#routine sterile factual and practically no people

[miserye]

Sakusa kiyoomi is so research lab coded

[mkinaia]

Week 10

What aspect of the article does the image illustrate? That is to say, does the image help you visualize one particular part of the text? Which one?

The image highlights the content in the article which discusses the severity of the malnutrition that the Somalian children are having to endure. The photo accents the child’s lack of access to food through its attention to the skeleton like appearance of the child’s chest and abdomen.

In what light does the image present that aspect of the article that it illustrates? That is to say, what comment does the image make about that aspect of the written text?

I would say that the photo is commenting in agreement with the article. However, since only one sentence of the piece is entirely dedicated to the state of the children in the Horn of Africa, the photograph has decided to give more attention to this subtopic of the subject. On some level, choosing to photograph this is giving it a sort of higher level of importance than the rest of the issues discussed in the piece. It could also be adding emotion to the article, which could be viewed as detached and simply factual, devoid of pathos for the readers to experience. 

How does the image help you engage with the written text? That is to say, in what ways does your chosen image influence how you understand the text?

The image helps the audience to fully envision the topic being discussed. It puts a face to the issue being discussed and hence more tangible to the reader. Making the reality of the situation known in such a vivid manner makes it harder for people to dismiss the subject and take it more seriously/ more likely to take action and help the situation or educate others about it. 

Ray’s a Laugh

Richard Billingham - 1996

Choose one series of photos and explain why and for whom you think these photos were taken.

This series was taken by Richard Billingham to record his specific family niche. He wanted to document the unruly yet tender nature of their lives. His father is an alcoholic and his mother is an avid smoker. From the photos, however, that is not the first take away message an audience member would take. The color flash photography, captures an aesthetic reminiscent of the style of mainstream fashion photography. He publishes his family chaos as an editorial like spread to showcase that “mainstream family” is an entirely subjective and unique to every situation. Every unit is chaotic, tender, problematic, and yet harmonious in its own way. 

What, overall can you understand about masculine identity from this exhibit?

Overall I can gather that masculine identity, just like feminine identity, is complex and has garnered a plethora of stereotypes over the years which they are trying to break free from. 

Is there anything about the works you have seen by following these links that you find problematic or that you think is worth of praise, or both? What makes it so - style, subject matter, a combination of both, other?

The exhibition illustrates that there are many different “types” of masculine identities. It categorizes the types into the several stereotypes which modern society is trying to diverge from. There are some cases I find problematic when it seems that the “documentation” has been staged, for example with the Taliban Fighters series by Thomas Dworzak. It is a combination of style and subject matter that creates this opinion for me. I also feel that the exhibition mainly focused on men of the past and does not give much attention to the evolution of man in today’s society. Though it could be argued that the men of today are returning to these earlier models in our current climate of cultural tension as well as macho and white supremacist mentalities. 

Now looking at 3 different photos (3 different artists):

a) Analyze how closely the subjects are depicted - what has the photographer chosen to include/exclude from the photo? Look at camera angle/lighting/focus etc. How does this influence the way you understand the message of the photo.

b) What is the relationship between the photographer and the subject(s) in these photos?

Practicing Golf Swing

Larry Sultan - 1986

Sultan has chosen to include the television in the frame and crop out a portion of the plant next to it. The rest of the frame is seemingly clean and bare. The camera angle is at eye level. The lighting of the photo is natural, soft,  and coming from directly opposite the camera lens. The direction of light results in a dark shadow overcasting the photo, although it is taken at what seems like midday. This obscures the subject’s face giving it a sense of anonymity and also alters the color scheme of the image. The lighting gives the carpet a green hue, giving the illusion that it is grass and not carpet that the subject is standing on. The focus of the photo seems to be to the left of our subject, where the sunlight most shines through the curtains. The depth of field is relatively low, since the details closer to the background of the image are increasingly blurred. The photographer is the subject’s son. So, these elements combined could be conveying a message that this is a private moment for Sultan’s father, a moment of piece during the day where he can listen to the news on the television and practice his hobby of golfing without disturbance. The clean and bare state of the frame conveys the message that his father might be a very particular and organized man. The golfing hobby, dress, and television could also signal that the father was successful and worked a respectful job. 

The Liberation of T.O.: “I’m not goin’ back to work for massa’ in dat darned field!”

Hank Willis Thomas - 2004/2005

To preface, this series is digitally manipulated from magazine advertisements. Thomas has chosen to include the frenzy of the supermarket and the name of its location, Oakland. A city in California which is widely known as the “California ghetto”. He also kept the man in the back with his hand raised, as if ready to strike the African American man in front of him. The artist chose to crop out the body of the white person whose hands are seen at the bottom right of the frame. On the bottom left side of the frame, Thomas has also chosen to crop out the body of the African American individual’s hand. The lighting in the photo is harsh and coming from the direction of the upper left corner, providing a harsh shadow on the left features of the people making up the image. The darker color palette adds on to the sense of anger being exuded by the man positioned to be chasing T.O. Camera angle is a mix of shooting from below and at eye level. The focus of the photo seems to be on T.O’s face. The light highlights his face of determination, grip on the football, and muscular build. The depth of field for this image is low. It might be that it is because it is digitally altered, but even elements in the foreground, like T.O’s face are blurred. The message of the image could go back to the resilience and strength of the African American community in their fight for equality and justice. Hank Willis Thomas is an African American photographer. He has no specific personal relation to the individuals in the photo. He does, however, have a relation to the cultural appropriation direct towards the black community by corporate America. 

Gaku, Kyoko, Kanako, and a memorial portrait of Miyako

Masahisa Fukase - 1985

The photographer hasn’t cropped much out of the picture other than a portion of the hand holding up the frame on the bottom right. Since the photo was taken in a studio, we can assume that the lighting is artificial. The way that the light hits the back wall makes me assume that it is directed from the top center of the image, it is an overall soft light. The perspective of the shot is at eye level. For subjects, Fukase chose to include his family (since it is meant to be a family shot), the family cat, a photo frame of his niece who passed away, and a model on the far left of no relation to the family. He does this to mix the traditional photography his family practices and the modern photography which he himself practices professionally. The focus of the image is on the wall windowed between Fukase’s head, his father’s head and their family member’s side bordering the window of focus on the left. The depth of field is relatively wide so we can assume that the aperture used was small. The message being conveyed by this image and the Kazoku series as a whole is meant to be on the progression of Fukase’s family and their business. It is also a dedication to paternal love as the series documents Fukase with his aging father until he passes away. To exemplify this point, we see that they are the only two facing the camera in this photo as well. 

Morning Routine (hw assignment)

I chose to depict my morning routine for the fourteen days of self-quarantine I had to do upon arrival back in the States from London. The first image is titled Test Temperature. The second is Record Temperature. The third photo is Check Messages. I wanted to create the series and captions in a way that would feel like a check list because that is how it felt in reality, going through the same motions every day and repeating them for the entirety of the self quarantine. I wanted to shoot from the becoming the subject perspective to fully deliver a first hand experience to the audience of the series. For the lighting I chose to utilize harsh, artificial lighting from an iPhone flashlight in alliance with a black and white color palette. When people think of COVID-19, as perpetrated by the media, they envision overrun hospitals, and healthcare workers with a heightened sense of panic and need for sterilized equipment. The harsh lighting mimics that of a hospital’s. The black and white color palette is barren, clean, and simplistic, similar to the sterilized environment of a hospital. For the first photo, I wanted a narrow depth of field so that all focus was on the temperature reading of the thermometer. For the third photo, I cropped out the door knob from the frame because I wanted the focus to be on the notecards and not their placement. The second photo is staged to have a messy and uneven frame to reflect the confused and frightened mentality of individuals having to be put into quarantine.

Brainstorming Session 2 Presentation

[harry-frampton]

‘First Man’ (2018) Review

As a huge Damien Chazelle fan (with both 'Whiplash' (2014) and 'La La Land' (2016) being some of my favourite films of the decade, if not all time) I was going to see his next film regardless of what it was. Then I learnt it was starring Ryan Gosling, one of my favourite actors, and my interest was perked even more. The cherry on top that made my expectations incredibly high was the subject matter, space exploration; a subject matter done to death that seems to fascinate me every time (unless, of course, it gets ruined by Sandra Bullock barking). Despite having absurdly high expectations, 'First Man' managed to meet them - and I can say, without a doubt, it is one of the best depictions of space exploration to arrive on the silver screen.

The film explores the life of Neil Armstrong and the moments leading up to and including the infamous Apollo 11 mission that saw him and Buzz Aldrin be the first men to set foot on the moon.

First of all, to state the obvious, the film looks incredible - with some of the most convincing uses of both practical and computer generated effects I've seen. It is genuinely difficult to determine how much of the film is done practically and how much is CGI, to the point where my girlfriend was convinced they were using real footage of the launch. Other than being convincing through the Paul Greengrass shaky cam/zoom technique, the film has moments of stillness that are simply mesmerising, with a beautiful array of colours to feast your eyes on.

Damien Chazelle has an ear for music, clearly, and again delivers a film with an excellent score to accompany its visuals (though don't be expecting a jazz theme again). On top of this, the sound design all throughout the film is seriously impressive - with one of my favourite moments coming from the transition between the chaotic crescendo of spacecraft noise to the vacuum silence of space.

Throughout the film I couldn't help but draw comparisons to Kubricks '2001: A Space Oddyssey' (1968). The sterile tone and sleek production design seen in both is another strength of the film, but that being said; the film has a surprising couple of heartfelt moments, even if they are somewhat few and far between. The subtle performances from a glorious cast make these interpretations of infamous explorers feel all the more real, and a nuanced performance from Claire Foy is a showstopper. Ryan Gosling may be doing more of his straight-faced serious man routine, but it feels appropriate given the context of the character.

If you are interested in learning more about Apollo 11, this film is very informative and takes a more factual, unbiased insight into the mission (and those that came before) than the usual Hollywood depiction of U.S. achievements.

I highly recommend this film to most people, although before watching the film I saw that a lot of people found this film to be "boring", which I think is absurd. That being said, they are probably the type of people to think '2001' is boring as well... In that case I guess if you don't like 'A Space Odyssey' then it's very possible you wont like this film either.

9/10

[coldsorescured]

Does Exercise Make Cold Sores Worse or Better?

See Does Exercise Make Cold Sores Worse or Better? on The Cold Sore Treatment Headquarters or read the entire post below:

Exercise is an important part of staying fit and healthy, but you're understandably concerned that the frequency of cold sore increases after a training session. Perhaps you've noticed that red fever blisters appear several days after you've lifted weights or run on the treadmill? Is exercise the cause?

Exercising helps to improve the flow of oxygenated blood and this, in turn, keeps your vital organs working optimally. Unfortunately, training can also be physically exhausting, especially after a hard day's work or limited sleep. You likely already know that tiredness, fatigue, sickness, and feeling run down are some of the most common triggers of cold sores.

You also realize that handling training equipment (that may have been touched by someone with an open cold sore) is a further risk that requires mitigation. It forces you to question whether the health advantages of exercise outweigh the disadvantages, but there's no need to be concerned.

We will explain why you should continue to exercise regularly and provide ways to reduce the chances of an outbreak occurring. We'll also recommend an over-the-counter cold sore treatment that will dramatically shorten the healing time so that you can recover much faster.

Should I Exercise with a Cold Sore?

While certain actions should be discouraged if you have a cold sore, exercise is not one of them. Training is a healthy practice, and good health can help to naturally heal cold sores.

Although fatigue and general sickness can cause cold sores, exercise is positive. The minor issues caused by intense exercise are good for your body. As long as you pace yourself and stay hydrated, you should be okay.

Various fitness classes can help to improve your physical standing and increase immune health. Having a strong body and immune system will likely make your cold sores better, not worse. It is important to listen to your body and strike the right balance.

One of the few ways that exercise could make a cold sore worse would involve a locker room setting. Sharing a towel or water bottle with an exercise partner, for example, could potentially lead to a primary HSV-1 infection or recurrent cold sores.

4 Facts about Exercising & Cold Sores

Provided that you aren't already sick or exhausted, general exercise does NOT make cold sore worse or cause HSV-1.

Exercise is good for your body and your immune system. You will likely heal faster and avoid infection due to increased blood flow. The stronger you are, the more easily your body can fend off viruses, bacteria, and disease.

Sharing of accessories and touching gym equipment has the potential to cause cold sores to form. Try to avoid touching your mouth or face after gripping exercise equipment, and never share towels with a training partner.

If you fail to drink an adequate amount of water, your body will become dehydrated. This can lead to cracking of the lips, which provides an entry point for HSV-1. Stay hydrated and consider applying a healing lip balm, such as Herpecin.

Can You Get Cold Sores from Exercise Machines at the Gym?

Although the physical act of exercising will not make a cold sore worse, certain actions can cause a cold sore. This is especially true if you handle equipment during your routine.

If you are changing exercise machines, handling weights, and touching benches, you could be at risk. Similar to the note above regarding towels and drink sharing, you need to be mindful.

Although dormant until triggered, HSV-1 is constant. Just the simple act of touching a weight that has been handled by an infected individual can be harmful. This is most notable if you are older and perhaps more susceptible to the virus.

While there is no need to live in fear, you must treat the gym like any other public setting. You can still receive a quality workout while also being cautious of your surroundings.

Hints & Tips for Avoiding Cold Sores

Hygiene is critical. If you carry a gym bag, add a small bottle of hand sanitizer to the fold. If you have handled equipment, then sterilize your hands. This is vital because you cannot wash your hands after every set of weights.

Avoid touching your face. You need to be conscious of your actions because touching your mouth area is the easiest way to spread HSV-1.

Take extra precautions based on your personal history. Are you currently under the weather with a minor illness? Have you been working hard and feel exhausted? Did you sleep poorly last night? If you answered "yes" to those questions, you might wish to take a break and train on a day when you're feeling closer to 100%.

Can Sweat Cause Cold Sores?

While exercise can be vigorous and sweat producing, sweating heavily does not cause cold sores. At present, there is no factual evidence to confirm that it does anyway.

Dehydration can play a role. You are more likely to get a cold sore from dehydration than from sweat activating HSV-1. Because lack of fluids can cause cracked lips, HSV-1 can invade that region of the body.

Frequency of Cold Sores during Exercise As We Get Older

Can age play a factor as it relates to cold sores and exercise? Yes. This is especially true for the middle-aged and seniors.

The human body doesn't work quite as effectively as we age. While maintaining good health is important, we have to be aware of our limitations. Although certain changes are more noticeable than others, even subtle changes can leave the door open for cold sores.

Listed below are a few common issues that older people could face:

Vitamin deficiency. Seniors often struggle with vitamin intake, especially vitamins D, and B12. Cold sores prey on weakened immune health. Exercise could be quite taxing for an older adult.

The longer the life, the longer the exposure. Is there a price to pay for staying alive? As it relates to HSV-1, the answer could be yes. Cold sores have the potential to develop much later in life due to the body giving in to the virus. The older you are, the more natural exposure you will have.

Hormonal changes. Swings in hormones can promote cold sores. This is especially true in the case of middle-aged men and women.

While stress is a known cold sore trigger, regardless of age, stress can change as you age. Major life changes can impact your immune health. Some life issues are unique to older adults. These issues can promote stress and harm to the body.

Cold Sore Treatment Following & during Training Sessions

While there is no cure for cold sores or guaranteed method of prevention, the good news is that it is possible to reduce the number of outbreaks. The use of over-the-counter cold sore medicines can also dramatically reduce your pain and healing time from weeks to just a few days!

The sooner that you treat a cold sore, the more quickly it can be cleared up. Creams, such as HERP-B-GONE, prevent the virus from multiplying. Consequently, outbreaks tend to be less severe and the tell-tale symptoms far less noticeable.

Perhaps you already have a cold sore and need a quick cover up? The best thing that you can use in this situation is the Compeed Cold Sore Patch. The fever blister will not only be difficult to detect when you're out in public, but the sore will also be medicated for up to 12 hours.

Living a Healthy Lifestyle & Reducing the Risk of Cold Sores

Everything that we do carries some degree of risk. Unless you wrap yourself in a protective bubble or never leave your home, you will always be open to germs, viruses, and bacteria. The best thing to do is continue living an active and healthy lifestyle while taking sensible precautions.

If you do notice a tingling sensation on the lip, apply a fast-acting treatment without delay. While it's unlikely to prevent a cold sore, your experience will be much easier to tolerate. You'll endure less pain, and the symptoms won't be nearly as visible to the staring glances of strangers.

Exercising is good for your health. Just avoid training when you're sick, tired, and run down. Wash or sterilize your hands and try to avoid touching your face or mouth after using machines at the gym or shaking people's hands. These simple precautions will enable you to enjoy the benefits of exercise with a much-reduced risk of getting cold sores.