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My parents met in a half-way house in Chicago.  My mom suffered from a mental illness and my dad had little family support with this alcohol addiction and lack of purpose in life.  My mom became pregnant with me at the half-way house, got married to my dad, and tried to make their marriage work.  It wasn't long before their relationship broke down completely.  My mom was pregnant with me when she was in Elgin State Mental hospital.  She escaped and jumped off a bridge into a body of water while she was 7 months pregnant with me.  A woman found her and she was placed in solitary confinement for the rest of her pregnancy with me.  I was going to be given up for adoption at birth but my grandparents showed up to take me from birth until three years old. Life was lonely and hard without my parents.  My Aunt took my brother and me in when I was 9 years old and we became a part of a blended family.  Even though I was raised by my Aunt, I was in constant contact with my parents:  talking
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Kamala Harris, the first Black woman and first South Asian American woman to become vice-president elect, started her victory speech with a quote from John Lewis, who stated, "Democracy is not a state it is an act. Kamala, dressed in an all-white suit, stood poised and confident as she delivered, "and what that meant was... that America's Democracy is not guaranteed.  It is only as strong as our willingness to fight for it.  We the people have the power to build." Her speech focused on acknowledging that we the people have suffered but also emphasized the ability we have to be resilient and full of courage.   She addressed all women (Black, Asian, White, Native American as she spoke about her mother, who at 19 years of age came from India for a better life. She spoke to empower women as they have paved the way for equality and that Black women are the backbone of our democracy. Kamala displayed strength and vision as she ended her speech stating that, she is the firs
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https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/7497335638343800510/2284435030091717703# What I saw: After viewing this video 3-4 times, the images that stand out in my mind were the "quotes" from leaders in psychology from our history centuries ago and how valid and applicable they are today.  Each slide had enough white space around each frame.  I had the ability to focus on the message free of distractions. The image of the elephant was colorful and clear as well as the message.  The images that stood out to me were: red arrows, puff clouds to represent thoughts, and colors such as red and green.  These images alerted my senses and enhanced the message without confusion. I also saw Mr. Rogers and Senator Pastore side by side on the same screen slide and remember how effective that was as it enhanced the message. What I understood: I understood the ride and the elephant analogy due to the graphics and color.  It was a concise message and to the point. The rider consists of 1% of our
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Summary Writing and the Words We Choose My process and perspective change of thinking by Annie Todor 10/12/2020   https://miro.medium.com/max/1024/0*MvCu1ClMi56eVTQj.jpg At work they call me the "word girl" because words mean so much to me but I can also be lazy with how I choose to use them both in speaking and writing.  So this assignment is a challenge to improve my writing skills and be a more effective communicator.  I've identified some challenges as well as some triumphs as well. One of the first tips that the article I read focused on is using the THIRD PERSON not first person.  If I use (we, us, our ---this assumes that the writer had the same experience).   This will be a challenge for me to remember in my writing as I lean on writing from my own perspective.  The focus is not on me as I write a summary but rather on what the film is doing. Dr. Kyburz sent us an article of elemental tips about summary writing that was very helpful.  This type of writing is a ski
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https://cdn.pixabay.com/photo/2016/10/05/17/26/indian-1717192_960_720.jpg Documentary Project Summary by Annie Todor Born into Brothels Directors Ross Kauffman & Zana Briski (2004) The names of the central characters in the film are the 8 children represented as well as the photographer. The children: Avijit, Manik, Puja, Shani, Gour, Tapasi, Suchitra, and Kochi. Kana Briski is the photographer who begins working with the children of prostitutes in Calcutta's red light district in India. This documentary reveals the generational cycle of despair to children born from mothers of prostitutes who have little hope of a better life.  In the beginning the film focuses on the lifestyles of the children and their surroundings of one room living spaces, narrow dark hallways, crowded streets outside their rooms, and mothers going to work behind curtains.  A child narrates her life communicating that the men who visit her home are "no good" and how she is questioned from other w
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This is Water reflection

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  This is Water reflective blog entry  Annie Todor There were several quotes and images that stood out to me as I viewed David Wallace's work "This is Water."     "The most obvious, important realities are often the ones that are hardest to see and talk about." This quote went along with the fish swimming in the bowl.   It was a great reminder to me that I can miss meaning in the every day occurrences and rely on a default mentality if I haven't trained my mind to choose to think in a healthy way that includes empathy and gratefulness. I not only enjoyed viewing the video but also reading his commencement speech.  Certain phrases jumped out at me and caught my attention..."It isn't really about the capacity to think, but rather the choice of what to think about" was one of the statements that rang true in my spirit. David Wallace mentioned that it is a matter of choosing to do the work of getting free of my hard-wired default setting which is t
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