Wednesday, September 30, 2009
All Grown Up: The Internet
The article and video on "growing up online" said the same things I've talked about in classes before. Adults are freaking out because kids spend too much time on the internet and it's not safe, and kids think it's safe and parents are overreacting. This isn't anything new. See, here's the thing: yeah, the internet is a very open place for creepers and pedophiles, but if kids just don't do stupid things, like post their addresses and numbers on facebook and myspace, they should be okay. Just be smart when on the internet. Kids that post videos and crude pictures of themselves are just asking for creepers to come and get them. Although I think parental blocks are unnecessary, because they just make kids want to go to blocked sites more when they have their own computers, parents should monitor a bit of what their kids are doing IF they suspect their kids of doing something inapropriate. If a parent has no reason to believe that his/her child is being a freak online, no parental controls should be set. A lot of kids really aren't idiots online, everyone just thinks there are because every time a kid does something ridiculous, it seems to show up on the evening news. If adults would stop freaking out making kids want to rebel, and if kids could use the internet in better ways (like networking and studying) the internet wouldn't seem like such a bad thing.
Black Money
When I first saw the topic of the video entitled "Black Money", I thought it was going to be about money and race relations. I was wrong, "Black Money" is about international bribery, specifically international bribery in business. Did you ever think that your favorite company was doing dirty business? Hopefully no one would just think this about a company, but it’s unfortunately happening as we speak, but the government is starting to crackdown on this “Black Money”.
With a story that seems like it could be set in the days of the mafia, black mail, princes, prime ministers and many people of power are involved in a serious money case again involving “Black Money”. In this international money scandal the people who are involved are upset because they are now being reported on, but one must remember that “ black money” is money that any can lay claim on or steal because it is of underground origin.
My interest in this case goes beyond the case it’s self; I’m more concerned about the need to have “black money”. Underground money only increases the problems of the world. What is to make of the world when those who are supposed to be wealthy start dealing under the table for cash?
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Inside the Teenage Brain
Okkk besides the fact that this story was shown to the world on my birthday it also has my home town and one of my old teachers in it! Woo woot yeah Minnesota!
But on a more serious note.
I have never felt more understood in my life. The episode really made me realize just how mch my thoughts and sleep patterns and interactions with my mother has changed in the past 5 1/2 years.The studies show that when your a teen you basically are having the most brain growth of your life other then when your in the womb. The whole FRONTLINE episode was based off brain growth, sleep, mood swings, decision making and parent interaction with their kids. I think every teen and there parent should watch this episode because I learned that Im not just some psycho moody crazy girl and that my brain is going through changes with how it functions and how my emotions are handled. It was stated that teen brains read emotions different the adult brains. That teens see sadness and anger when the emotion may be surprise. This episode says that teens need up to 9 and a half hours of sleep a night and if that sleep is missed it changes the way your brain reacts for the whole day. Studies show that after learning a task and sleeping 150 minutes of R.E.M. sleep ( rem being the most important type of sleep and the most peaceful) (( AKA being KNOCKED OUT)) you improve 10% more then a person who has 55 minutes of R.E.M. sleep. This shows that with a good nights sleep anything you learned the day before should be better when you do it the second time. The whole video basically tells teens and there parents whats going on in their brains and why things may have gotten so weird in the past years. There are stories i relate to personally and i feel that any teen would.
But on a more serious note.
I have never felt more understood in my life. The episode really made me realize just how mch my thoughts and sleep patterns and interactions with my mother has changed in the past 5 1/2 years.The studies show that when your a teen you basically are having the most brain growth of your life other then when your in the womb. The whole FRONTLINE episode was based off brain growth, sleep, mood swings, decision making and parent interaction with their kids. I think every teen and there parent should watch this episode because I learned that Im not just some psycho moody crazy girl and that my brain is going through changes with how it functions and how my emotions are handled. It was stated that teen brains read emotions different the adult brains. That teens see sadness and anger when the emotion may be surprise. This episode says that teens need up to 9 and a half hours of sleep a night and if that sleep is missed it changes the way your brain reacts for the whole day. Studies show that after learning a task and sleeping 150 minutes of R.E.M. sleep ( rem being the most important type of sleep and the most peaceful) (( AKA being KNOCKED OUT)) you improve 10% more then a person who has 55 minutes of R.E.M. sleep. This shows that with a good nights sleep anything you learned the day before should be better when you do it the second time. The whole video basically tells teens and there parents whats going on in their brains and why things may have gotten so weird in the past years. There are stories i relate to personally and i feel that any teen would.
The Merchants of "Cool"
Wow that really opened my eyes! I knew that we as teenagers were already exposed to ads all around us but I never understood the business side of it. We as teenagers make up almost 150 billion dollars in the US economy. That's just one of the many things I learned from this episode of FRONTLINE. The first thing that really shocked me is how company's look as teens not as people, but as a market. How they go to kids houses and try to understand whats hot in the mind of teens today but more importantly, how they can market whatever that thing is. That thing is what they call "cool". Company's send marketers to concerts and other events where mass amounts of teens gather to see what's new and exciting in terms of fashion, slang, and pop culture. However the paradox with this is that once something that was once new and innovative makes it's way to the mainstream, it's no longer considered cool.
Another point that was brought up was the MTV "machine". MTV's market is directed completely towards teens and young adults. However the secret behind MTV's success isn't that it knows its market. In fact, MTV works due to the fact that it has accepted the fact that "cool" is in the hands of teens, not MTV. What MTV and other big marketing company's have done is studied which products work and which don't, then placing their name behind them and producing them on shows like TRL and Sucker Free Countdown. It may seem like a maze of information but if you follow the rise and fall of certain bands, it becomes more clear. Bands like Limp Bizkit, who made it big soon after MTV started playing their music videos on TRL. By pushing new albums on shows like TRL, the sales skyrocketed and toped charts. The true genius behind all this was that MTV had no idea what "rage rock" was or what it stood for. However with a following of almost 50 million fans in that genre alone, the numbers talk for themselves.
I could go on about how there is hidden marketing in almost everything teens are exposed to, as well how girls are being consumed my appearance. In my honest opinion, I feel that we will never be free from MTV's grip on us, not because it tells us what to wear or how to act, but because we as teens need MTV and other companys just as much as they need us. They are not cool and probably never will be. They need us to them what really is cool and exciting. Maybe if teens wise up to this hidden world of marketing, they can take back some of the power and reshape pop culture. Just a though....
Peace
Another point that was brought up was the MTV "machine". MTV's market is directed completely towards teens and young adults. However the secret behind MTV's success isn't that it knows its market. In fact, MTV works due to the fact that it has accepted the fact that "cool" is in the hands of teens, not MTV. What MTV and other big marketing company's have done is studied which products work and which don't, then placing their name behind them and producing them on shows like TRL and Sucker Free Countdown. It may seem like a maze of information but if you follow the rise and fall of certain bands, it becomes more clear. Bands like Limp Bizkit, who made it big soon after MTV started playing their music videos on TRL. By pushing new albums on shows like TRL, the sales skyrocketed and toped charts. The true genius behind all this was that MTV had no idea what "rage rock" was or what it stood for. However with a following of almost 50 million fans in that genre alone, the numbers talk for themselves.
I could go on about how there is hidden marketing in almost everything teens are exposed to, as well how girls are being consumed my appearance. In my honest opinion, I feel that we will never be free from MTV's grip on us, not because it tells us what to wear or how to act, but because we as teens need MTV and other companys just as much as they need us. They are not cool and probably never will be. They need us to them what really is cool and exciting. Maybe if teens wise up to this hidden world of marketing, they can take back some of the power and reshape pop culture. Just a though....
Peace
From Jesus to Christ: The First Christians
The episode I chose to watch was “From Jesus to Christ: The First Christians.” This episode examines Jesus life and how Judaism and the Roman Empire influenced Jesus teachings. Jesus grew up in a village called Nazareth and was known as a humble carpenter. After that he ended up leaving Nazareth to become a preacher not to abolish people’s minds, but to fulfill it.
His first stop was Galilee and he cured every disease or sickness that was around. Even though everyone loved Jesus and his teachings the Romans did not approve of his ways and death was soon to be put upon him.
The next stop for Jesus was Jerusalem and that was directly owned by Rome. The reason why he came here was because of the Passover. In Jerusalem there was a temple and that was considered the house of God in everyone’s eyes, but Jesus though different because the Romans wanted to put a statute in there of Augustus Cesar.
Jesus symbolically destroys the temple and this is what caused for his arrest. If you questioned the authority of the Romans they would crucify you and they even had a place where this took place and that was Gogol which stands for “Skull.” This death was slow and painful for anyone and this is where Jesus was nailed on the cross. Jesus was the king of the Jews and the Romans needed to make an example of him, but Jesus teachings will never be forgotten and they will live on forever.
His first stop was Galilee and he cured every disease or sickness that was around. Even though everyone loved Jesus and his teachings the Romans did not approve of his ways and death was soon to be put upon him.
The next stop for Jesus was Jerusalem and that was directly owned by Rome. The reason why he came here was because of the Passover. In Jerusalem there was a temple and that was considered the house of God in everyone’s eyes, but Jesus though different because the Romans wanted to put a statute in there of Augustus Cesar.
Jesus symbolically destroys the temple and this is what caused for his arrest. If you questioned the authority of the Romans they would crucify you and they even had a place where this took place and that was Gogol which stands for “Skull.” This death was slow and painful for anyone and this is where Jesus was nailed on the cross. Jesus was the king of the Jews and the Romans needed to make an example of him, but Jesus teachings will never be forgotten and they will live on forever.
Wally-World!
This episode of frontline was very interesting 2 me and it made me really re think my thoughts on walmart. I didnt realize how competitive they were and how they really treat their employees not the best.
They as a company are really not the best people to buy or sell from. They pressure all of there suppliers to give them the lowest prices possible. This shows that they are very cheap. It also showed that this company bullies many of there suppliers. They just do it to like I said before, get the cheapest stuff possible. So we are out at walmart buying the cheaper version of different stuff.
However they do in this show to us that walmart is not always the lowest price. There is a lot of fishy things that happen at walmart. They price-match. They have different aisles were there are lower priced items but they hide them and put the highest priced items in a more noticeable spot. They call these "side aisles".
I think in my opinion as horrible as frontline made walmart sound, I think that america would suffer without it. Many people from from the lower class shop there for there low prices (even though they could be lower). So many jobs would be lost. I think that walmart is a good place to go. People should appriciate it.
They as a company are really not the best people to buy or sell from. They pressure all of there suppliers to give them the lowest prices possible. This shows that they are very cheap. It also showed that this company bullies many of there suppliers. They just do it to like I said before, get the cheapest stuff possible. So we are out at walmart buying the cheaper version of different stuff.
However they do in this show to us that walmart is not always the lowest price. There is a lot of fishy things that happen at walmart. They price-match. They have different aisles were there are lower priced items but they hide them and put the highest priced items in a more noticeable spot. They call these "side aisles".
I think in my opinion as horrible as frontline made walmart sound, I think that america would suffer without it. Many people from from the lower class shop there for there low prices (even though they could be lower). So many jobs would be lost. I think that walmart is a good place to go. People should appriciate it.
Uncovering meth's History and spread
In this front line episode we are looking at the affects of meth on a certain community in Oregon. This video show the fall and rise of meth through the years mostly just the 90s. Also the spread of meth amphetamine through mostly the west coast and mid west. The video shows the effects of meth on the human body mostly facial imperfections like facial disintegration and other things of that nature. The video briefly goes over the purity of the meth how it changes over time. if the meth is pure more people will be hooked on it if it was not pure they were less likely to be hooked on meth. There are numerous arrests in the video because of meth usage for example a man is arrested of a bus for meth how they found him I do not know. In the video they go over how meth can have a serious affect on children. There is a family on meth that have a child and they abuse her because of the drug you guessed it Meth. the child claims to be woozy at certain times of the day because of the meth in the household. and also she was sexually abused because of her parents under the influence of METH!!!
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