The ability to "detect crap" is an incredibly useful skill that without it, my life would be much more stressful and confusing. If I can easily detect crap then I can devote my brain power and effort to more important and meaningful tasks. I believe that I am inherently good at crap detection and because of that I've always been able to work more efficiently. I know when something is a waste of time and what's truly important in the grand scheme of things. Crap detection is a useful skill that everyone should work on improving.

Self-awareness is a learned behavior. We can do so much with our brains if we just go through the effort of learning how. Our brains are full of limitless untapped potential and the more in touch one is within themself the better understanding of their brain they have achieved. We are capable of learning infinite skills with infinite uses. The brain is a powerful tool that people should really take more advantage of when they have the opportunity.

Being mindful is an important quality for one to possess. Being mindful is about turning off the auto-pilot and stopping to smell the roses. Everyday is special and unique in its own way, but if one allows himself or herself to do so one will never notice. All it takes is a little effort, and a conscious flip of a switch to truly wake up and look at each day as a new and unique experience.

http://www.unicog.org/publications/DehaeneFyssenChapterPreemption2004b.pdf "the human capacity for cultural learning relies on a process of pre-empting or recycling preexisting brain circuitry. " - the definition of neuronal recycling according to Dehaene's paper

We as humans are not intended to be able to engage, attention, linguistic, and visual skills all at once but we have trained ourselves to do so. As society evolved and technology grew, so did the capacity of our brains. Although few physical changes have taken place in our brains, we have learned how to achieve so much more with what we have. This is what makes humans so much smarter than other animals. We do not need to wait for evolution for our brains to grow. We are always learning and developing knew skills. Human potential is limitless.

Social media had a terrible effect on Mr. Costacura when Russia took his pictures to spread propaganda. The effect of social media on us as individuals is much stronger than we realize. When a post is made it is archived for virtually forever. One has no real way of knowing who exactly has seen their pictures and posts on social media, whether it's an old ex or Russian hackers. It is for this reason I always make sure to carefully consider a post before it is made on social media and be absolutely sure that I want to post it.

Distractions are a major problem in today's digital society. When one is sitting at their desk in a lecture with their laptop in front of them, the distractions are limitless. One could be distracted by anything from the New York Times to pictures of pigs wearing tutus. Distraction also poses a danger to people in their daily lives. One of the most dangerous things one can do while driving is use their cell phone. The cell phone is a modern distraction that will tempt one's attention from the intended focal point. Distractions are everywhere in our world today, and it is up to us as humans to block it out and keep ourselves focused on what is really important in the world.

Shifting one's attention can lead to a lapse in attention as well as information. This lapse can be a big deal if something critical happens during those few seconds. Much akin to how easily Mr. Costacura's identity was stolen by Russia. In an attentional blink of an eye Mr. Costacura found pictures of himself being used to promote Russian propaganda. One's attention is important when it comes to both real life and the internet. Although Mr. Costacura discovered the use of his profile, if the people at Facebook were paying more attention they should have been able to catch the fake profile. Attention is important in both the physical and digital world, and shifting one's attention in both can lead to undesirable consequences.

The thought that the ability to multitask is a learned trait and not innate is an interesting concept in itself. When one asks a friend whether he or she is able to multitask he or she is most likely to say either "yeah I've always been good at it", or "nah I'm not much of a multitasker", or some other variation of those statements. The article poses an interesting concept that multitasking is a learned skill therefore anyone is capable of multitasking if he or she is willing to put in the effort.

I chose the supplemental reading titled Mystery of Russian Fake on Facebook Solved, By a Brazilian. The article followed the story of how Russia created fake profiles on Facebook in order to spread Russian propaganda and denounce Hillary Clinton. A Brazilian salesman noticed that his pictures of him and his daughter were being used for fake American profiles. The profile in question was "Melvin Redick", and he would openly promote the Russian propaganda website DCLeaks.com. The NY Times tried to track down Mr. Redick, but upon further investigation, he did not seem to exist. After the Times reported this to Facebook the profile was soon removed from the website. Reading this article which contained quotes from Mr. Costacurta on how he felt about his pictures being used was eye-opening. The article shows how little the Russians care for the privacy of others as well as how our internet profiles may be a lot less secure than we think. The Russian government stole the pictures of an innocent Brazilian man, in order to influence another country's election. The blatant disregard for morals and Costacura's value as a person are very evident through Russia's actions. They took advantage of how Google blocks image searches of its Brazilian users (a rule that is intended to protect the privacy of users) in order to influence the 2016 election.

Altman's article begins with a recount of black lives matter movement leaders' meeting with Hillary Clinton. He also mentions how Clinton quickly gave in to the demands of the heads of the movement. From there Altman discusses the beginning of the BLM movement in 2013 with the Trayvon Martin case, and he mentions how the movement quickly spread throughout college campuses and cities across the nation. Altman then goes on to discuss the origin of the phrase "Black Lives Matter", dating it back to a Facebook post and discusses the power of said phrase. He then mentions the varying and diverse agenda of Black Lives matter. Different chapters have different localized goals around the country. These ideas were appealing to college students, and Altman discusses this and how protests began at UMO and UVA. Altman then transitions to a discussion of criticisms of BLM protesters and their movement. He refutes these criticisms with a tale of a Minneapolis protest that remained peaceful despite white supremacists spraying bullets into the protesters.

"Women played a very important role in the life of the Native American. They were more than just mothers of the tribes’ children. They were builders, warriors, farmers, and craftswomen. Their strength was essential to the survival of the tribes." ***http://indians.org/articles/native-american-women.html

Despite the basket assuming primacy in function as opposed to as a communicative means, it truly is a text. The content on the surface of the basket is open to interpretation and could relay both spiritual and historical Mohegan tales. The basket is not "devoid of communicative practice". It is merely devoid of western communicative practice. The basket is a cultural piece that belongs to the Mohegan, and it communicates the traditions of the Mohegan.

Every story has multiple sides to it. The interpretation earlier in the essay is much more metaphorical and spiritual. McMullen on the other hand sees the designs of the baskets as purely historical. The interpretation of the basket is very much up to the reader. Whether it represents the spiritual culture of the Mohegan or the rich cultural history, it is up to each reader to make that judgement.

The necessity of extroverted and charismatic people to sell the baskets indicates that the basket sellers were almost a form of entertainer for their time. They had characteristics such as storytelling and musicianship, indicating that they not only brought baskets to the people, but also joy.

The Mohegan's use of newspaper as a lining to the basket is merely a form of protection from the elements. The newspaper conveys no deeper meaning aside from giving a date to the creation of the basket. The lack of meaning in the newspaper can be compared to the lack of meaning in news today. People have become so desensitized to violent crimes and murders that most stories leave people unfazed nowadays. This is why the Black Lives Matter protests came as a bit of a shock. People had developed a sense of indifference to every shooting, but when the protests began people really started to see the deeper meaning behind each shooting.

Community has been a driving force behind many cultures throughout history. The Mohegan really valued community and the sense of pride that came from working together to create something that was representative of their culture. This is much akin to the Black Lives Matter protests where the connection in the black community has greatly strengthened. African Americans are coming together to complete a common task. The Mohegan task was to pass on history and weave a basket that could be used both practically and analytically. The task of the African American community is to bring about equality in 21st century America and to do so through protests.

Much like the modern day Black Lives Matters protesters, the Mohegan were going through a very stressful and trying time. Ever since the Trayvon Martin decision, protests for the black lives matter movement have sprung up across the nation. It is a "time of tremendous change" for African Americans in the US as they have brought to light and subtle and systemic oppression that occurs in this nation everyday.

What really defines a text or literacy in a culture? Google defines the word text as *"a book or other written or printed work, regarded in terms of its content rather than its physical form." If one were to focus on the first part of the definition then the basket does not meet the definition of a text in any way shape or form. Although, when one looks at the second part of the definition then the description could be applicable to the basket. When viewing the Mohegan basket, one must consider the content of the basket or the designs and the patterns that went into the creation of said basket. This content that appears on the basket is indicative of Mohegan culture and therefore allows the basket to be considered a text, despite not fitting what one's preconception of a text is.

The baskets were a form of writing to the Mohegans. They were a way of preserving their stories and history. Because of this the Mohegans would not sign the basket because to sign the basket would be to take credit for the history of all the Mohegan people.

The Mohegan use the same word for both writing and painting. This implies that to them art is writing. They communicate ideas, feelings, and concepts through their artwork. Much like modern day artists, the "paintings" created often have a much deeper meaning to the artist that is intended to be communicated to both current and future generations.