Unit IV Research Proposal

I will be working on this final assignment with Shoshana Bellman. We plan on chronicling the experiences of a person living in the zombie apocalypse. We will do this by having our character relate their encounters on a blog. Through the character's eyes, our college aged audience will learn about the scientific parts of the zombie and the psychological effects that happen to people in the zombie apocalypse. I was interested in doing this project because I felt that in our modern day world, many events have been documented on social media. I was particularly inspired by the story of a Palestinian teenager who records the Gaza War by tweeting live airstrikes and shelling attacks from the Israelis; I thought, why not do the same for a fictional zombie apocalypse? I felt that it would be more "real" if it was just a regular person reporting what they experienced rather than a professional journalist. Originally, we were going to use twitter but realized that the limit of 140 characters per tweet would not be enough to express the events that our character would encounter. Ultimately we settled on using a wordpress blog turning our project into something like an online diary. Our goal is to combine both of our topics, mine being the psychological aspect of the zombie apocalypse and Shoshana's being the more scientific aspect for this final project. I hope this project will provide more insight to our topics for our classmates and that they may learn something.

Research Proposal

For my final project I plan on making an educational lyrical description page. I plan on using various songs, videos, and even cyphers to depict and explain what the artists mean in their lyrics. The best way for me to use all of these ideas and put them together in one final project is a Facebook page. My college age audience will learn about various types of raps songs they’ve heard for years and what each of those songs are actually talking about. They will learn about the reason some of this songs were created in the first place. They will also learn, a little if not a lot, about the artists’ past life and possibly moments leading up to the song.  I was interested in doing this project just because of how much passion I have the genre of rap music. It hurts me all the time knowing that the music I love, comes off to someone else as frightening and violent. It never makes me feel like that. I want to show other people how I feel and what the lyrics are trying to teach the people that listen to them. Also my dream is to work with music as a career. That is what also inspired my inspiration in creating this page. I just don’t want what I loved to be viewed and labeled as something horrific. I feel like people that view my page will be as interested in it as I am. Hopefully after they’ve viewed it, they might see the same things I do.

Good-Byes

The last chapter reminded me of those movies based on real life where they explain what actually happened, kind of like the ending of Pain & Gain. It kind of reflected to how people learned from this and see everything in a new way and shows everything is becoming normal again, people are mothering, doctors are doing their jobs, humanity is back to where it was before. The part that stood out to me was in Burlington, Vermont. It talked about how "The Whacko" declared victory on the zombie war prematurely as he tried to compare himself closely and do a better job than Winston Churchill. "The Whacko" was greatly criticized because he prevented the eradication of all zombies on American soil and later asked the UN for help.

Unit IV Research Proposal

I will be working on the final project with Zoe Lee. We will be making a blog depicting the experiences of a guy, and a few other people, on their take of the zombie apocalypse. Through those people, our audience will learn about the science of a zombie and what makes one, and the psychological aspect of the zombie apocalypse on a human. I was interested on doing this project because a blog would probably be the easiest way to humanize the research Zoe and I did without a limitation of characters, like Twitter would, or the need of a picture each post, like tumblr and Instagram; and Facebook would be too much of a hassle to make an entire profile for each character that we will be using. Originally, we were going to use Twitter because of how easy it is to use, but with the word limitation being 140 characters, which would not fully show our main character’s problems an day-to-day life, and the fact that we would have to make multiple accounts, and they need a phone number or email to make, we just decided that it would be more practical to make a blog. Our overall goal is to combine both of the basic research from each of our unit 3 essays and convey it in ways of a psychiatrist, Zoe’s essay, and a person from the CDC, my essay. And with the help of two of the main character’s friends adding input, our blog will cover a lot of information and ideas over a period of time.

Research Proposal

My research topic is on why ethanol is the future of alternative fuels. For my final project, I was planning on making a comedic/informative video. It would involve how we currently use 10% ethanol at gas stations around the Midwest. I would also explain how to make ethanol, while doing something completely different. I would also show that driving with ethanol is like riding a bike, low on emissions, produces less energy than fossil fuels and renewable. I could also talk about genetically modified corn as they can alter how fast stuff grows. I can use salmon as an example, scientists have genetically modified some types of salmon and they can grow 2-3 times faster than regular salmon while having the same nutritional benefits. It will be hard to find time to make the video, because I work all the time, but I can always due it late at night since I don't sleep much anyways.

Goodbyes

Overall, the last chapter of the book really left me hanging! It didn't feel as juicy or emotionally impacted as the rest of the book did. You could feel the way the people who had been interviewed had this new perspective on the world after war and they seemed to be kind of over the situation.

I think one part that really stuck out to me was Aboard USS Tracy Bowden. I really like how selfless this person was and last commented "tell it to the whales." While reading the earlier parts of the book that had water scenes in them, I never thought to think of animals that may have went extinct from this war, especially not something as giant as whales. I began to wonder what could actually happen to the life cycle of things in the ocean without whales. Are they a necessity? I think this guy brought up really valid points in his small interview. People probably didn't even realize how they were destroying such wonderful creatures, because they were only worried about saving themselves. I think this small section was probably more important than people realized. The war created total chaos and everything seemed to vanish, even the whales. At the end, the person was saying that there wasn't even a substantial way to start recreating the animals. That would change the make up of the ocean for forever.  I wonder if this person was in any of the water wars and that's why they had this view of the water animals? Did they have any pets or people that they had lost in their lives that he could have talked about instead? I wonder what made him think that the whales, of all things, lost the war.

Unit IV Proposal

 My research topic is on water scarcity issues that we will be faced with in the near future, how they impact food production and farming, and what can be done to prevent them from being as serious. As this topic is global in scope I think I will present these ideas for unit IV as a Prezi  with a world map as the template. I can add slides on the map on relevant countries and river systems to show where certain issues are taking place and provide the audience with a visual perspective of the magnitude of these issues. I have never made a Prezi before but after taking the tutorial and playing with the software I am confident that I can make a clear, informative, and engaging presentation. I am interested in doing a Prezi because it is organized and visually exciting. I can put a lot of information in this type of presentation and then set up a path where I don't have to go through all of it so as not to bore the audience. I can follow the main points of my paper around the map and deliver to the audience a concise yet urgent message abut water related issues.  

Proposal

 My research is about the black market organ trading. I think I am going to turn my paper into a prezi presentation. I really enjoy the set up and the way you can maneuver the different slides. Also, I think going from spot to spot would be a good way to transition my paper into a multimedia product. I could really see this presentation targeting multiple ages groups and types of people. I have worked with prezi before and am aware how to make it do some neat stuff! Engaging an audience is an easy grab when you have good visuals that can go in a and out. I think seeing stuff rather than just hearing about it really helps connect people to your topic. My paper is structured with different ways to minimize the black market, so having different prezi sections that you could use to illustrate each of my proposals will help bring the paper into a new light. I want this to be something that is easy to comprehend even if you are unfamiliar with the black market. Hopefully, I can add some of the really interesting pictures i have found of men all with the same giant wound from losing kidneys. I think seeing people who have actually went through such a horrific thing will make people more self-conscious of what goes on in the world around us. Organ trading is such an undermined topic that I am really passionate about educating people on. I can't wait to make this and really show people the truth behind this subject! It's been a while since I have used prezi so maybe they have added some new features that will enhance my project!  

My Presentation

For my presentation I hope to create my very own version of the DSM-5. I'll try my hardest to create the book, and attempt it to be in good condition. In it, I will explain what exactly phobias are, and eventually get into agoraphobia specifically. I will talk about the difference of agoraphobia and panic disorder and how they are now classified differently in the DSM-5. I plan on giving the definition of these, the symptoms, the causes and the many treatment options they each have. I will go into how family has a large role in the process, and I will explain therapy treatments available. A lot of people don’t know how severe phobias can be and sometimes don’t realize how much they can effect a person. People will also think they have a phobia just because they're scared of a specific thing, but that’s not what classifies you as having a certain phobia. The phobia must be maladaptive, meaning it needs to effect your everyday life and living experience in order for you to be diagnosed with this. I believe this can be at least a little interesting for my college audience because I know quite a few college students who also want to major in Psychology, and this has a lot to do with that. It's interesting. Also, a lot of students nowadays sort of over react on things that they think are wrong with them, so after I finish this I hope to give them better insight on how exactly to know if you have or need help with a specific type of phobia or even any psychological disorder. 

Unit 4: Presentation Outline

Unit 4: Presentation Outline

My idea for this project is to create a Prezi presentation. Using Prezi I will focus on defining what Private Military Contractors are. Most people are completely unaware these contracting companies exist and what exactly their roll is in the U.S. Military. I would like to emphasize on how private contractor corporations have had a major impact involving the present war with the Middle East. In addition, I will focus on the negative aspects of private military contractors. Mainly, I will provide insight on the largest and most controversial example of misconduct private contractor companies have been involved in thus far. I will use a mixture of text, music and videos for my presentation. In doing this, I hope to engage my peers in an informational yet creative way. I also want to embellish patriotism and highlight our great country in a positive manor. I would also like my presentation to have a propaganda type feel and inspire others to look further into the subject. I will achieve this by providing raw truths followed by uplifting pictures or music. The videos I selected for the project are intense, but I believe it will really hit home with my audience. This will hopefully provide the truest insight into private military contractors and their negative roll in the U.S. Military. All my visual aids will depict private contractors in a negative way. This will hopefully emphasize my stance on the topic. I hope by the end of my presentation I will have provided a sufficient insight on private military contractors.    

Total WAR

This chapter was about how different militaries handled the zombies. One part I  hated was how the military would use dogs to help protect them. Sounds nice because dogs are more alert and aware. The dogs were used to sniff out the zombies. BUT then eventually strapped BOMBS onto the dogs. At one point of time he did not care for dogs, but when he heard the cries of the puppies left in the pet store by house he started to feel a soft spot. he wished he could help them but knew he couldn't.

World War Z: Good-byes

In the last chapter of World War Z, interviewees from throughout the book, each with a unique story, share and reflect on their final thoughts of the zombie apocalypse. One of the interviewees talks about how hard it is to fit back into society, similar to the situations that veterans go through after past wars. Another person discusses her inability to understand why they lost such good people while others had survived. The thing that stood out to me the most was the quote “We lost a hell of a lot more than just people when we abandoned them to the dead.”, said by Philip Adler. The quote stood out to me because I viewed it as him implying that the world lost a part of their humanity as well. 

World War Z chapter 9: Good-byes

Chapter 9, good-byes, is about how the world, and life, comes back after the zombies. The one part that stood out to me the most was when Maria was pregnant only to help populate the earth. Of course this is an idea that would be taken into effect, mainly because everybody turned into zombies and the human populous was lacing people, but it's still a weird thing to think about.

Goodbyes

In this final chapter of World War Z people reflect on the crisis that they just went through. People that were interviewed throughout the book share their story and reflect on everything that went down during the Zombie Apocalypse. The part that stuck out to me the most was when the interviewer talks to the guy Sean from Barbados. What made it so weird was Sean to the interviewer that he was addicted to murder, and he didn't find it surprising at all. The chapter ends with people trying to fit back in the norms of society. This is really difficult for them but they plan to get through it and continue on with their regular lives.

World War Z chapter 8: Total War

Chapter 8, Total war, was all about war and what the military and governments did to cope/stop the infection. that part I found interesting was how Travis said that all armies must be "bred, fed, and led". That basically means that all armies must have bred fighters, fed to fight, and led to the fight. Another thing I found interesting was Darnell Hackworth with his farm of K-9 veterans.  I loved how he used dogs to fight the zombies. I cringed with the thought of the dogs being bitten, or eaten, when fighting the zombies, but pretty cool nonetheless. Like how the dogs could smell the virus before it really took affect fascinated me.

Turning the Tide, Homefront USA, Around the world and above, Total War, Good byes

Turning the Tide: Turning the tide takes place in South Africa, Ireland, Ukraine, Canada, and India. In this chapter we are introduced to Redeker and His plan. when It comes to Redeker many find him with no emotion and no compassion as he states there is no way to save everyone. the chapter kind of ends when talking to someone about there experience with the winter and the lack of food. they experienced their camp members and family having to decide to eat people.

Homefront USA: with the title being of course about the USA one can imagine the chapter takes place in exactly that. the chapter moves from state to state starting with New Mexico, Vermont, Washington, California, Tennessee. The chapter starts of with Sinclair and the "DeStRes" plan which included a zone protected by mountains and outside civilizations used as a extra level of protection if the zombies were to reach these zones. then we look at what it takes to make something so small as rootbeer and the limited resources that they are now faced with. we look at how having someone in charge is important as well as a rule system. how the blue collar workers became the most important part of society and the white collar workers became almost useless. we soon learn about quislings and their importance. which are feral people that act like zombies but are not. and then a movie that was used to show a victory for the people against the zombies that was used to rally the people to not give up.

Around the World and Above: this chapter takes place in The Province of Bohemia, the Federated States of Micronesia, South Korea, Japan, Cuba, China, Australia, and Chile. the chapter really concentrated on how the other countries handled the zombie war. For Example, South Korea, used the mountains as defense for a while but like most countries people began disappearing one by one. the other parts of the world used the geographical locations to their best interest in order to survive the zombie war.

Total War: this chapter takes place in Finland, USA, Siberia, Canada. this chapter focus' on the governments ability to regain control and attempt to exterminate the population of zombies. the fact that they had to figure out how to fight the zombies due to their lack of weaknesses.

Good Byes: This chapter took place in The USA, The Russian Empire, Barbados, Canada, China, Japan, Ireland, Israel. This chapter is about how life may be coming to a somewhat start again. things around the world are becoming oddly back to normal as people try to regain control of what life used to be like. the chapter shows the effects the zombie war took and how it will forever change the way humans will continue to live.

Total War

This chapter is about exactly what the title says, war. In this chapter we learn about what different militaries did around the world to stop the infected from spreading anymore. In order for the United States to be successful, they went back to the old age concepts. They use old strategies, weapons, and head on combat to achieve victory over the zombies. At the end of the chapter a guy named Todd Wainio gets interviewed and he talks about other obstacles that were faced other that zombies. They were also booby traps, feral packs, and even adjusting or infected animals. My favorite part of the section was reading about people fleeing to the catacombs in underground Paris. I can't even imagine being in a small confined area like that for so long. There people faced toxic air, more booby traps, and fearful of using their weapons because of the chance of starting a fire. I feel that the people in Paris were on top for having the scariest and shocking job to do.

Total War

This section of the book is where we finally get to see various governments and organizations gain the upper hand and begin to exterminate the zombie population. From the organized, disciplined slaughter in the United States that pushed it's way across the country, to the chaotic Russian system that changed the face of their country, we see the way the war was won on multiple fronts. Total war, as described in the first chapter of this section, is the war the zombies fought: no surrender, no need for resources, no morale issues to exploit. This is the section where people really learn to combat that style of enemy. The most interesting passage for me was the the one about the people who had to clear the zombies from under Paris. The things they went through sound horrific and there were so many added dangers being in tight dark passageways. They had the most terrifying jobs for sure in the Total War section.

Around the World, and Above

This chapter really deals with the cultural and geographic differences around the world and how that affected the responses of people. Some countries, like Cuba, thrived, while Japan was destroyed and North Korea's people seemingly disappeared. There are stories of personal triumph such as Kondo, the "otaku" whose story is pretty remarkable considering he had no practical skills whatsoever, and Sensei Tomonaga, a man who survived on his own in the wild while blind. There are also collective triumphs in the chapter, Radio Free Earth, and Cuba, and the ISS. I thought the most unique and interesting section was the one about the astronauts on the ISS. While there were obviously no zombies there, with government operations down being in space presented it's own set of problems since there was no one to rescue them It's a really interesting point of view because they can see everything going on below and get sort of a big picture of the destruction and mayhem on Earth

World War Z: Total War

The chapter first introduces the comparative advantage that zombies have of not being human and not being limited to resources they need for fighting. After the disaster that happened in Yonkers, the army went back to age old war strategies and weapons to combat the endless sea of zombies. Their victory was said to be the beginning of the end of the zombie apocalypse. In Russia, religion took on a bigger role as priests became the ones to kill the infected in order to shoulder the responsibility and to stop the suicides from sinning. Underwater, zombies are still thriving and recon teams continue to finish off the zombies. In Paris, thousands of people fled to the underground where they encountered uninhabitable conditions such as the toxic air, death traps, and were unable to use their weapons for fear of starting a fire. What stood out to me most was that towards the end of the chapter, the narrator interviews a man named Todd Wainio, who mentions the many enemies and obstacles besides zombies that the military had to face, namely feral animals and humans, booby traps, rebels and more.

Total War

This chapter was all about war, and what different militaries did to stop the infected. The part that stuck out the most to me, was in an interview with a man named Darnell Hackworth, in Ainsworth, Nebraska. He runs a retirement farm for the K-9 corps. Dogs were used in wars to sniff out the dead and protect their partner. Hackworth was very fond of the dogs, and loved them very much. So the part that stuck out most to me was that he said he used to hate dogs, and that at one point, he listened to puppies who were abandoned in a pet store die off slowly one by one. He now wishes he had done something about it and saved the puppies. A part in this chapter that kind of scared me and made me a little upset was just a little fact Hackworth had stated about dogs who had gotten too close to the dead. They strapped an explosive to the dogs harness, so if they didn't think there was any chance to save the dog, they would put them out of their misery and blow them up. Thankfully, he said they didn't do this. Although it may have been better for them to die immediately and feel no pain than to be eaten alive by the dead.

Around the World, and Above

The author made this chapter all about how countries dealt with the Zombie Apocalypse. They all kinda of did their own thing depending on where they were of course. South Korea, with they're mountainous areas, had good defense due to the land they had. They were "lucky" in this situation because a high percentage of their population all had some kind of military training at least once in their lives. The man that's being interviewed though said that this was only the  case for a little while. They thought they had it better until suddenly, everyone began disappearing; the whole country began vanishing, one by one. I believe this happened because their country was so dedicated to military and defense, that they eventually just used up each civilian in war. I'm not sure if that's exactly correct but I found this part interesting.