Breaking Monarchy Tradition

Recently in the summer of 2018, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, married Meghan Markle, a mixed American. This event changed the history of marriage in the British Monarchy. Normally for marriages to occur in the British Monarchy, whoever is getting married has to be very pure to get married. Meaning they marry people of the same race, religion, and status. 

Prince Harry met Meghan on a blind date and instantly was attracted to her. As time went on, their relationship grew, causing them to become engaged and this was the biggest break in tradition to ever happen in the British Monarchy. They only dated for a little over a year before getting engaged and people found many problems with this engagement. First off, Meghan Markle is divorced which is breaking huge tradition in the monarchy. It is a tradition for people in the monarchy to marry people who are "pure" and have never been divorced. So this was the first big no, no to happen. Next, Meghan is also mixed. She is half-black and half-white. This is also breaking tradition because usually the monarchy only marries people of the same race as them. Another thing is that she is American. Everyone born into the monarchy is British and typically they marry people who are also British. Since Meghan is American, this adds on the list of things that are being broken with their marriage. Another thing to add on is that Meghan was also an actor. Typically actors are very outspoken about their opinions and the monarchy can't really do that. They aren't allowed to talk about politics that much because it could leave a bad rep for them. 

Now you might be asking, why in the world is this important? Well first off the monarchy is known for having structure and a put-in-place set of rules that stay. They don't tend to stray away from what the norm is. Everyone in the family has followed the rules for years. But this is important because of the rebellion it shows. It's a very good story of how no matter how much you love a person, nothing can stop you. Even with all these basic traditions set in place, Prince Harry really loved her and nothing was going to stop him. This changes many things for other people too. Seeing Prince Harry do this and make this gigantic move to break all these rules, might start changing the minds of others in the family. They might start thinking they have more freedom. If Prince Harry can break tradition, why can't they? Especially for the younger generation of the Royal Family. They will grow up thinking that it's okay to break tradition if Prince Harry did it. Another reason why this is so huge is that the Queen has to give the blessing for the two to get married. She is the one that says it is okay, and for her to break tradition and allow them to do it shows that maybe they're more lenient than we think. 

There's a lot more to it than just a marriage, there's also completely changing history. 

Ian Ransonet

1984 - George Orwell

I read this novel back in my senior year of high school so my memory of it is very vague but I remember 1984 by George Orwell being an amazing book. I believe if you go look online for most popular British books this novel is still one of the most popular.

This novel is about a society that completely lives under the rule of the government. The government says what they can and can't do, how they can speak or can speak. The government created a new way of talking that they called "Newspeak" and what it essentially did is removed any words from their language that was anywhere near related to the topic of talking bad about the government. So basically any words that were used to say anything bad about the government was taken out of the language. The government wants the citizens to live life exactly how they say and no other way. They put up cameras all over their country (which is Oceania). They have televised screens that constantly say the words "Big Brother is watching you". This basically means that they are constantly being monitored and they should watch what they say or do or the government will take them in and punish them. 

But what's interesting about this novel is how George Orwell wrote it. The novel was first published in 1934 and the book is called 1984. The entire concept of the novel is saying that this is what George Orwell thinks the future is going to be like in 50 years. The government has full control of everything and they are constantly watching and monitoring every movement you make. Sexual desires are suppressed and sexual intercourse is solely for the purpose of procreation and not to just have fun. The government suppresses their memories by brainwashing some of the people. Political ideas and opinions are completely suppressed and no form of an opinion is allowed by anyone lower than the government. They all have to do exactly as the government says or consequences will happen.

This novel took the world by storm ever since its release. I'm not a fan of reading, I'm going to be honest, but I really did enjoy this novel. My class would have Socratic seminars and there are so many topics you can explore in this novel. Psychology, power, religion, identity, government, and many more. There are many different ways to interpret this novel and I think that it's a great novel to read for modern British literature. This novel is still one of the best selling novels to this day and it was released almost 100 years ago which is crazy to think about. There was even an entire TV show about it called Big Brother where people live in a house for 3 months straight being watched by cameras the entire time. I recommend this book to anyone and everyone who is old enough to understand the language in the novel, which isn't that complex. Orwell did a fantastic job in this novel and it should be explored by all students so they can understand the idea of seeing things from different perspectives.

Ian Ransonet

Queen

Queen was a British rock band that formed in London in 1970. Their band consisted of lead singer, Freddie Mercury, lead guitar, Brian May, lead drummer Roger Taylor, and lead bass guitar, John Deacon. They have made such a huge wave of influence over the years and every since they formed they have been one of the most popular if not the most popular rock band to ever exist. I can guarantee almost everyone that’s American knows at least one of their songs. They have made so many iconic songs that are used in so many movies and videos.

Their most popular song “Bohemian Rhapsody” is one of the strangest songs that has ever gotten popular. If you listen to it, it sounds like something that would be in a play or something like that. It has a very unusual structure compared to most songs that are similar to it, yet it still latched on to the minds of millions. It is such a popular song that there was a movie made entirely about it. To this day millions of people still listen to it monthly and the song was released over 30 years ago. Queen was such an influence in the rock scene to so many people and they are one of the main reasons why bands like Red Hot Chili Peppers exist. They are the ones who brought rock music to life with their music.

Since they were formed in London they have impacted British culture a tremendous amount. Their music is widely known all over the world but especially in the U.K. Even though Queen to this day is one of the most popular rock bands in the United States they’ve made waves all over the United States. Their music has impacted the lives of many and I know one of my friends was influenced by them heavily. When he was 11 he decided he wanted to form a band with his friends and he is currently still in the band, 8 years later. He is also one of the best guitar players I have ever seen in my life and I know there are many other people in the world who have the same story as him. Even though his band isn’t super popular they still have gigs locally and in other states a lot too. He makes good money and all of this was because of Queen and their music.

Freddie Mercury died in the 90s, but all the other band members are still alive. They are technically still together but John Deacon retired so the only two left that are part of the band are Brian May and Roger Taylor. They still go around replaying some of their songs, but Queen will go down as one of the best bands to ever exist. Their presence in the music industry is unbeatable and their songs to this day still inspire people. I know any time I hear “We Are the Champions” it gives me a good feeling and I know other people feel the same way too.

Ian Ransonet

The Queen

The British monarchy is the most iconic monarchy in the world. This monarchy began during in the early 1000's.  Back then the monarchy had power. In modern times the monarchy is really more of a face of the country. The current figure head, Queen Elizabeth II is the longest ruling monarch in British history. Personally, I love the Queen. Even though she is more of a figurehead of the the United Kingdom. I would never want to live under a Monarchy because I like the freedom I have in the United States. But, I think the history behind the monarchy is extremely cool. In fact the Queen Elizabeth II was not a close prospect for the throne. She did not grow up in the spot light like her son Charles and his family has. It was not until her uncle relinquished his right to the throne that she became a prospect. This is when Queen Elizabeth II's father, King George VI, took the throne. At the time Queen Elizabeth II was only twenty five when she took the throne. Which I personally think is crazy because I am not too far from twenty five and there is no way I could rule a country right now. I can barely decide what I want to eat for dinner much less make decisions that affect a whole country. She does not only rule England but sixteen Commonwealth Realms. Like honestly girl power.  The Queen has been on the throne for sixty five years this year. She surpassed the previous longest holder Queen Victoria who sat on the throne for sixty three years. One thing I really love about the Queen is her clothes. Queen Elizabeth II is always dressed in bright colored suits, lots of pearls, and avant-garde hats. I think she wears such bright colors to make her stand out among the other Royals. I mean she is the Queen she should stand out. Whoever is her stylist has to put a lot of effort into picked the hats because the color always match her outfit perfectly. I read somewhere a few months ago that a trick the Queen swears by is having weights sewn into all of her clothes so they do not fly up when there is a breeze. Which I think that is actually really smart. She is stopping any Royal mishap from happening. Another thing I really love about her style is her jewels. The Queen owns all the the historic collections of jewels. I love all the crowns, and necklaces she has. I think that it is really neat that Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, the Queen's granddaughter-in-law has been photographed wearing some the Queen's iconic jewelry. I think it shows that the Queen accepts her in the family. I mean I would not just share the Royal Crown Jewels with anyone. I think that not only the monarchy has impacted the world but Queen Elizabeth II has left her impact. She has ruled her country for over sixty years and I think she has done a great job. You know what they say, "All Hail the Queen!"

-Savanna

My Thoughts on "Hated in the Nation" - Black Mirror

Recently in class we watched an episode of Black Mirror. The show is about how technology can take over the world essentially. The episode "Hated in the Nation", begins with a journalist. This journalist had recently written about people with disabilities and how they shouldn’t have certain rights or something of the sort. Because of the terrible and hateful article that she wrote, many people in the city began bashing her and giving her hate messages because of how terrible the things she said were. Someone even sent her a cake with the words “Fucking Bitch” written on it. The journalist returned home one night from work and while walking back to her house, people on the streets were chanting at her and calling her things like “whore” and “slut”. She gets home and opens up her laptop to go on twitter and sees countless mentions of people tagging her with a hashtag that says “#DeathTo”. People would use that hashtag and then tag her after and it started trending. The same night, police were called to her house because she had committed suicide. The husband of the journalist had walked in to go talk to her, but she was clawing at her own throat, ripping her skin apart. The husband tried to stop her, but she resisted and even stabbed her husband in the torso. She then slit her own throat, and everyone was confused as to why she did that.

Investigators started looking into the situation and thought that she did it because of all the hate she was getting but then found out that it actually had to do with the hashtag about her posted on social media. They had found a bot account on social media that posted a video saying every day someone would die, and it would always be whoever had the hashtag put with their name the most. The journalist had the most hashtags that day and because of it she died. You might be wondering how did someone kill her if she committed suicide? Currently in the time period in this episode, technology is very advanced and there was a company who created these electronic bees to go and pollenate the country. As it turns out, the security system was not good enough and one man found out how to hack the bees. Whenever the end of the day would come, and it was time for someone to die, the man would hack the nearest bee to that person and send it into their brain. The bee would dig a whole in the brain, causing the person to have seizure-like attacks and die on the spot. Eventually hundreds of thousands of people ended up dying and it leaves the viewers with the question, is it worth advancing technology that far in the future? I personally don’t think that it’s ever possible for something that crazy to happen. I think that humans are smart enough and have the morals to prevent a tragic event from something like that happening. I don’t ever think we will ever be able to make electronic bees that serve the same purpose as bees but if it ever does happen it will be very far in the future.

Ian Ransonet

The Youtube War

Currently, YouTube is one of the most popular platforms for finding videos of pretty much anything you want to see. Since December 23, 2013, Felix Arvid Ulf Kjellberg, or "PewDiePie" has been the most subscribed to channel. This basically means that a bunch of people just clicked a button and it notifies them when he posts a video. YouTube was created in 2005 and since December of 2013, Felix has held the lead. His videos consist of a variety of different genres and topics. He plays video games and commentates over them, he makes music (kind of), he hosts charity events and many other things. It's probably why his audience is so big on the platform. Felix currently has 74.5 million people subscribed to him. And he's been holding the lead for a long time. 

Let me tell you a little bit about Felix because his audience is so big and it's important to know what type of ideas and thoughts he's putting into people's minds. Felix was born in October of 1989 in Gothenburg, Sweden. He is currently residing in Brighton, England with his fiancee. He is a very comical person with good intentions and is always trying to help the community. Over the years he has raised millions of dollars for all kinds of different charities so he is a good influence to all the people he's reaching out to. Now since he has been the most subscribed to YouTube channel since 2013, and YouTube has only been out since 2005 it's been a pretty big deal. People have called him the "King" of YouTube because nobody has come close to 74 million subscribers until about 3 months ago. 

T-Series is an Indian music record label and film production company. They are mainly known for Bollywood type stuff. Recently the citizens of India have started getting internet in their hometown. Because of this a lot of the population goes on the internet a lot because it's not something they're used to having. YouTube is a big platform for them because you can find pretty much anything on there so a lot of the citizens go on YouTube. T-Series owns a YouTube channel called "T-Series" where they post Indian music videos and Bollywood movie trailers and many different things like that. Because of their content, and the population they are reaching out to, many Indian citizens began subscribing to T-Series because they are the first ones to release the music videos and movie trailers. So if people are subscribed to T-Series, they will get notified when a new video is uploaded. India currently has a population of 1.3 billion people. That is a GIANT number. As time goes on more and more the population is gaining internet, which means subscribing to T-Series. And as of about 3 months ago, T-Series has been right behind Felix in subscriber count and since then it has been a huge deal. T-Series currently has 74.3 million subscribers and they are gaining subscribers extremely fast. Having such a large population means more people are going to subscribe to them than any other channel from another country. 

T-Series will eventually pass up Felix, there is no doubt about it. Felix has impacted so many lives and has been such a good influence. That's why it's such a big deal because everyone thinks that he deserves it the most. There have been people all over the world trying to tell the public to go subscribe to Felix so he can remain on top. Some even hacked printers all over the country and printed out papers at people’s companies telling them to subscribe to him. It’s become a running joke for many people and people are talking about it all over the world because of how big the two channels are. 74 million people is a lot and whenever there are two channels with that large of a subscriber count, there are a lot of people involved in this process. It’s not just Felix vs a music label. It’s all their followers vs. each other too. It really doesn’t matter who has more subscribers it really is just a number but it’s a good metaphor for showing who’s put in so much time into this. While Felix is an individual person and T-Series is an entire music label, Felix will still be recognized as the most subscribed to individual, but people don’t want him to lose his spot. His fans and many other people who aren’t even following him are supporting him and you should do your part too by subscribing to Felix.

Ian Ransonet

The Office

I know in an earlier post I talked about not liking television. Which is funny because the only other show I really watch is The Office. I am obsessed with this show. I really love this show because of the simple and stupid humor. The Office originally was created in the United Kingdom. There is an American version and I prefer the American version over the British one. Since I have binge watched the American version of The Office multiple times I decided maybe I should try and watch the UK version.There is only two seasons of the UK version unlike the American version that has nine seasons. I thought I could knock the UK version in a weekend. I was so wrong. I could barely get past the first episode. I figured I would like the UK version because both of the versions have the same producers. The story lines of the show are very similar, but with different character names.I think one of the main reasons I do not like the UK version is because the humor is different. I think this is because of the difference of culture. A culture is defined by the people and their surroundings. I think this is why the humor is different in the two versions. I personally do not find the UK version funny at all. In the US version of The Office my favorite character is Michael Scott the Regional Manager is Dunder Mifflin. Steve Carell is the perfect actor to play Michael Scott. His character in the show has a mean sense of humor, he is very self-centered but somehow charming. I think that because he is charming Michael always redeems himself and he comes off not so much as a jerk. From the episode I watched in the UK version the Regional Manager, David Brent is just flat out mean. I do not find him charming and maybe that is why I do not find his jokes as funny. I think that the UK version has a more crude sense of humor. I really think that the reason that the humor is different is just because of the difference in culture. I personally find that the humor on the American version is more everyday humor. I might have a bias because I originally watched the American version so that is why I like it more. It is also directed at the culture I grew up in so I relate to the humor more.I think that other people agree with me on the American version being better because it lasted seven more seasons than the UK version did. I think that one thing that brings more humor into the American version is that a lot of the scenes were improv. Which is awesome because the actors reactions are real. So if you like day to day humor and office pranks I highly recommend watching the American version of The Office. BRB going to restart The Office again!! 

-Savanna

GBBO

I am not a huge fan of watching television. I just find most shows to be boring. One show I really enjoy though is The Great British Bake Off! Growing up I was that weird kid who enjoyed watching the Food Network. I think I like food shows because I really love to cook and bake. The show is based out of England and is filmed in Welford Park and the bakers bake in a huge tent. The twelve bakers compete in three baking challenges per show. After the final challenge someone is eliminated.  The three baking challenges are the signature, the technical, and the show stopper. In the signature challenges the bakers can show of their personal style. So the judges, Paul Hollywood, Mary Berry (who is now off the show), and Prue Leith give the bakers a dish to bake and a time limit to do the challenge in. The bakers then create and bake their own dish by using their personal "signature" flavors. Once the bakers are finished the judges walk around to each station judging each baker's signature dish. The next challenge is the technical. In the technical the judges pick a dish they want the bakers to use with very minimal instructions and little to no recipes.  This challenge is judged blindly so the judges have to leave the tent. With little to no instructions you can really see the skills of the baker. When the bakers are finished they have to place their bakes on a table behind their pictures that way the judges do not know who baked each one. The judges then blindly judge each dish. I like this aspect of the show because the judges can not go off of favoritism due to the fact they have no clue who baked what. Finally the last challenge is the show stopper. The show stopper is the final and hardest challenge. In this final challenge the bakers have combine skills, talents, and creativity to create a good bake. Like the signature challenge the bakers are allowed to pick their own flavors for a dessert that the judges pick. In the show stopper the judges expect excellent flavors, an excellent bake, along with a professional appearance. At the end of the bakers are asked to bring their bake forward to be judged. After judging and deliberation the judges announce the Star Baker, and the person leaving the show. The Star Baker is the baker who stood out the most to the judges. Each week a person is eliminated until the bakers get to the finale when there are three bakers going for the title of The Great British Bake Off  winner. On the episode of the finale the judges invite all the past contestants, and all the current baker's friends and families.  I think this baking show is so much different than American cooking or baking shows. In the Great British Bake Off everyone is competing against each other, but it is not cut throat. Competitors are more than willing to help each other out when needed. It is a very friendly competition. Bakers can be seen hugging and crying with each other when one leaves because they have made friends with each other. When a baker gets Star Baker the other bakers genuinely congratulate the winner. In American baking shows it is almost like every other competitor is out to get each other. There is a huge rivalry among the competitors and no one is going to help each other out. I think that the difference in attitudes on the show has to do with each country's culture. America thinks they are the best therefore their citizens act that way. My absolute favorite thing about the show that sets it apart from any other baking show is the bakers can bring their ingredients. In both the signature challenge and the show stopper challenge the bakers can bring everything they want and need to create their bake. Many bakers bring items from their personal gardens which I love because it really allows the bakers to personalize their dishes. I think it also allows people to see the baker's style and flavor palette outside of the tent. I love the personalization of The Great British Bake Off. I think that show was designed with the bakers in mind. These bakers come to bake because they truly love to bake. There is no large sum of money for the winner, just flowers and a cake stand.  Now excuse me while I go binge watch the new Christmas episodes.

-Savanna

Random Thoughts on Bristish Food

Being from Louisiana I really love food! I think that a big part of culture is the food you eat. Food is more than just eating, it says a lot about a person and their surroundings. I think that most British food is normal, but I also think they have some questionable choices. So this is my thoughts on random British food. (Disclaimer!! I have not tried most of this food. Most of these reviews are based simply off of how the food looks and the name of the food) First off beans on toast... Who in the world thinks of putting beans on toast?! Not only does it look disgusting it also sounds disgusting!!!! They even make cheese and beans on toast and ketchup and beans on toast. Sorry to be rude but that sounds absolutely repulsive. Next up is mushy peas... Honestly anything that has mushy in the name sounds gross! What I want to know is are the peas similar to mashed potatoes? Why not just eat peas how they come? It sounds like food a baby would eat. When I hear black pudding I think of dark chocolate pudding! UM WRONG! Black pudding looks like a link of sausage. It is actually onions, oatmeal, pork fat and blood all in a casing. I love rare steak but thinking of mixing blood and oatmeal is disturbing. It just sounds so unappetizing. Next is a food called haggis. Haggis kind of looks like a loaf of boudin. But like off brand boudin. One food item I want to try is Yorkshire pudding. This pudding is not really a pudding at all it is like a rich dinner roll. I think I can eat my own weight in dinner rolls so I am really interested in these. One British food I actually grew up on Shepard's pie. I love the combination of the potatoes, meat, and vegetables! The only thing that was different from the British version is that my parents always topped the potatoes with cheese! It added extra flavor! Okay... a proper Sunday roast... WOW I am kinda sad I have not had this as a meal.  A proper Sunday  roast comes with roasted beef or lamb, roasted potatoes, and Yorkshire pudding. This literally sounds SO amazing!! One food I am a little confused on is a mince pie or "mincemeat" when it has nothing to do with meat. So I am confused because when I think meat pie I think of a Natchitoches meat pie. But this mince pie is a mini pie filled with dried fruit and spices and it usually a dessert served around Christmas. Honestly I would not mind trying it. Finally the last thing I want to bring attention to is England's choice of chip flavors. Walkers which is the same company as Lays in the United Kingdom, has a prawn cocktail flavor... Prawns and shrimp are very similar and I can not imagine the taste of eating a shrimp chip! They also have flavors such as pickled onion, beef and onion, and tomato ketchup. I know there is a difference in culture but all of those flavors sound disgusting. I think I will stick to my VooDoo Zapps. I think food is a direct link to culture. I think your surroundings impact what food you eat. I am sure that British people think Cajun and American food is gross. Certain foods hold sentimental value. Hopefully soon I will travel to the United Kingdom and maybe get to try some of these dishes!

-Savanna

Internet Paranoia

Recently in class we watched Black Mirror. The episode we watched was Hated in the Nation. Which was... just wow so interesting. My eyes were glued to the screen. I found this episode fantastic. I have only watched one other Black Mirror episode and I was not a huge fan of it. I think I liked this episode because of the murder mystery. I am a huge fan of crime shows. This episode really got me thinking about technology. This episode's technology is fascinating. The thought that a car can be driven from an iPad screen is so cool. The ADI bees were amazing to me. The fact that someone can create a piece of technology to work and live like a bee is mind boggling. It honestly made me think that the government could be close to doing something similar. I find that super creepy but also super cool. I know that the government taps phone calls but still, sending bees out is like sending a million little spies around the country. I have some of my own theories about internet paranoia. One theory I have is that Amazon Alexa and Google Echo are listening all the time. Lol that might make me sound paranoid. All you have to do is say "hey Google" or "Alexa" and they listen. So both devices have to be listening constantly to hear their "name." So what I want to know is Google and Amazon selling all the information they hear? What are they doing with it? Do you think they are selling it to the government? Another theory that I have is about the self run vacuums. iRobot Roomba is the creepiest thing to me. My parents have one and it freaks me out. Yeah it makes people's lives easier because the machine can be ran with no one at home. So basically the vacuum just turns on and vacuums your house. The iRobot Roomba REMEMBERS the path it runs in the house. so basically iRobot has an extremely basic blue print of your house. It is not like the detailed blueprint but the machine remembers so the data has to be stored somewhere. Which even if the company does not do anything with the blueprint they still have access. Just a little creepy to think about. The only other thing that really bothers me about technology is the ads that pop up on items I have only spoke about and not actually searched. There has been so many times that I have been talking about a new product I want to try or something I want to buy, but I II ne never searched for that item and then BAM an ad for that item will show up on my phone. CREEPY!! I watched a video a few months back where a couple tested their phones to see if the phones really listened. They talked about needing cat foods since they do not own cats or ever speak about them. Well about two days later an ad popped up for cat food. LIKE WTF! I know computers collect data (cookies) on each website viewed so that is why ads pop up after searching an item on the computer. The fact that your phones listens and collects data on you is terrifying. I recently round put that you can turn the microphone off on certain apps on your phone. I turned off all the microphones the phone allowed me to and that has helped reduce the number of ads. There is a theory that the FBI watches you through your camera on your phone and computer. Personally, I do not think that is true. I think that hackers can in to your camera but I do not think the FBI is constantly watching you. There are actually a lot of memes about the FBI watching people through their camera and I think they are hilarious. I am sure that the FBI has the capability to watch people through their cameras but I do not think they do it all day everyday. They have many other things that they are focused on. Honestly the internet is a crazy thing. I think that technology is a double edged sword. So many good things have come from technology and the internet. Things like iPhones, GPS, and even tools used in hospitals. But there are so many negative things that have come from technology like hackers, listening devices, and fake news being spread in the mass media. 

 Here is a link to the video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0SOxb_Lfps

-Savanna