Blog Four- Movie Review

I have chosen to write a review about my personal favorite movie, Moulin Rouge. It was directed by Baz Luhrmann who also happened to direct William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. He did an amazing job in directing Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor in Moulin Rouge because in my opinion it is one of the best movies I have ever seen. I find it refreshing to see that the stars of this musical used their actual voices and was pleasantly surprised to witness their talents. This movie is incredibly unique, witty and entertaining. Even though the movie was incredibly hyperactive and dramatic it simply made the movie that much more unforgettable. As soon as I saw the movie on t.v i knew I had to buy it, and to this day I try to share it with as many people as possible. Moulin Rouge is a fantasia filled with heart and songs that will make you want to sing along as it draws you in more and more.

"Less Privacy is Good for Us (And You)" by Amitai Etzioni

How does Etzioni's article help readers to see the complexity of privacy issues?
Etzioni begins his article by stating that privacy is not so much as mentioned in the Constitution and that most Americans today see it as a God given right. We are horrified when we see privacy being slowly stripped away from average Americans in the media, be it by their employers or neighbors. It wasn't until I read this article that I realized toll booth operators could track your every move, and let me tell you I am slightly horrified by this new awareness. The government must be behind all of this, they must use it as a means to invade people's privacy. Well, that's my cynical subconscious speaking anyways, I'm sure it's just another precaution to maintain public safety. The author makes light of many other ways the government allows invasion of privacy for the good of humanity such as bosses reading your e-mails, neighbors listening in on your cell phone conversations and HIV testing of infants. The HIV testing of infants is a very delicate issue because to save the child from getting HIV and eventually possibly spreading this disease to others, we must test the mother for HIV and therefore invade her privacy. I'm not exactly sure where I stand with this issue, but I may be leaning more towards making such a test mandatory since it is concerning public health. Like Etzioni mentioned, a suggestion to ask the mother to take the test is not enough because many of those women who are drug addicts are particularly prone to be carrying the virus do not even show up for prenatal care. Not to mention the occasional woman who may be offended when asked to be tested for such a virus and actually ends up having it, well at least we saved a life.
This new biometrics machine that uses natural features such as voice, eye pattern etc to recognize a person will definitely be useful for our future. We simply have to know our limits as to when it would be appropriate to use it. I feel that it would be appropriate to use such a machine as a means of background checking for jobs like teaching children, or working for the government and that every information attained would need to be classified.
Etzioni's article brings up many issues and how delicate the invasion of privacy can be. I agree with the author when he states that privacy is one very important right but it is not above public safety and health.

Evolving Opportunities

I am in awe of how fast the town of Immokalee developed. It's truly amazing what happens when people come together for a main cause. In this case it was to farm, and like one of the men in the video described, it truly was like a bee hive. Immokalee has developed from a unique agricultural society to an industrial and diverse society where not only are there farmers, but railroads, casinos, and even a technology park. The future of Immokalee surely seems bright and I hope it continues to expand and grow culturally.

Outposts of Opportunity

I find it extremely important and interesting to learn about your environment and the people that are a part of it. As I watched "Outposts of Opportunity" it was very clear to me that the town of Immokalee has undergone so many changes. They started out as a town that housed mostly Seminole Indians to a town made up of pioneers and cattlemen where the sound of a train's whistle is anything but unfamiliar. The town of Immokalee is very different from where I am from. Orlando may very well be the complete opposite of Immokalee in the sense that it's all about technology, attractions, and nightlife. I have never seen any open land in Orlando much less farms. I believe Immokalee is representative of the farmer's American dream. They can have their land and raise cattle, horses etc and not have to sit in an office to feel successful. The future of Immokalee will unfortunately be driven by power hungry politicians such as Governor Brown who wanted to drain out the Everglades. I hope that Immokalee will retain it's vivid culture and not be forced to change.

A Quilt of a Country: Out of Many, One? By: Anna Quindlen

The author starts out by explaining how our country is one of a kind. "A mongrel nation" (Quindlen pg. 15) where there are people from every background or religion that you can think of, all living together, sharing the same streets and avenues. We tolerate each other, yet we sometimes avoid walking on certain streets because we are avoiding certain people of a background or religion. The author explains how much of the stories told of our nation are based on the notion of bigotry rather than tolerance. Children in schools are taught all about slavery, racism, women's denied rights to vote and the murder of gays all throughout history, yet we all unify when we have one common enemy.

The author explains with the end of the Cold War, there was a slight concern in the back of everyone's head that without a main focus of a common enemy, we would now focus on our ethnicity's enemies, our religious enemies etc.

The study in 1994 by the National Opinion Research Center found that a majority of those surveyed believed that America was a unique country where it consists entirely of refugees from other countries and how it was truly special how we could coexist peacefully.

Response:

I find it truly amazing how this nation consists purely of refugees and how we coexist. It's amazing to be living in a place where I can experience and learn about other cultures and religions from a direct source and probably from many people I have gotten to know. It is sad to see how much prejudice still lurks in America and even though we "tolerate" each other, there are still prideful people who complain and make life difficult for those who are new or different. What is even more upsetting is that the only way for us to unite is to find one common enemy. This can lead to opportunities for the power hungry individual who uses fear as a way to manipulate people. People in nature are fearful of "the Other", someone who differs from societies approval. Therefore when the Other introduces himself into our society we immediately exclude him. Fear of "the Other" can be helpful in creating a united nation where everyone follows the same ideals and beliefs and excludes the rest of the world, but it does not work in America and not to mention the idea itself being fundamentally and morally wrong. It happens in in our country and that in itself is the ultimate conundrum, how can we live in a nation where we exclude and treat each other based on our beliefs and yet abide by the laws that everyone is created equal.

About Me

My name is Yenny Castro, I was born in Bogota', Colombia but raised between Medellin, Colombia and Orlando, Florida. I am a sophomore at FGCU, and am really enjoying my classes so far. I am double majoring in Criminal Forensic Science and Psychology. I have a 17 year old brother and an 8 year old sister, both whom I love dearly. I love to be around my family and to go out with my friends.