"It Is This Powerful Feeling That Draws Me There Again and Again."

Steve McCurry, a well known photographer, born in February 24, 1950 in Philadelphia tries to capture the struggles and joys of humanity. Having won numerous awards McCurry is most famous for the photo of the “Afghan Refugee Girl”. McCurry has written eight books the past years. McCurry has been to many of the civil conflict areas like Beirut, Cambodia and many others. McCurry also tries to portray the different cultures from around the world. Having to sew film in his clothing, McCurry's work is harder than people think it is. His work is a danger to himself. He takes these risks just to make great photography. “If you wait, people will forget your camera and the soul will drift up into view” Steve McCurry









The most shocking photo by McCurry is The Dead Afghan Soldier Jalalabad, Afghanistan, 1992. This photo Surprises me because when I first saw it I thought it was just a dummy but after the second time I saw it I figured out it was a real human. Probably McCurry is trying to emphasize the death of many afghan soldiers and how crucial it can be. Looking at the appearance of the person it shows that this could be a soldier because of the bullets hanging on him and the uniform the person is wearing. Under the lake there are 2 gas containers. Those gas containers could be there for a reason. An example of a reason is that he could have died because of those gas containers. Looking at the water of the lake it looks like it might be raining and McCurry shows how sad the death was by also taking the photo during the rain. McCurry shows the depressing emotion by making the things around the person depressing. McCurry really shows how many people are crying because of wars by showing a real soldier killed by war or some other reason. Before reading this picture I thought that this could have just been a fake dummy but after reading the photo thoroughly I realized that this 'dummy' is actually a person.

McCurry's themes are usually the same. They are usually about the struggles of humanity, the joys of humanity and the cultures around the world. I think the themes he works on are fabulous because they show lots of power to the viewer. I’ve learned that photography is a tough job and you also have to use the background and the foreground as a clue to what the photo really means. Photography can bring about change to everyone by changing and viewing from a different perspective and to see the sorrow or the happiness of people’s lives. What makes a great photo is a good background, good surroundings to match the emotion, to use good colors, to use good angles and to show good meaning to the photo. A photo that lasts and endures is a photo that you are still trying to figure out the meaning. To analyze a photo you have to look at the positive and negative space, then you look at the foreground and the background of the photo, after that you describe the lines and then you just look that the photographer emphasizes something. Before McCurry I thought pictures are not worth a thousand words but after admiring his work I managed to understand these quotes. His work reflects a journey by capturing his journey around the world and the moments he will always remember.

Jason's Quest on The Golde Fleece

What events in the story of Jason and the Argonauts do you believe to be factual? Support your answer with evidence.

The journey of the Golden Fleece was a complicating one. Jason and his crew embark on a journey that is impossible to achieve. The quest was to obtain the golden fleece. Many now are struggling to know if Jason's quest was reality and not fiction.

One factual evidence is that there is a mountain called Mt. Pelion. Mt. Pelion was the homeland of the great hero Jason. Mt. Pelion has been actually discovered and is actually a real place.

*!!!My Name!!!*

I have always wondered why people like teachers think my name is so hard to pronounce. My name is as simple as it looks. Every time people say my name, it sounds like a jest. A jest that is so irritating and antagonizing, for me at least. I just really wanted a better name until I looked up what my name meant. My name actually meant "Noble Woman"... Yah right. More like funny or weird would do but NOBLE WOMAN! What were they thinking!? The name suits someone who is noble, which is definitely not me. Before i was even born my mom did no know what name to choose from but personaly I think the name AMELINA (her favorite singer) wouldn't fit me. She went with Nur Izzati instead. She actually adored the name. I know that some people who live in the western part of the Earth are wondering - what type of name is that? Is it a name from space or something? - But I still like it. Nur Izzati is mostly common in South East Asia. Every single morning i still wonder why my parents called me Nur Izzati and not Amelina. I would have wanted a name more like Rose or Pinky but Nur Izzati will always be freaky and funny in her own words at least.

Common Elements in Creation Myths

Some people wonder why creation myths have endured for a long time. There are three common elements in creation myths. First of all most creation myths included people who were made up of mud, soil or sometimes clay. Secondly creation myths were about cosmic eggs coming from nowhere. Lastly in many creation myths they explain how people and the environment around them was created. Many places around the world include people who were made up of clay like in the Mayan and African creation myth. Cosmic eggs were in some creation myths like in Phan Ku. How was the the entire world created. In a Mayan myth gods created us so we can worship the. In Phan Ku he created the world with his bare hands and body parts. Creation myths have been around for centuries and people still believe in them. Creation myths are usually about cultures. religions or in the topography of where the people lived in.

Why I Chose This Painting

I chose this painting because it represents a journey by having nothing and strugling through life. By trying to survive without having anything. Keep on going no matter how hard it is and to try your best to achieve. This painting represents a lot in a journey the struggle, the difficulty and the achieveing. That is why i chose this painting. It is relevant in a journey and beautiful to look at.

Kelong

Kelong a beautiful place to fish in the middle of the deep blue ocean. It is located near Pulau Sibu in Johor, Malaysia. It is the best place to fish in my opinion. It is big and it is made out of wood. It may be a little dangerous but the food and the service are great. There are comfortable beds to sleep on and you can sleep or fish anytime you want to unless there is an activity planned for us.

The best thing that happened there was when I caught an alligator gar. It was the smallest but at least I caught one. It was about 75 cm long and it was the color silver and blue. It had sharp teeth with big fins. It was one of my proudest days of my life.I was really excited to take a picture of it and show it to my parents.

There was a really sick experience when we dissected a fish. There was this one fish called a "Bata fish". It's forehead looks like the bottom of a shoe. We dissect it and asked if we could eat. Mr Peavy said that we wouldn't want to eat it. When we finished dissecting it we saw all this poo coming out of the fish. I think that's why we wouldn't want to eat it.

It was an experience I could remember. We dissected fish, we fished, we went to the beach and we fished on a boat. Sure there are a few ups and downs but it still was a fun experience for me and many others.

New Year's Eve

It was new year's eve. So loud and so shocking. We had bought KFC to eat with our old friends from Cuba. We had arrived to their hotel to eat and celebrate with them and watch the fireworks near their hotel Mandirin Court hotel. We ate right before the fireworks blew up in the sky. We we were all on the roof so we could see the fireworks clearly. We suddenly looked down at it was really scary. My older brother was scared as well to see the distance so he went back down to the hotel room. We took a video of it and slept over there. When it was in the morning my brother had a stomache ache and went to the bathroom more than 5 times. It always happens every new year.