I built 2 picnic tables one regular size and one for pre-schoolers and 2 benches a few months back for SLA. I have now furthered this idea by making another picnic table for the preschoolers I work for. it’s roughly the same design as the last table but smaller and better for the environment of the school. One thing I improved on in the second table was making sure to sand the boards prior to putting them together making the table safer for younger children. I also made sure all of the corners were dull so as no not to poke someone’s eye out if they fall. The main idea behind the benches was to be able I left something behind once I move on into college and the next part of my life. I found that in doing so I have given the communities something to enjoy. Even the steps that didn’t involve the tables, like the carwash, gave something to the community which I am proud of.

Inquiry- I first started this project on the basis that I love making things with my hands. I found it to be fun and relaxing and wanted to find ways to challenge what I have already made. So I asked myself how I could make this Picnic table better than it already is.
Research- To make the best picnic table possible I would have to research. I began researching the best materials and strategies for making them. I then realized this wasn’t enough, I would also have to find out what uses the table could be used for such as storage and comfort.

Collaboration- I have had many family members and friends help so far and are excited to have many more people help in the future.

Reflection- While in the moment and really up until writing this I thought of this as just some project to get me through high school, I now see it as my opportunity to give back to the people who have given so much to me.

Presentation- The final presentation of this project will be the picnic table I am creating, along with my outline of what I have done to pursue this goal of finishing. I would like to show SLA what I am capable of.

Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho is undeniably one of the greatest horror films of all time. Hitchcock, the cast, the cinematographers, and everyone else involved in the making of this movie nailed their job. However, whoever created the cover for this movie did not produce the same level of work as their colleagues. I have created a cover that the feel and story of the movie far more than the completely unrepresentative original cover.

Firstly, my cover is suitable for a brooding psychological thriller a movie like Hitchcock’s Psycho is deserving of, and suitable renames the film. My cover displays the 2 primary characters in their most decisive moments in order to show the movie’s intensity. Marion during her murder, and Norman during his Hitchcock stare, which is the point in which he reaches peak insanity. Secondly, the new title Lunatic captures Norman’s character much better than Psycho ever could. Norman is absolutely insane, and the term Lunatic captures that. Norman has no grasp on reality, the term psychopath implies that he is merely unhinged, which is a huge understatement. Overall, my cover advertises the vehemence of Psycho and renames the film to encapsulate Norman’s character much better.

Additionally, Psycho’s cover looks more like one of an action movie than a great horror film. The cover is filled with color, and fonts resembling James Bond and Jason Bourne movies. The designer should have chosen a darker color palette to reflect the atmosphere of the movie. The cover should have also used either a more serious font or a more horror-themed font. These two details would let viewers know that the movie they are about to watch is a dark psychological thriller, with little to no cheer or happiness. Because of these poor decisions, new viewers are likely to go in thinking that the movie is beloved for the wrong reasons. If the designer made decisions in tune with mine viewers would go in knowing what to expect.

To conclude, my cover and name for Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho are far superior to the original, as it reflects the dark nature of the film and lets viewers know what they should expect going into the film far better than the original cover. The choice of imagery in my cover displays the dark intense spirit of the film through the climactic images of the characters. The color palette and fonts found in my coverlet viewers know what type of movie Psycho is, whereas the original cover may lead viewers to believe it is a less serious movie. Overall, my cover is a much greater representation of Psycho than the original.

The Grand Budapest Hotel is a technical and precise movie that shows its wit in a different way from most movies. It uses comedy that most wouldn’t even try and the storytelling is risky but works extremely well. Wes Anderson, The director of the film uses certain skills in a lot of his movies like his quick and witty comedy that lights up the movie or how detailed he is in his storytelling. The GBH is one of the most technical movies I have ever seen with the way that the director has everything set up so perfectly.

Wes Anderson uses his detailed shots to give the film a more realistic and alive feeling. During the shot where the camera tracks Mr. Chuck while Zero is interviewing for a job follows and pauses multiple times to show how the hotel is very up and running. This gives perspective on the hotel and shows that Mr.Chuck is an important man. This tells the audience the importance of his character and to watch him closely to understand the story. Another example of a technical shot is when Zero was being taught all the ropes of his job and increasingly got better at the tasks. This shows his determination to become a better employee. It also shows that he is grateful for having the opportunity. Wes Anderson is one of the more technical directors with his great storytelling and it shows with these shots how he can transform a simple scene into a scene with a lot of meaning.

GDH shows the characters and the way they act and gives them meaning. Like Zero, for example, he represents immigrants who work hard and how much friendship means in the world. Mr.Chuck represents a good soul who turned bad and has been wandering but once he found a true friend he snapped into place. He saved Zero and in turn, he died for him. The woman’s family represents the lack of love in the world. The importance of these characters was a technical decision. It shows that love and peace will always win over hate and ignorance. The choice of characters is meticulous showing every background and giving characters the background like Zero and being from a country of war or the guests at the modern hotel while not playing the biggest role in the movie still has the background of being taking photographs and writing books.

The last big technical part of the movie is the different timelines. The first timeline shows a young lady getting ready to read a book that seems to have something to do with the statues she’s sitting next to. She doesn’t seem that important but it’s still added into the movie. Next is the present day where a man is staying in a random hotel and is interviewing the owner. The last piece is that the owner tells the story in a flashback story. While risky I think it structures the storytelling well. The young lady is reading the second man’s book while the second man is interviewing the owner about the story he writes. This gives perspective to the timeline and shows how a story can travel over many different times and places and have different impacts on each person who reads it.

The Grand Budapest Hotel shows that a movie can be both technical and beautiful as it has done both things beautifully. From the types of shots to the characters and even the timelines it all comes together to make a masterpiece. The Grand Budapest Hotel is a technical and precise movie that shows its wit in a different way from most movies.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/aug/15/india-caste-system-70-anniversary-in‌dependence-day-untouchables‌

Mira

This article is an opinion piece from The Guardian about celebrating India’s independence day written by Mari Marcel Thekaekara. Thekaekara describes the celebrations, but then writes that they “bring out both pride and anguish.” The article goes on to explain how difficult it is for some of the lower castes in India to celebrate freedom when they do not feel free due to their role in Indian society. Thekaekara quotes someone from the lowest caste, the Dalit, who believes that Indian castes are their “curse.” During that year’s independence day celebrations, a large group of Dalits marched for their freedom. Thekaekara explains that Dalits are obligated by societal norms to complete their jobs (removing dead animals, etc) even if they have a doctorates degree. The article ends with a plea for other Indians to join Dalits in their fight for freedom and better treatment.

Eric

Jacobin

This article was about how the lower class that struggled organized together and made a better welfare state. When the lower classes organized, they made 3 rules that helped them. The first rule is increasing firm productivity, the second rule is an advance of the moral goal of a more equal distribution of wealth and income, and the third rule is equalizing wages and employment opportunities. This article is similar to the Marxist lens because it shows a conflict between social classes for desired goods.

r dog

The Escalating Crisis on the India-China Border

India and China are fighting about each other coming onto their land like children. and they have both been unfair to the other by using weapons that weren’t allowed. They basically both are superpower countries is so they aren’t used to having to sit down and talk things out so they are both just flashing weapons at each other hoping one of them gets scared. This relates to the book because it shows what happens with two bosses when they are in a fight. In the book, we see interactions with boss and servent and servent and servent. I believe this could give some insight into that.