Ted Talk

http://www.ted.com/talks/ben_cameron_tedxyyc.html

Ben Cameron starts out his speech with some facts about his own life. He lists various genres of likes he has which makes him seem similar to the listener. He lists enough of his favorite types of music and television shows that most people in the audience will relate to one or more of them and then those audience members will then pay more attention because they have something in common with the speaker. Cameron then goes on to talk about the arts, his subject. He is very confident and projects well. He uses his hands a lot but I feel like they help bring the audience along with what he is saying. Technology is very present in our modern lives and Cameron acknowledges this. The examples and statistics he makes throughout the speech makes it very relatable. His pace is comprehendible but still with a sense of urgency. He makes the subject matter seem as if it is a breaking news story and I feel like that makes it feel more interesting and significant. Cameron does not use any outside visuals through the presentation. There is just a simple curtain behind him He has a water bottle in one of his hands at all times and I think that kind of acts as a backup plan so he does not gesticulate too much.  I really enjoyed Cameron’s delivery of the speech. There was nothing that stuck out to me that made the speech ineffective. He makes the subject seem important and pressing without going over the top.

Detroit vs. Everybody

Rembert is a man interested in cities and Detroit is a very significant and an almost notorious city in the United States. Rembert was on a mission to get a cultured look at the city and I feel like he left the city with almost just as many questions as he had before. He went into the city with some negative bias as a result of some of the opinions other people have had about the city. He tried looking past that but they seemed to prove to be true as he was entering the city.

As Rembert was approaching his hotel he saw cars that were upside down and a city that looked like it was not kept up very well. His hotel worker told him to not mind the explosions. Later he discovered that there was a movie being filmed there and that seemed like is should have accounted for the explosion sounds but there was really no way of him knowing where the sounds were coming from or if the movie had anything to do with the decrepit look of the city as he was entering it.

The Heidelberg Project was something that seemed to surprise Rembert. The project consists of blocks of houses that are more or less installations of art. The houses are decorated in different ways and this type of community within the torn city of Detroit was a breath of fresh air. It was the effort that was put on by the residents as well as the artist that made the houses seem like they were making a difference in the city.  

He started to give the city a chance after attending the Kendrick Lamar concert that made the city seem very united and after attending the park. Even though the park was super busy it showed that city was making an effort to give the citizens a chance to have a better time in the city. As he ventured through the Hart Plaza Amphitheater space his newfound view on the city was challenged. He went down through the theater and after he went through a part that smelt like urine he discovered some great street art. This art seemed as if it was being covered up which was in contrast to the Heidelberg project art. As he approached the random abandoned structure, which was in awful taste on the inside, he was horrified with what the city has decided to keep up for an extended amount of time.

Rembert learned through his journey in Detroit that the city has many layers. There is no way to capture even one facet of the culture without having a doubt. The city is complicated and I think that Rembert needs more time there in order to fully understand the city’s workings.  

My Bodies of the Year

While reading the article “My Bodies of the Year” I definitely could acknowledge and recognize the argument that Morris made. This year has been filled with lots of thoughts and judgments about the bodies we have seen in the public view. The examples he used made sense. Celebrities are typically expected to bounce back to pre- baby weight in an almost unnatural time span. Kim Kardashian’s pregnancy was very popular this year and she knew that people were waiting to see when she would show off her signature booty once again. I really enjoyed reading what Katy Perry had to say about “sexy card.” I thought that term was an appropriate term for the circumstances Perry was describing. We, as Perry’s fans, have followed her since her “I kissed a girl” days all the way through her recent break- up with husband Russell Brand. She came out with a new album this year that is different and less in- your- face from her past Candyland like releases and it seems evident that she has changed from her days of pulling the “sexy card.” Miley Cyrus on the other hand seems to be making the opposite change of not pulling the “sexy card” to pulling a big one that some think is too big for her to handle.  Her new album is also very different and she is going in a flashy and a party orientated direction. A lot of people have commented on the turn that Cyrus has taken and it was responsible of Morris to make that connection. The way celebrities portray their body changes with the paths they want to take in their career and what has happened in their personal life. Bodies also matter to the normal people and entertain us so much because we all have one. Being healthy and gaining the ideal is an everlasting battle for most of us and the celebrities seem like they have that part of their life very together.  Another celebrity that comes to mind on the subject of bodies is Jennifer Lawrence. She is a very attractive and sexy celebrity but she makes it seem natural unlike the others. She wants to empower her fans and is using her body to create a more positive message about everyone's body.

 She has said that she will not starve for a role and I think that is empowering to actually hear a celebrity say. The other celebrities mentioned in the article clearly do not feel that way. Bodies are always changing and the physical body as well as what we should do with them will continue to change based on the individual.