Privacy and Facebook

Like Morgan posted earlier this week, Facebook is changing its privacy settings soon! I read a New York Times article today stating that Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg officially announced these new privacy features. These new features are "simpler" to use because many users don't know how to access these privacy settings. In the article I found it really shocking that "experts and analysts said that few of the site’s 400 million members were aware of them". It would be nice to know the exact number, but 'few' shows that innocent people are having their privacy taken away from them and they don't even know it.

In the article, Zuckerberg states that privacy, "is something we take very seriously". If it is something that is so important, why did it take them so long to make these changes easy for all the users?


Since the majority of us use facebook, do you use any privacy settings? Why or why not?

(Image via http://www.stolaf.edu/services/hr/facebook_logo.png)

Ugly Betty

This post was inspired by Mr. B's TV Tokenism presentation in class last week when we looked at cast photos. One of my favorite shows (which is no longer on the air :( ) is Ugly Betty. Although it is not considered a "network drama", its more "network dramedy" (drama/ comedy). The show follows a Latino woman making it big in the fashion industry but still staying true to her roots. In the cast photo above, she is the main focal point. I find it interesting that her white male boss, Daniel, is next in the photo. This shows his supremacy without making him the lead character. However, what bothers me is that two of Betty's white colleagues, Marc and Amanda, come before her family. Her family has a bigger role than both Marc and Amanda, so it doesn't really make much sense.

I believe that Ugly Betty changed American TV for the better. It's one of the few network TV shows to focus on a minority family and had a main character as a minority female. It was a truly unique show that put Latinos in a new light. I'm sad to see it end. As we have been discussing in class, there still is not one example of a  minority lead in any network drama.

(image via: http://blog.earnmydegree.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/ugly-betty-cast-photo.jpg)

Junior Theme pt 3

The day has come! Almost. I'm currently working on the finishing touches on my JT! As I previously posted, my topic was obesity in America. I felt like I learned so many new things but I would not call myself a total expert. I'm really happy about the final outcome too. I put in a lot of hours and now we can all relax. Wooo! However,  I am struggling with my conclusion. I'm looking into the future but it all sounds too cliche as of now. I just finished the annotated bib and I am working through each paragraph for one final clean up! Overall, I actually enjoyed the infamous JT.

In the long run, I'm sad it's over.

Junior Theme pt 2

        So week 2 of Junior theme was pretty successful for me. After researching and reading articles, I formulated a thesis statement. However, I still think it will change a lot before our final paper is due. I thought the class where Mr. Bolos explained the thesis like a bunch of meat hooks was really helpful. After that, I focused on writing about the most important / relevant reasons to my question (Why is America the most obese country in the world?)
         Interviews. I googled "obesity experts" and found this great website http://www.obesityinamerica.org/obesityExperts/ . The website gave an email and said that it would be great to email it if I had any more questions about obesity. So I did! He emailed back promptly, but unfortuneatly was not an obesity expert. This threw me off a bit because it said on the website "If you are interested in speaking to one of our experts, please contact Arlyn Riskind at (301) 941-0240 or ariskind@endo-society.org." In my email I asked if I could speak with an expert, but he responded back saying that experts were only allowed to speak with media and press. He gave me very helpful resources which was great. He also said to contact a pediatriction or doctor that knows about obesity well.
        After that, I went on twitter and searched #obesity. I found out that there was a live video chat on the New Haven Register with Dr. Katz, an obesity specialist. The chat was really helpful and I emailed Dr. Katz with more questions and he happily answered. I know that it wasn't a face to face or phone interview, but I thought it really gave me good information for my paper. However, I am still thinking about contacting the author of my book to interview him. What do you guys think?
     

Junior Theme pt 1

Hi y'all AISers, so I haven't posted any updates on my Junior Theme yet. Yikes! Here's a summary of week one (way back when). After spring break, I finally decided on my topic, obesity in America. I've always wanted to learn more about obesity and I think now is a great time! I came up with a why question: Why is America the most obese country in the world? But it has been changed a couple times to: Why are obesity rates moving up so quickly? After getting a bunch of articles and background info on obesity I decided to focus on how Americans over eat and under exercise. I found a couple good books at NT with the help of the librarians, but decided to go with Fatland: How Americans Became the Fattest People in the World by Greg Critser. Now, I'm almost done with the book and it has been very helpful in the research process. Well, that was pretty much the start. Tomorrow I'll post about my interviews and thesis statement(s)!

Health Care

To tell you the truth, I wasn't really following the health care bill yesterday. I decided I should probably know the basics of what they were trying to pass. The New York Times had an interesting post about how the bill will affect you. It discussed the issues that were debated like: keeping your current plan or buying coverage through "exchanges" starting in 2014. I thought most of the ideas would be positive changes because it seems fair for all parties. But there was one that caught my eye:

"Starting in 2014, most Americans will be required to buy health insurance or pay a penalty" 

I thought this was interesting because under this statement was "American Indians don’t have to buy insurance. Those with religious objections or a financial hardship can also avoid the requirement". I've never really thought about the disagreements with religious views and health care. But this seems unfair too, what if people without religious objections don't want health care (I don't see why the wouldn't) but it's a possibility. Overall, I am still a little confused about the whole process but the issues are interesting.

What did you think about the health care bill?

Controversial Wal-Mart

           Forget the smiley face, Walmart. I came across a news report that I was really shocked by. The title of the article was "Attention, Walmart customers: All black people, leave the store now". Apparently, a New Jersey Walmart customers were interrupted by this obscene statement made on Sunday night. Someone announced it over the intercom, letting everyone in the store hear. I thought this was totally out of line and there was no reason for doing it. Whoever did this was unnacceptable and has to realize that other people do have feelings and shouldn't be treated that way. Also, we have to question the security at these stores, it's not everyday that someone takes over the intercom and does this.

What would you do if you were in Walmart and heard this? What does this say about our country?

(image via: http://i.walmart.com/i/b/06/camp/Rollbacks/rollback06_180X150.gif)

What Makes a Logo POP?

After reading all the thoughtful blog posts about advertising, I decided to focus on a simple form of advertising, company logos. Why are brand name logos like Target and McDonald's so intriguing? I seem to be drawn to both of these logos and feel like logos that are simple and clear-cut are most effective. Logos that have too much going on are so hectic that is pushes me away from them. The Harley Davidson logo is one that has a lot of words and is almost confusing. I also think it says a lot about the company though. Selling motorcycles shows that the company is tough, like the logo.

What are some of your favorite company logos? What do you think the logo says about the company?










(images via: http://lenovoblogs.com/designmatters/files/2009/09/Target-Logo-copy.jpg, http://tokyo5.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/mcdonalds-logo.jpg, http://makingmarketing.files.wordpress.com/2009/11/harley-davidson-logo1.jpg)

Advertising in Music Videos

            Since we have been discussing advertisements in class, I think this post is pretty appropriate. Last week, Lady Gaga and Beyonce debuted their new music video for "Telephone". I was kind of shocked by the video, but you can expect that from Gaga. The video was kind of strange but I did notice a variety of products throughout the video. I wondered if these products were put in their just for fun or if Lady Gaga was paid to put them in.

            Wonder Bread, Miracle Whip, Diet Coke, Polaroid and Virgin Mobile were the big names that appeared in the video. All of these products are fun and colorful, connecting to Lady Gaga's image. She has always been known for her colorful ways. What do you think these ads mean? Did she simply put them in there for the big bucks, or do you think they have a connected meaning? 


(Image via: Streamline/Interscope)

The Buried Life

Last week, a new series on MTV called The Buried Life, had its finale. It's a show about 4 young adult males who go on an adventure trying to cross things off their list of 100 thing they want to do before they die. Every time they cross something off their list, they help a stranger cross something off theirs. It's actually kind of touching.

It reminded me of the green light in The Great Gatsby. No, technically the list is not only one thing they desire most in life, but it does connect in a way. I think the show sends out a great message, if you put your mind to it, you can do anything you want. Their list is composed of small things, not anything like 'find a cure for cancer' or 'change the world'.  Most of the things they do are not hard to accomplish, showing that you can be a better person with taking small risks everyday. It makes me want to make my own list of thing to do before I die. Do you have one?

What do you want to do before you die?


(image via: http://www.mtv.com/shows/buried_life/series.jhtml) [also the Buried Life website]

The American Dream

Since we have been talking a little about social class in America, I decided to look back at some work I did last year. For my Sophomore English class, I chose to read Class Matters by the New York Times, for one independent reading book. I really enjoyed it because it wasn't your typical book. There were many New York Times writers that contributed to the book, and each chapter was about real people living in America today. Every chapter invited you in to a strangers home, and they told you about their own life, and their own American Dream.

One that stuck out to me was said by a white woman, Karen Handel, who lives in a wealthy town in Georgie. She said:

“What is the American Dream? It’s to have a house of your own, the biggest house you can afford, on the biggest lot you can afford, with a great school for your kids, a nice park to spend Saturday afternoon with your kids in, and deep in amenities that get into the trade-offs with traffic”.

I think Karen's personal American Dream is kind of stereotypical for rich whites. Personally, I believe that forming an American Dream is very difficult. Because everyone is different in their own way, everyone's American Dream should be different. What do you think about Karen's American Dream? What is your American Dream?

For more information, check out the NYT page for Class Matters.

(image via: http://rgr-static1.tangentlabs.co.uk/images/bau/97808050/9780805080551/0/0/plain/class-matters.jpg)

Art

After today's discussion about the arts and how somebody can make a living off of it, I came across this quote:

“Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain

an artist once he grows up" --Pablo Picasso

The word problem really stuck out to me. If a child is interested in art, I think it is important to continue that hobby. I think this shows a common situation: Mom and Dad don't want their daughter to become an artist because they want whats best for her. Well, perhaps art is what's best. No, usually you won't make a lot of money, but you're doing what makes you happy. I think it would be better for someone interested in art to pursue it, rather than going into accounting (or some other common finance job) and throwing away their art talent. Like Mr. O'Connor said today, making a living doesn't necessarily mean making money. Do you think there is a 'problem' with growing up and being an artist?

(image via: http://www.flickr.com/photos/38338230@N06/3676263520/)

Winter vs Summer Olympics

  VS








As we all know, the 2010 Winter Olympics are just around the corner. Earlier this week we discussed why certain sports that both men and women play, almost always the men teams always get more recognition. This sparked this question: which is more popular, the Winter or Summer Olympic games? Why? I personally believe that the summer Olympics always get more attention than the winter games. I think it is because people usually have more free time in the summer and enjoy watching sunny outside sports. I also really like the winter Olympics, but I feel that there isn't such a big hype about them. The only time I remember being really excited about the Winter games is when they were in Salt Lake City in 2002. I remember watching the Olympic torch march down Sheridan road which I think made me interested in those Olympics. Overall, I think the Winter games have more interesting sports, but Summer games have the 'popular' sports like Track and Field, Swimming, and Gymnastics. Which one do you prefer? Why?


(images via http://www.skirebel.com/magazine/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/2010-vancouver-logo.png and http://sharealogo.com/wp-content/uploads/London_Olympics_2012_ai.png)

Rose Meets Mr. Wintergarten

One of my favorite children's book is called Rose Meets Mr. Wintergarten by Bob Graham. It's a nice story about a young girl you accidentally throws her basketball over the fence to her grim neighbor, Mr. Wintergarten, backyard . Other children tell Rose that Mr.Wintergarten eats kids and has a wolf as a dog, so nobody ever goes over there. Throughout the illustrations, the reader can see the dark grey colors of Mr. Wintergarden's house in the background behind Rose's colorful home. I just reread it and caught something that I hadn't noticed as a child, Rose's last name is Summers. And the mean neighbor is named Mr. Wintergarten. Summer vs. winter, nice vs. evil. When one thinks of summer, they mostly think of nice and warm surroundings. However when you think of winter, you think cold and dark. Now this may not be so "secret" but I think it is interesting to see how the author depicted the names with the matching personality. As a child, they were just names to me. But now, I feel like I have a better understanding of the characters and can accurately analyze them. Another message is that you can't always judge someone without getting to know them. Mr. Wintergarten seems bitter at first, but when people start paying attention to him, he warms up and becomes a very friendly man. This is a common case of "don't judge a book by it's cover".

(image via http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61XY3FV624L._SL500_AA240_.jpg)

The Best Way to Study...

Right now we all find ourselves amidst studying for finals. While I'm sitting here typing this, I find myself surrounded by a 4 month supply of math note sheets, homework, and tests spread all over my dining room table. Over the years many teachers have informed us about the most important study skills: prioritizing, time management, concentrations. And they also informed us of ones to avoid: cramming, and procrastinating. I have my ways in which I like to study, but I don't know if they are the most effective. I always ask myself after finals, did I study right? But is there a right way to study? I guess studying is different for each person because everyone knows what works for them. For example, I really find it helpful to do a LOT of review problems, going over old tests, and looking back on notesheets. This only helps me for math and science, but for english and history I usually review everything we've done in class. For this specific class, I liked how we were given the prompt so we could write down our ideas before the final, so we are not at a loss of words during the actual exam. What are your favorite ways to study?

(Image via http://www.flickr.com/photos/44124412272@N01/199135513/)

Happiness

What makes a person happy? I was reading this article in the New York Times titled, "The Happiest People". The article stated three different ways that rank countries by happiness. The World Database of Happiness (lists countries in order of happiness based on surveys), tracking "happy life years" (scholars that calculate the self-reported happiness from the World Database of Happiness with life expectancy), and Happy Planet Index (combines happiness with longevity and environmental impact), are ways to check out America's happiness. Out of these three lists, the US ranked 14th, 19th, and 114th respectively. But I had to ask myself, are these ways of calculating happiness truly accurate? Do you think people can simply fill out a survey and then scholars can tell if the country is happy? I personally believe that a survey does not do justice to the whole country. I guess what I am saying is that I disagree with these rankings and the ways in which they created them. I don't think happiness is has anything to do with longevity or environmental impact. So, what do you think? How do we, as Americans, measure happiness?

(Image via http://media.photobucket.com/image/happy/boj_ana/happy.jpg)

Young Girl to Woman

During Winter break, my mom and I ventured off to NYC for a short weekend trip. One day we went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art (aka the Met) and went to an exhibit called American Stories. I was excited because I thought it would be cool to see stories of Americans represented in art and relate it to this class somehow. I was particularly struck by one painting titled "Story of Golden Locks" by Seymour Joseph Guy. It was painted in 1870 and the exhibit called this era, "Stories of War and Reconciliation". The painting depicts a girl reading Goldilocks and the Three Bears to her two young brothers. What I did not catch in the painting was the little doll stuffed in the box on the chair. By reading the summary next to the painting, I read that this showed her advancement from girlhood to womanhood. I thought this connected well into our Women and Children unit we are studying now. But by stuffing her doll into the box shows that she is ready to take on a role as a woman and later on becoming a mother.  I really like how Guy's simple painting has a sentimental feel for young girls who want to assume the role of a woman. What do you think about this painting? When do you think a girl takes on the role to becoming a woman, is it as simple as tucking away your toys and games?

(image via http://www.metmuseum.org/special/americanstories/objectImages/TT.3.14.EL.jpg)

New Year's Resolutions

Every New Year's Eve my family goes around and shares our resolutions for the year. I've never really given much thought to my resolution. It usually ends up that I want to clean my room more often or eat more vegetables, nothing out of the ordinary. I searched New Year's Resolutions and found this list of popular resolutions according to www.usa.gov.

• lose weight

• manage debt
• save money
• get a better job
• get fit 
• get a better education
• drink less alcohol
• quit smoking
• reduce stress

To my knowledge, I've heard that most people who make resolutions do not follow through. Then what's the point? To further prove this, a website confirms that out of a group of 3000 people, only 12% followed through with their resolution. I know that this experiment does not even compare to the number of people in our country but it still is pretty shocking. I never know where to start when coming up with a resolution, but here is one I hope to keep: do not get behind on blogging! What do you think about New Year Resolutions? Did you come up with one this year, if so, what is it?!