blog 13 dan gulino

I am most curious as to what Middle Eastern culture is. What music is popular? Do they watch movies produced in the West? I am especially excited to learn how much the governments of the Middle East affect what is allowed to be watched, and heard in the media, and to what affect they are influencing the entertainment industry. All of these questions will allow me to better understand the people of the Middle East, and why they are portrayed so wickedly in our culture.

On my list of values I am happy to say that our pop culture does not make the top ten. Like millions of Americans I too use Facebook, watch TV dramas, and listen to the latest music. I could not however, sing you a Taylor Swift lyric, name you a character on Grey’s Anatomy, or tell you what is going on in the Twilight series. I am pretty simple, usually following what interests me, and never go out of my way to hop on fads or trends. I enjoy music that compliments my emotions whether it is rock, rap, alternative or even techno.

blatent advertisements 13

The past few days I've had the opportunity to watch some more movies, sports, and entertainment in my free time. While viewing such things, I can not help but notice the subliminal advertisements and messages that companies use to make consumers interested in their products. It makes me wonder, do the majority of people viewing entertainment realize that they are being market to? I personally think not.
For example, on E!, a show called "Holly's World" is aired. It is intended to hypnotize young ladies, (even older ladies) into buying fashionable products. Idolizing products that exemplify glamour is the sole purpose of this show. There is basically no plot, awful acting, accompanied by poor filming. However, products that beautiful women possess and adore are being popularized not only on commercial breaks, but during showtime also. We all need to wake up, and realize that we are being subliminally messaged.

dan gulino #12 Zombies

Am I the only person who thinks this zombie madness going on among us is obnoxious? Earlier today I saw a kid climbing a tree by the SAC, holding his hand above his eyes, as if he was trying to see zombies approaching him from afar. As much as I would love to carry a nerf gun with me to class, I have can’t understand how campus allows this game to continue. After the Virginia Tech shootings, which was not very long ago, I feel that campus would urge students to not carry weapon replicas to class, and all over campus grounds.
Sure, one can argue that they are only nerf guns, and no real harm can be done by them. Yes, physically I do agree that a nerf gun is harmless. However, the psychological impact that carrying a “weapon” around campus is very high in my opinion. It puts students into somewhat of a gang mentality, which I feel Stony Brook would usually try get its students to avoid if possible. Also, watching students play this game all over campus makes me somewhat embarrassed to be a student here at Stony Brook. Can’t everyone just grow up, get a girlfriend and put the nerf guns down? Middle School is over people, these are your college days.

Dan Gulino #11 Experiment

During the last week of school last semester, I participated in a mandatory experiment for PSY 103 that involved me working with a teammate in order to “accomplish a goal”. Saliva samples were taken before and after the experiment in order to record my initial and post hormonal levels. After the experiment was over, the examiner revealed to me that my “partner” was testing me the entire time. My “partner” was a researcher who was African American, testing if my hormonal levels changed around a man of different race. I was completely fooled and boggled after this news was dropped on me. However, the underlying point is that these researchers at Stony Brook University take enough initiative, time, and effort to make their experiments so diverse, convincing, and worthwhile.
For the first time in my life, I know what it feels like to be an experiment. Graduate students take my actions and thoughts serious enough to record them, analyze them and present them in order to better a case study on a given topic. Some experiments were more interesting than others, but all accomplished the overall goal of adding data to a case study in order to validate an experiment. However, I still feel dooped and deceived.

Dan Gulino #10 Disabilities

While, growing up I never knew anyone that had Autism. After studying the disorder in my first semester at SUNY Stony Brook, and watching the MTV series “True Life: I have Autism”, I feel more informed of what toll the disorder has on the affected individual, and the people surrounding them. Now that I understand what symptoms come along with Autism, I can better understand the situation Autistic people are in when I come into contact with them.
After seeing this documentary, my views on Autistic people have changed. I did not know Autistic people could function to the extent they can in everyday normal society. After watching Jeremy, I understand the amount of work it takes to prepare an Autistic person for interaction in society, and I now respect Autism care takers on a new higher level. I also respect people with Autism on another level for the amount of work they do every day to learn things I take for granted. I have never thought the ability to speak was such a blessing. Not only speech, but being able to control my emotions the way that I do is a blessing, and should not be taken for granted. All people should take the time to educate themselves, even in the slightest manner to understand Autistic people to a better degree.

Dan Gulino #9 Italians in Cinema

Vendetta is a movie directed by Nicholas Meyer released in 1999. Based on the novel by Richard Gambino, this historical melodrama captures images of Italian Americans in early twentieth century New Orleans. Christopher Walken stars as James Houston, Clancy Brown as Chief Hennessey, and Alessandro Colla as Gaspare Marchesi.
Starting with still black and white images of Italian Americans arriving in New Orleans, accompanied with anti-immigrant audio tracks, the overall theme for the movie is set immediately. James Houston (played by Christopher Walken) is the main cotton exporter in the city of New Orleans. He feels threatened by the heavy Italian American presence, and their control of the docks. He consults Police Chief Hennessey (played by Clancy Brown) about handling the Italian American immigrant “problem” but refuses to comply. Later on, Chief Hennessey is murdered, and four random Italian immigrants are brought up on trial for the murder. The rest of the movie captures intense court-room scenes, and the laws of mob rule. The movie portrays the biggest lynching in American history, with gruesome lifelike detail.
This movie is a historical melodrama because it is based on a true historical event. However, all of the missing information is dramatized heavily for theatrical purposes, and was open to the writer’s interpretation of the historical event. However, the historical context such as the portrayal of Italian American immigrants and living quarters in turn of the century New Orleans is highly accurate. This allows for the theme of the movie to be driven home to the viewer in a more historically correct sense. The underlying moral of this story is a social class power struggle. It can be applied not only to Italian Americans, but anyone coming into a new land, fighting for old power. A secondary theme that comes into play is the effect of mob rule. It alerts all viewers that despite the laws our forefathers set forth for us, a simple uproar among the masses nullifies what we Americans take safety in each and every day; our laws. Letting anger and hatred fill ones heart can only spiral into a mob of angry, hate filled people, willing to do evil things.
The internal frame of reference in this movie is fictional, because of what was stated previously. The screenwriter needs to extrapolate the bits and pieces in each characters life, only to lead up to the non-fictional external frame of reference. A viewer must have prior knowledge to understand that the fictional internal frame is represented accurately through history.
The most important cinemotagraphy moment in the film was during the opening of the film. Still black and white photos are shown with anti-immigrant radio talk being played in the background. I felt that this captured the innocence of immigrants coming to this country had, before disembarking their voyages onto American soil. These immigrants thought that this country was the land of opportunity, and they were all more than welcome to come. Meanwhile, there is great turmoil being generated among the locals, and the radio waves filled with hate fly right by their ears, unable to know what they are getting themselves into. I also thought the use of several close ups and free camera styles captured the intensity and horror of the murders taking place within the New Orleans City Prison. Providing a close up of Marchesi’s face right before taking a bullet captures a moment that sends chills down a viewer’s spine.
In conclusion, I found Vendetta to be a very historically accurate movie. There is an excellent balance between typical Hollywood drama, and events that happened in the past that viewers cringe to know really happened. This is what made Vendetta a memorable movie. It gives Italian American’s a not so stereotypical representation; oppressed. Even though the gang related aspect of Italians is portrayed, it is done while still showing that there was virtually no other option for Italian American immigrants. Vendetta shows where the Mafia stemmed from, and why such a organization had to be assembled.
-GulinoGanders

Dan Gulino #8 Thoughts

Since the existence of human beings, we have always pondered “how did this all start?” Before people developed the proper technology and knowledge to fully investigate such a question, the concept of spontaneous generation was widely accepted. . It was believed that living things were created from decaying, already dead organic matter. Also, due to the heavy influence of religion, not many scientists fully researched a topic so controversial with the church. However, in today’s day and age, science can point us in the right direction to discover where did it all really come from?
Sure enough, in 2008, scientists discovered some 3.5 billion year old volcanic rock with traces of carbon that was once made up of living organisms. One scientist called the rock “some of the oldest most robust evidence of life.” In 1970, a team of scientists unexpectedly bumped into a thriving ecosystem around a hot water vent deep under the Pacific Ocean. This provides evidence that life can thrive deep under the water, in a water-based environment. Basic organic molecules spew from these volcanic vents, and could be the birthplace of life on planet earth.
-GulinoGanders

Dan Gulino #7 Family History

Pictured above are my mom's parents, Edward and Frances Reinold, newly married in the mid 1950's. Edward (my grandfather) was eleven years older than his new wife Frances (my grandmother). They moved into a small three room apartment together in the Bronx, on Castle Hill. Roughly 5 years later my mother, Margaret was born. Although my grandfather Edward had a decent city job fixing elevators, he never moved his family out of this three room apartment.
I believe my grandfather never moved his family out of this small living environment due to his days growing up during the great depression. His mentality was that his family was fed, housed, and safe, which was a great standing for any family during the time he grew up. However, I feel that being so deprived of the many privileges many people enjoy (including myself) shaped her to be the appreciative woman she is today.

Dan Gulino #6 Checking In?

Within the past few months, Facebook has come out with a new app for "checking into" any given location. Basically, Facebook is giving an application to notify the entire world of where you are at any given moment. Are there any positives to this application when one sits down and ponders it?
I say no, mostly because I personally do not care where most people are during the day. This application also allows "Facebook Stalkers" to do their jobs to an entire new level. Not only does Facebook allow its users to delve deep into random people's personal lives, it allows for physical stalking. How does it effect most people's daily lives? At first glance, not very much. But when you take a closer look, giving away one's physical location to the world on a consistent basis is rather risky.

Dan Gulino #5 Stony Brook Spending

Each and every day of the semester I reside at Roosevelt Quad, in Stimson building. If you ask anyone that lives on Stony Brook campus, they can all agree that Roosevelt Quad is the worst quad on campus to live in(by far). If you were to further inquire with a resident of Roosevelt Quad, you would find out that Stimson is the most run down, depreciated building in the quad. However, only 100 yards away from Stimson are the two newest residency buildings (Yang, Lauterbur).
Recently, I could not help but notice that each floor of the new buildings was given a brand new ping pong table. Each of these ping pong tables cost at least several hundred dollars. This frustrates me enormously because I am currently using broken bathrooms, run down facilities, that are in desperate need of repair. I pay the same amount of room and board as the residents of Yang/Lauterbur, so why don't you spend SUNY's money a little wiser Stony Brook?
-GulinoGander

Dan Gulino #4 Police Brutality

Although this video is a few months old, I still feel it deserves some attention on this blog. A few months back I posted this video on facebook and it received nearly one hundred responses/comments. Naturally, I want to hear the opinion of this blog after so many voiced opinions on my own personal facebook.
Is this officer justified in his actions? I personally say yes, due to the physical move the woman makes toward the officer while he is attempting to carry out an arrest (even though it may not be a logical/fair arrest). However, some people feel that the immediate punch to the face can surely be categorized as police brutality. Thoughts?
-GulinoGander

Dan Gulino #3 Foul Language

Why do people find foul language so offensive and vulgar to begin with? Do these words exist in our english language just to curse or or insult others? I say that these words exist mostly to allow it's users to vent frustration with passion, which in turn can be helpful for its users.
However, are "curse words" used in place of a word that it's user cant replace? Can the user not find anything else better to say than all the 4 letter bombs? I think yes, and therefore think that I personally need to find new vocabulary to fill in these vulgar holes in my everyday speech. Just a thought...
-GulinoGanders

Dan Gulino 1 Stony Crooks

$7.50+ at Kelly Dining....comes along with a pickle, and a midget sized bag of Lay's that contains ~13 small chips (not exaggerating). How does Stony get away with this? Simply knowing the kids don't care about "meal points". By converting our parents' (usually) money into "points" allows the Stony Crooks to steal from our students on "meals" shown above.
If I drank soda (which I do not) this meal would be ~$9. I feel that it's time for students to make it known that we know the Stony Crooks are stealing from us each and every day. When a panini that barely fills up a anorexic prom queen is going for $7+, it's time to speak up Stony Brook! Start making sarcastic remarks about the price at the register for starters! Get angry!
-Gulino Gander

Dan Gulino #2 Mo' Money Mo' Problems

Who would know that dating could be so stressful? Who could fathom that meeting a cute girl in class a few weeks ago would cause so much anxiety and stress in my life? After a nice long lunch with an fresh looking twenty one year old woman, I was discovering a ocean of issues underneath this "beauty". A long background of domestic violence led to an even longer history of drug abuse, summing up to a world of problems. What amplified this beauty's addictive and abusive personality even further? The millions of dollars she inherited from her now dead father at the young age of 21.
When I discovered the girl I was occasionally dating had seven figures in the bank, all of the issues I knew she had seemed to dim drastically. As I spent time with her, she would treat me with monetary backed gifts frequently. As a nineteen year old guy, this has never happened to me in my entire life, and it was a strange feeling...being provided for by a woman? However the more time I shared with this "dream girl" (as my friends would say) I realized I could not be a part of this girl's issues and abusive problems. I asked my father for some advice, and he said run for the hills while I could. I took the old man's advice, and haven't spoke to the girl since. Who needs emotional baggage anyway?