FFW: How are TWN and Just Add Water the same?

There is an emphasis on water in both works

Alcohol and drugs

Love triangles

Disguises
Characters are "living a lie" in both works


They follow the same plot
Both works follow the Comedic Curve: normal--> far from normal--> new normal
In TWN, everything starts out as normal. Orsino keeps trying to woo Olivia. Then, things start to change. Viola and her brother are caught in a storm. Each thinks the other one has drowned. Viola disguises herself as a man and joins Orsino’s court. When Viola tries to woo Olivia for Orsino, she falls in love with him and Olivia falls in love with her. Everything eventually is rectified. Olivia chooses Viola’s brother as her husband and Viola and Orsino are joined as well.

In Just Add Water, Ray has a routine. He works from 9-5, goes to the Rite-Valu to pick up food for dinner, and repeat. This changes however when he comes home early one day. He finds his wife in bed with his brother. His wife tells him that the affair has been going on before she had their baby. She also tells him that Ray is not the father of their child, his brother is. Charlene (Ray’s wife) and his son move out. He starts a new life. Ray begins a relationship with Nora and overthrows Durk, making the town better.

Smith's Obsession With Life

I think Smith likes the animalcules because they offer him an escape from the plain and ordinary. Evidence for this can be seen throughout the entire article, most of it describing tiny bits of pond scum most people have never heard of. One passage in particular confirms this: " I look up from the scope and stand to stretch. Already my viewing eye is dulled. Already the yard beyond the back porch looks huge and messy and cobbled; the flowers seem ragged compared to the bright world beneath the lenses." (pg 26)

Smith thinks that the world of pond scum is more beautiful and intricate than the world he lives in. The creatures in the pond scum he cannot see in everyday life and this excites him because they are exotic and different. He spends pages and pages describing the creatures he sees. His tone is excited and vocabulary suggests that as well.

(Stand up routine: George Carlin) “Consider G. Carlin’s counterpoint on the environment”

To the whole endangered species rant: the reason we save the species is because we’re speeding up their extinction which is supposed to be a bad thing. But we are here so it seems kind of stupid. Maybe the earth wasn’t meant to be industrialized the way we have and they should be saved because it’s our doing. What's wrong with keeping species around? If we were dying wouldn't you want someone to save you?

Also, global warming is definitely happening. There is a ton of evidence to support this. Considering that global warming wasn’t happening until industrialization, wouldn’t you think that it is our fault? Do you believe in coincidences Mr. Carlin? What about cause and effect?

FFW: What emblem/symbol/image best exemplifies that message/argument/point of the film “just add water?” What’s its “small object”?

Umm…I guess it would be some kind of recycle or “green” image. I think this works as a symbol because like recycling or some other kind of good-doing involving improving the planet is what the characters in “Just Add Water” do to their town. Like recycling and the like, these activities have a positive effect on the world around us. Ray and his gang taking down Durk and his meth lab and tyrannical ruling of the town have a positive effect on everyone because they are all freed from having to pay to get into the town etc. Also, it starts to rain after they apprehend Durk, signifying that their deeds will ensure the restoration of the town.

In addition to this evidence, I also think a “recycle” symbol fits this film because a large theme in this movie is the way we waste and consume natural resources and how they affect the environment and us. Ray does his part to restore the environment by picking up trash, and as an audience, we wish more could be done to save the town. Eventually, Ray delivers. But, if the town had recycled their toxic waste properly in the first place, they wouldn’t be stuck in the predicament that they’re in.

"How We Evolve"

This article so far has been my favorite. We've talked about it in my Darwinism class and I like a lot of the observations and research Phelan brings up. The passage about the lactose gene is absolutely fascinating. Evolution is such an interesting topic. I don't agree really with his conclusion about the effects of our industrialization speeding up our extinction. Well, actually, i'm not totally sure if I believe it or not.

It's believable because the thought of massive change occurring rapidly could make sure that natural selection will wipe us all out. It's not believable, because like we've discussed in class, a theory that humans are at the top of the food chain is because they are the best at adapting to a variety of situations. When we didn't have other nutrients besides milk, we adapted to drink it into adulthood. We live in every environment on Earth. No other species can boast that. Our large brains help us invent new tools. Our thumbs are an amazing evolutionary tool that can do millions of different tasks. I can cite about a dozen other references here.
Also, we are able to stop events like global warming from occurring because we are aware of what's going on. We can keep our extinction from happening because we can predict what's going to happen to the environment around us. If all of this is true, I believe that we have a very good chance of surviving just about anything.

My Writing Center Experience

After waking up two hours early to make sure I'd have time to run errands and go to the writing center, the person who I'd scheduled my appointment with didn't show up. They scheduled me with someone else, only 30 minutes before my class. Instead of getting the full hour I woke up for, I only got 30 minutes. Those 30 minutes were helpful though. I brought them my paper that was due for the class I had in 30 minutes and they corrected a few grammatical errors I had. This professor is big on correct grammar so I probably will receive a better grade because of the Writing Center.

"Climate Change and Ethics and Economics, Oh My": Another Article On the Effects Of Our Destructive Habits.

I think Broome reveals that the sudden urgency to change the effects of climate change on the environment raises controversy. This is because of difference in ethics which relates to how people think. In turn, this has an effect on how they think of this issue economically. The economics involved is important because it has an effect on how we deal with this issue. Broome discusses proiritarianism and utilitarianism, two ethical theories and applies them to economics in his article, “The Ethics of Climate Change”.

Prioritarianism in relation to ethics involves placing less value on the wealthy and more value on stabilizing the gap between the wealthy and the poor. This can be done by placing less social value on the upper class’ conspicuous consumption. Utilitarianism is the exact opposite of proiritarianism. This theory states that the gathering of “benefits” shouldn’t be overvalued or undervalued based on economic status. The gathering of that benefit is the same regardless of whether or not you’re rich or poor. These theories lead people to different conclusions about the need to reverse the damage of climate change. Prioritarianism places a higher value on the “return” or “benefit” we get from enacting change now. Utilitarianists believe that the return on changing our habits now will not have a great enough benefit to make a difference. As you can see, ethics play a large part in this controversy and in our perceptions of an issue. Broome believes that the way to solve this is to argue both sides and let democracy run it’s course.