The Trouble With Facebook

I have officially decided to boycott Facebook. Sure on the surface it seems like a harmless, even helpful social networking tool. But there is a dark side to this website. First of all, every comment, picture, and action on Facebook is stored in a database and can be pulled by Facebook at any time. This means all those drunk rants, and incriminating or embarrassing photos of yourself are floating around and can re-surface at any time.

Another problem with Facebook is that it creates an unnatural way of socializing. Instead of going outside to meet with friends, or talk on the phone, people just leave little messages to each other on Facebook. Parents have become concerned that their kids aren't being active. Facebook only exacerbates the situation.

Facebook has way too much potential to hurt the reputation of people. It has come to my attention that many human resource people will Google applicants and view their Facebook pages when screening. There are privacy settings you can use on the site, however it doesn't take much for a friend to humiliate you with last weekends drunken photography.

I'm also getting very annoyed with the idea of twitting. On Facebook you can update your status, and most people update with pointless information. Honestly, I don't give a hoot if you are watching TV or about to take a nap. There is no need to share this to the world.

Facebook breeds social conformity and can be an invasion of your privacy.

Fish Out of Water

This past Sunday I attended Abundant Life Church in Mountain View. My parents are Baptist and so I was brought up in a Christian household. My family attended a Korean church. The ministry was pre-dominantly Korean at my church growing up. Abundant Life is a predominantly Black church and it was my first experience in a church not full of Korean people.

I have to admit I felt a little uncomfortable from the moment I parked my car. I couldn’t help but feel that eyes were all over me wondering if I was lost. As I exited my car and walked toward the sanctuary, an elderly woman smiled warmly at me as if to acknowledge my presence. Her smile made me feel more comfortable and welcome. She gave me a head nod as I entered the front door.

As I entered, an usher handed me a church bulletin and asked nicely if it was my first time attending. Not wanting to add any extra attention on myself, I lied to him and said it wasn’t my first time. I couldn’t help but feel guilty for lying at church.

Once I entered the actual sanctuary I was amazed to see hundreds of people gathered inside. Though most people were Black, I saw a rather diverse group of people. This diversity made me feel a lot more comfortable. People all around me were shaking each other’s hands and saying hello. I’m sure I looked a little lost in this huge sanctuary because an usher offered to help me find a seat. I found a seat near the back end, on the right side of the pulpit.

This church is absolutely huge. It looks comparable to the COSTCO is sits adjacent to. The people sitting around me offered a hand shake and introduced themselves to me as I did likewise. I felt comfortable right away because everyone seemed to be so friendly. I thought I would not fit in but it turned out I fit in just perfectly.

Worship started with singing and an energized choir stole the show. I have never heard such a soulful choir bringing so much energy to church. I was amazed, just as I was last week when I saw B.B. King perform in Oakland. Pastor Paul Shephard began his sermon with a question, “What is it that drives you to succeed?” I was unprepared for such a question when my focus was on the Bible.

The main point of the sermon was to emphasize the importance of keeping greed at bay and using God as a means of motivation. Pastor Paul gave a very eloquent sermon and with his mixture of humor and wit, I paid close attention.

A funny thing happened when I was at Abundant Life. I forgot all about race, gender, and age. I felt united with all the people around me. I felt accepted right off the bat. This, “fish out of the water” experience really opened my eyes.

Ad Redirect

SYNOPSIS

The original ad shows two tortilla chips being cooked fondue-style in a can of Tostitos cheese dip. I found this ad in, "Living" magazine. This ad was originally targeted toward female home makers. The copy reads, "Made With Real Cheese. Made For Good Times." This ad aims to convince mothers to buy the dip because it is made of real cheese and will provide good times for the family. The can of cheese itself is shown acting as a fondue pot. This ad is cutesy and is definitely aimed at mothers.

REDIRECT

The new ad for the Tostitos cheese dip will target men ages 31-44. The ad will show grown men watching football in a friend's living room. The men are wearing jerseys of their team. All the men will be shown incensed at an awful call by the game's referee. The television screen will show a referee with both hands up signaling a score that the men disagree with. Though these men are shown angry and frustrated they will each still have a tortilla chip with the Tostitos cheese dip in their hands. The copy will read, "One Call Even the Refs Can't Mess Up." This ad aims to speak to the adult male demographic. This ad will be shown in sports magazines like ESPN and Sports Illustrated that are geared toward adult males.

Japanese Internment Memorial Vignette

Ruth Asawa's Japanese Internment Memorial really opened my eyes. There are several vignettes on the sculpture that really stuck-out compared to the rest.

The central theme I got from this piece was that of occupation and improvisation. I say improvisation because this memorial showed me that Japanese-Americans, though interned and isolated, still elected to live their lives to the fullest. They were left with no choice but to make the best of their situation.

The Memorial works as a before and after, as in regards to the internment of Japanese-Americans. The vignette I chose to write about is on the side that shows life in an internment camp. The vignette displays a baseball game being played by the interned. This image struck me because I found it surprising that sports were being played in the camps. I had always envisioned the internment camps as a milder form of prison, where all liberties were denied. However according to Asawa's sculpture, life was still enjoyed, to a certain extent, by the interned.

The Baseball vignette symbolizes the Japanese Americans' attempt to keep on living and enjoy their lives as much as possible. It represents their spirit to not let the internment keep them from enjoying their existence. Now I'm not saying that they were having a great time during the camp, but I am saying that they tried to make the best of a horrible situation.

Another part of the sculpture that struck me was the paper airplane that soared above the barbed wire. It was quite an image to see that this simple paper plane was indeed more free than the people in the camps. It really got me to think and to appreciate my freedom.

It is encouraging and depressing to see how injustice can influence an entire people.

Word of the Week #8

Behest

Source: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0309/20625.html

How it was used: "The White House confirms Wagoner is leaving at the government's behest."

Definition: noun 1. a command or directive
2. an earnest or strongly worded request.

My Sentence: At the behest of my girlfriend, I removed my cap while eating dinner.

NPR Interview Analysis

Terry Gross had a basic knowledge of the background of the band. She even knew that wearing a Metallica shirt in Baghdad was considered serious taboo. She knew that the band’s name was Latin for black scorpion. You can tell she did her homework, citing the band’s origins, struggles, and aspirations. I’m sure she had viewed the film, “Heavy Metal in Baghdad.” It was cool that she played a clip of their music so we could get a feel for the band’s musical personality.

She asked questions pertaining to the rare heavy metal presence in Baghdad. Her questions really hit on how and why the band got into heavy metal while living in Iraq. She asked how accessible heavy metal music is in Iraq. She also touches on their musical influences and asks who inspired them. Her questions lead up to the invasion and fall of Saddam Hussein. Then her questions begin to ask how their musical experiences were affected by the fall of Saddam.

Based on the band’s responses, Terry Gross would mold her questions accordingly. It didn’t seem like she had a strict set of questions but rather her set of questions were adaptable to the band’s responses. Her strategy was one of neutrality, especially when it came to the American invasion of Iraq. She steered away from questions like, “How did the invasion make you feel?” Rather she asked questions about how the invasion affected their music, and how they were treated with prejudice and violence. She didn’t focus on their actual personal beliefs, but concentrated on their music and how the music was affected.

The relationship between Terry Gross and the band was one of respect and curiosity. It really sounds like Gross has a genuine interest in the topic. The band is eager to tell their story. This makes for a solid interview because both sides are equally involved.

I learned that in order to have a successful interview, the interviewer must do their homework on the subject. It is easy to tell when a person has in-depth knowledge on a topic. The fact that Terry Gross was involved with her subject made the interview credible.

IMHO #1

In my honest opinion...

The case of Casey Anthony has been tumultuous to say the least. From the very start, beginning with Caylee’s disappearance, most facts about this case were left up in the air. Since no body was discovered for a long period of time, Casey Anthony took the brunt of accusations and protections. However with the recent discovery of Caylee’s body, some questions have been answered but the most important questions remain unsolved. It has become obvious to me that Casey was directly involved in the death of her infant daughter. The real issue to me is whether Casey had the intention to kill her daughter or if it was just an accident.

According to the www.wesh.com article, “Prosecutors Not Seeking Death Penalty For Casey Anthony” a Florida judge has decided to exclude video and audio footage of Casey Anthony’s reaction to the news that her daughter’s body was discovered. Though I strongly agree that Casey Anthony shouldn’t be facing the death penalty for first-degree murder, I disagree with the judge’s decision to throw out crucial evidence. Casey Anthony video footage was already being absolutely squeezed by Nancy Grace and other news programs. The judge’s decision was mainly based on the fact that the release of this footage would deny Casey a fair trial. If that is the case, then why haven’t all the videos of her crying and complaining been banned? Casey’s video rants have already made headlines on popular television programming. So wouldn’t it be fair to say that a fair trial is already well out of reach. For the judge to simply deem this new video footage as a breach of her fair trial rights is preposterous, especially when you consider all the defamatory footage of Casey already being broadcast.

With the massive media coverage of this case, hasn’t the prospect of ensuring a fair trial already been compromised? From all the party photos, contradictory statements, and fictional stories, there is no doubt that Casey was involved in Caylee’s disappearance. Casey has not shown any violent tendencies from her past or present to spur a question of murderous intent. Therefore I believe she should not face the death penalty. But she is still faced with a first-degree murder charge with the possibility of life in prison. For the absolute truth to be revealed, all significant evidence must be presented including the footage that the judge has decided to dismiss. I don’t believe that the threat of an unfair trial justifies the judge’s decision to throw out the audio/video footage.

Source: http://www.wesh.com/news/18830733/detail.html