Author Archives: Jovi

About Jovi

Hey everyone, My name is Kyrsten and I'm from Chicago. I have 3 pet dogs and a turtle. I play 5 instruments and I'm majoring in music therapy. I chose Wooster because ( as much as I love my big city) I wanted a small school experience and more one on one learning experiences. I love to travel and explore new places. I'm pretty much a thrift junkie/hoarder. I love buying vintage clothes and jewelry and creating cute and unique looks from them. I look forward to my experience at Wooster as well as meeting all the beautiful people here.

Noticias 11/27/2017

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The article I chose this week is very different from articles I have chosen in the past. This article sheds provides positivity and inspiration in contrast to the usual current event and news. This weeks article is, “Mexico Creates Huge National Park to Protect Marine Life.” The Mexican government sectioned a large marine reserve around the Revillagigedo Archipelago ( a group of islands along the west coast of Mexico). The protection zone 57,000 square miles. This is about the length of the United States times 20!! This reserve has now become the largest in North America. The National park will ban fishing, forbid extracting natural resources, ban the building of hotels, and be patrolled by the navy to ensure the safety of the wildlife. The reserve is home to endangered and unique wildlife including rays, whales, sea turtles, and coral. The goal of the National park include helping populations which have been affected by commercial fishing.  The site is also a major breeding and migrant are for humpback whales. The new protected area will ensure their safety as well. The new national park hopes to The President of Mexico signed the decree with the hopes of influencing other countries to take measures like these to protect wildlife and the environment.

Mexico is portrayed as a positive role model and eco friendly nation with this move to create a National Park. I chose this article because I feel as though it really connected to some of our class presentations on species and wildlife in Latin America. It is refreshing to see humans positively interacting with nature and attempting to mend the damage we’ve done. Chile has also created a massive marine national park and hopefully other countries will begin to as well.

Noticias 10/30/2017

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The article I chose this week is called, “Mexico’s Day of the Dead Parade Pays Tribute to Quake Victims.” I chose this article because I feel as though we describe Dia de los Muertos as a fun and exciting festival and although it can be, it is important to remember it’s purpose, which is to honor the dead. Mexico suffered an intense earthquake in September that killed hundreds of loved ones. This year’s Day of the Dead emphasized this tragedy during the parade. The article describes the common traditions associated with the parade, which include face panting, performances, giant sculptures with beautiful marigolds, and cultural artwork. This year, participants honored those specifically killed in the earthquake by wearing shirts with the words, “#fuerzamorelos” or “Be Strong Morelos.” (Morelos is a state that was affected by the 7.1-magnitude earthquake.) Another group wore fluorescent aid-worker vests and marched with fists in the air. This was a tribute to the rescuers who had demanded silence as they listened for desperate survivors in the rubble from the second quake. Then article also mentioned that Day of the Dead is also a celebration of life and a symbol of unity in Mexican culture.

The article portrays Mexican people as heartbroken for the immense loss of their people, buildings, homes, and land from the 7.1 magnitude earthquake that occurred just a month ago. But the article also shows how resilient and strong the Mexican survivors and residents are after the disaster. Despite the traumatic event they are still able to come together and unite to celebrate life and their lost loved ones.

I believe this article relates to our course themes because this week we are specifically discussing Dia de los Muertos or Day of the Dead. This holiday is significant to Mexican culture. It portrays their dedication and emphasis on tradition (since Dia de los Muertos has been celebrated since Mesoamerican festivals.) The article stated that more than 200,000 more people attended this year’s parade in comparison to last year’s. This shows the fierce pride and unity Mexican people possess. I think it is important to study other culture’s traditions and holidays as we celebrate ours. It’s interesting to see how we compare and contrast in relation to Latin American countries.

Comments on my Peer Review Assessment

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Although I only received one peer review edit, the opinion was quite helpful. Joseph stated that my plans were very descriptive. He also agreed with me that there were a few examples of plagiarism already on the page and that I should delete those paragraphs or cite them. Joseph also made an important point that since gentrification is such a controversial topic, I should be careful to not write with a bias when adding my section. I will definitely keep this in mind when writing my paragraph.  Thank you again Joseph for taking the time to review my article.

 

Related image

(p.s enjoy this picture of a beautiful mural located in Pilsen, Chicago. (the area I am writing my wiki article about!))

Homework 10/23/207

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Rivera Rideau argues that once Reggeton hit the mainstream media in the US around the 2000s, the media chose to systematically racialize Latinos and African Americans. Rideau undergoes intense examination of the media coverage during this period and finds that the media portrays Latinos and African Americans with stereotypes yet keeping the two races separated from each other although the creators of the music are closely linked. The way the media chose to portray the two groups created a separation of the races that had not been present in the original Latin environments. The article sheds light on the issues of race, gender, and class and how they shape the evolution of reggeton. Specifically, the aspect of colorism plays a role in the success of reggeton artists. Examples show how lighter skinned Latinos or the ‘not quite black’ Latinos achieved more success and recognition when their music was brought to the US mainstream media. Examples of this were shown with Daddy Yankee, Enrique Iglesias and Shakira. Gender also played a role in the music industry for the artists. The article describes the success of multiple male artists but vaguely mentions female artists. It seems that gender and race play a huge role in the success of these artists. On another note, reggaton music often sexualizes women and creates degradation of women. The article also describes how reggaton’s music reflects the social class of the artists. The music has become associated with low income and impoverished neighborhoods. This leads to the stereotypes that these dynamics lead to criminal activity. This leads to the continued negative views of minority races.  It is obvious that the author has an angry tone when writing the article as he discusses the negative effects of the stereotypes of reggaton music.

Noticias Blog Post: Intertwining of language in music

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The article I chose this week is, Despacito’ Owned the Summer. What’s Next for Latin Pop?  The article discusses how Despacito was number one on the charts from May -October 2017. The hit brought together two Puerto Rican artists from varying genres and an American teen idol. This strange combination of artists has opened up a door (so to speak) for Latin pop breakout songs like this. The article goes on to explain the positive outcome this song has created. Since it became so popular and grabbed audiences’ attention, artists have started to combine languages and musical styles more so than before.  The cross-pollination of Latin genres has expanded and brought together various audiences. The article states how new artists have a unique experience by spending their lives in two different cultures. (United States and Latin locations) This creates a hybrid and new sound.The article goes on by referencing new remixes and collaborations between different artists and the use of two languages (Ex: Enrique Iglesias and Shakira) songs. This article foreshadows new music we can expect to see due to the success of intermingling of cultures, languages, genres, and artists.

Image result for enrique iglesias singingImage result for shakira

Latinos are described as talented and revolutionary musicians in this article. They are creating a new style of music that incorporated different languages and it is becoming extremely popular. This could be a start to a completely new genre and way of expressing one’s identity. I think fans and audiences can relate to this cross cultural music due to their own backgrounds.

This article connects to our course themes specifically by focusing on musical identity and encounters with Latin culture. I chose this article due to this week’s focus. The article shows the interaction between Latin music and western/pop music. It also sheds light on how some artists (ex: Fonsi) were born in the U.S and have U.S influences on their music, as well as their original Latin culture. I think a lot of students can relate to this dynamic of being apart of two different cultures. I also think its important to note the positive impact of intertwining the two cultures, genres, and artists.

Noticias #3 Celebrities use their fame to help Puerto Rico

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http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2017/09/29/celebrities-puerto-rican-relief-efforts_a_23227593/

The article I chose this week focuses on how multiple celebrities have chosen to help out the victims of hurricane Maria through varying efforts. The celebrities range from singers, comedians, actors, athletes, even talk show hosts! For example, the article states that talk show host Stephan Colbert and actor Nick Kroll found a humorous way to raise money for a Puerto Rico relief fund by sharing embarrassing puberty pictures of themselves and vowing to donate for every celebrity who joined in and posted an embarrassing picture of themselves as well. Beyoncé took another approach to raising money for a Puerto Rico relief fund by releasing a remix of the song, “Me Gente” and donating all the proceeds to countries/islands affected by the hurricane. Even the former couple, Marc Anthony and Jennifer Lopez, teamed together to create an organization called, “Somo Una Voz” which brings celebrities together to rush necessities such as food, water, shelter, medicine, power, communications, and more to areas affected by local disasters. Alex Rodrigues, Bruno Mars, and Ed Sheeren are just a few other popular faces who have joined the organization as well to help those in need. Pitbull has even used his wealth to transport cancer patients from Puerto Rico to the United states with his private jet. It is truly inspiring to see these celebrities using their fame and fortune to help others in need.

The people of Puerto Rico are portrayed as victims in desperate need of help in this article. They have been left with little to no access to food, water, power, or medical attention. On the other hand, a few of the celebrities mentioned are from Puerto Rico themselves. The celebrities are portrayed as noble citizens helping out innocent people affected by the horrible disaster of hurricane Maria. The article highlights the importance of giving back and helping your community. I think this directly related to our class’s volunteering component.

This article related to our class themes in numerous ways. It sheds light on the importance of volunteering and helping others just like our FYS class. It also shows the interaction of American celebrities with Puerto Rican citizens. The encounter is a beautiful one that shows the big hearts of privileged individuals giving back to the less fortunate. I think this article could raise some interesting discussion questions on how celebrities have helped the victims of hurricane Maria more than the government and politicians. I also think it would be important to discuss what we can do to help the victims as well.

Possible Wikipedia Topic

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After engaging in a conversation with my friend Gerald, I decided to look more into ‘Las Escualas Flotantes’ or ‘The Floating Schools.’ These school’s are designed and built in order to continue teaching children due to flooding or natural disasters that occur in their environment. This floating schools can be found in Argentina, Columbia, Bangladesh, and Nigeria. These structures are typically boat-like structures designed into a school space for children whose school’s have been shut down or destroyed due to a disaster. I believe it is important to share and shed light on this topic because it highlights the importance of education and how much we take it for granted. Unfortunately, I could not find any Wikipedia articles on this topic. I did find videos, volunteer programs, and other websites with a plethora of information. There was one page on Wikipedia connected to floating schools. The article is called “Mokoko Floating School” and describes the floating school located in Nigeria. It’s a very short wiki article with only two paragraphs (history and design). The references are books/newspapers which are all relatively modern and reliable and the links appear to work as well. The talk page did not have any discussions on it.

links used:

First Latin American Floating School Inaugurated

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Makoko_Floating_School

https://www.buildabroad.org/2016/09/16/floating-schools-solution-flooding-across-globe/

 

 

Noticias #2-Women’s Death Sparks Protests Across Mexico

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On Friday Sept. 18, 2017, Mara Fernanda Castilla was found abandoned and murdered in a ditch outside of Mexico City. Mara was a young college student who decided to use ‘Cabify’ (a Spanish-ride sharing service) to get home after a night of clubbing with friends. The ‘Cabify’ app showed that Mara did make it to her destination, yet cameras never recorded her getting out of the car or into her apartment. The gruesome murder sparked an uproar and prompted activists to protests on their Independence Day parade (Sunday Sept. 17, 2017) . The activists say the country has neglected the injustice of femicides occurring in their country. Femicide is a crime involving the violence and killing of women.

The amount of murders of women in Mexico city are so high that society groups have pushed for a gender alert which was also rejected in July 2017 by the government. The article also states that statistics show that seven women are killed every day and no attention is given by the government unless they are taken to the media.

The article highlights how the government has been ignoring the intense amount of murders and crimes against women and hopes to shed light on this issue and influence the government to take better measures in preventing this atrocity.

Latin America/Mexico is portrayed as a violent environment. It is also seen as a place in need of better government that shows attention for their people. On the other hand, it also highlights the power of the people when they join together to share their dismay on the violence of women. They are portrayed as passionate individuals yearning and fighting for a change and safer environment.

Although this article is very intense, I thought it was important to showcase the violence against women. It connects to our class themes of identity because I think this is a universal topic especially considering that Mara was a current college student(similar to us) before her murder. It is something that could happen to anyone and should always be addressed. It also emphasizes how our encounters as women differ and compare in different regions.

links used:

http://www.bbc.com/news/in-pictures-41301819

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/sep/18/mexico-woman-murder-student-ride-hailing-service-cabify

 

Ideas for Research Project

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I am considering doing my research project on:

  1. Predominantly Latin communities/neighborhoods in Chicago (Pilsen, Humboldt, etc. ) and how/why they came to be. (Looking at the history and immigration to these areas.) I may extend to see what negative and positive effects having a community like this cause.
  2. How different people in Guatemala interact with each other. (City vs. mountain and country people) and why it may be negative or positive. I want to examine the history of my country.

I hope to discover more about my city and the neighborhoods I am frequently in but do not know the history of. I am also interested in the various Guatemalan people’s encounters. I know there are differences and connotations to each, but I want to know why and where these dences started.

After searching wiki and credo, I found many sources. Thankfully Chicago is a big city with many documented sources if its history. I found info on the specific neighborhoods history, traditions, residents, etc.

I also found lots of information on Guatemala that I thought would be helpful. This included the differences in ethnic groups, languages, indigenous integration, religion, etc.

Overall, I think my topics are interesting to me and I will be able to find info about both.

 

Noticias 9/11/2017- California Sues Trump Administration Over DACA Elimination

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The article I read was very interesting and also pleasing to read considering the injustices minorities have undergone (especially) since Trump’s presidency. The article from Huffington posts explains how the state of California is fighting back on Trump’s administration’s decision to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival’s (DACA) program. On Monday, Sept. 11, 2017, the California Attorney General Xavier Cercerra announced he will be suing Trump’s administration to prevent deportation of thousands of young undocumented immigrants.

The article goes on to state their reasoning for suing. It is not only a morality issue but a legal one as well. Becerra argues that Trump’s  administration would be breaking multiple laws including the fifth amendment which states one receives due process and cannot incriminate oneself. If DACA is reversed undocumented immigrants would be incriminating themselves by giving out information of their legal status when DACA was instated not knowing or being warned of the future effects on giving this info. Maine, Minnesota, and Maryland have also decided to join the lawsuit. There is a message from Trump stating he does feel sympathy for the dreamers and there may be a possibility of amnesty.

The article describes latinos as innocent students as well as victims. Latinos have a large population in the state of Califoria and thousands would have their hopes and dreams crushed if they were to lose their DACA status. They are also described as suffering a huge injustice with the US law. It’s almost as if they were tricked into criminating themselves by giving their legal status to the government for their education (a human right) and now being threatened to lose their education and amnesty.

This article embraces our class themes of Latin identity and encounters because it impacts us on a much closer level. As college students, some of us may in fact be ‘dreamers’ and experience this scary prospect of being deported or having friends/family being deported. I chose this article because in a literal sense some students identify as undocumented students. In another sense we are encountering this national issue in present day and it is important to stay updated on current events.

(Link to article http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/california-daca-lawsuit_us_59b6c50de4b0349d072b91fc )