures are the best and diversity in their photos. The winner was chosen because he had absolutely no bad photos in his portfolio.

My First Interview

#1. What is your name?

-Cathy Reynolds

#2. How does it feel to be student of the month?

-It feels great, unexpected and I'm so glad I won it.

#3. When did you find out that you were chosen for student of the month?

-Last week in a letter

#4. What was your reaction when you found out that you were student of the month?

-I couldn't believe it, I thought it was so crazy that I was chosen

#5. Who told you that you were student of the month?

-The principal sent the letter to me.

#6. Why do you think you were chosen for student of the month?

-Well, I have lots of good grades and I do a ton of community work.

#7.What did the person who told you that you are chosen for student of the month tell you when you were chosen?

-"Congrats" "What a big honor, we are glad to give it to you!"

#8. How do you think being student of the month will influence your status as a student at Bowie?

-People will respect me more and know who I am

#9. How does it feel to be recognized for your work?

-It feels exciting and I'm happy my work paid off

#10. What are the qualifications for becoming student of the month?

-good grades, participation, and community work

#11. What does your family think of you for becoming student of the month?

-They are very proud because they know I'm working hard and that my work paid off

#12. How do you think that other people see you after becoming student of the month?

-They see me as a roll model with more respect

#13. Have people started to treat you differently now that you are student of the month? How do they treat you?

-People treat me mostly the same but they are nicer and they ask me about being student of the month.

#14. How did people treat you before you became student of the month?

-Everyone hated me and I had no friends.

#15. Have your teachers started to treat you differently now that you are student of the month?

-My teachers notice that I am in class and they talk to me more.

#16. Did you have a feeling that you were going to be awarded student of the month or was it more of a surprise?

-It came to me as a surprise because I was sure that there were other students doing better than me.

#17. How did you have to work in school to be awarded student of the month?

-I worked hard for my grades and I didn't let stress get in the way.

#18. Do you enjoy telling people that you are student of the month? why?

- I enjoy telling my friends, because what's the point of winning an award without sharing it?

#19. Do you think that people recognize you as the student of the month when they see you? If so, why?

- I think a lot of people recognize me but not everyone.

20. How many people have you told that you are now student of the month?
-Just family and close friends.

Sensory Overload

1. The last sentence of the story says

"I believe that more and more, we are defining our environments not as the spaces themselves, in terms of the buildings or architecture, but rather by the objects and devices that we buy and surround ourselves with. ... I would like that message to carry through universally," Seymour said.

What do you think about this statement? I think that this statement can be interpreted many different ways just because it is very open ended in the material that it is entailing. As far as the photographer's pictures however, I think that it very well goes with the Chinese market where people make homes out of their offices made out of the materials that they sell.
Do you agree or disagree? I kind of agree with this statement because it is easy to change places or make them more like us by using the things that we like to put in our spaces to make them unique and homey.
As an aspiring photographer how does this make you feel about your photography? As an aspiring photographer, I feel like the quote is saying that it is important to capture people's living spaces because their decorations and furniture will tell a lot about a person.

2. When you looked through the images, did you want to visit this place and take your camera? When I looked at these images, I did want to go to this mall and take my camera because I really loved the liveliness of the place with all the bright colors and families going about their day. The mall sort of had it's own culture which was really interesting.

3. What do you think it would be like to be the child of someone who worked at this place? I think that being the child of someone who worked here would be very fun because there is endless halls of adventures and new places to visit everyday in the ever changing environment of the mall.

4. Describe your favorite photo to me. My favorite photo was the one of the woman sitting in her flower shop with all the brightly colored tropical flowers. I really liked this picture because it made me really happy seeing all the colorful flowers. I felt like I was in the room with the shop worker and it felt like if I worked there, I would be in my own tropical paradise.