Big Apple Energizes the Soul

In the book Life Safari, Mick tells Jack that MaMa Gombe understands the energy of Africa. I believe that what Mick is trying to say to Jack is that MaMa Gombe loves the land and natural things about Africa and because she has been around so long she appreciates everything Africa has to offer. She understands what to do in certain situations and knows where the greatest spots are all around the continent. According to the book I would describe the energy of Africa as exciting, high-strung, and at times dangerous. Compared to my home state, the energy of Africa is similar but also very different. My home state is New York, and I wouldn't want to have another state be my hometown. New York's energy is high-strung as well, but in a different way. New York is always happening, there isn't a point from what I can remember, besides 9/11, where New York had just stopped moving. Whether it was snowing, raining, sun shining or even a blackout- New York is truly the city that never sleeps. In Africa the dangers are animals, not enough food/water, and a struggle for shelter. Meanwhile in New York, the dangers are other people, fast-paced movement for those who aren't used to it and those who have never taken a ride on the subway! When I think of New York's energy, it's almost indescribable. I see the lights of Times Square or Rockefeller City during Christmas time and an instant smile pops up on my face. In conclusion, I believe that I know exactly what Mick meant when he said to Jack that MaMa Gombe understands the "energy" of Africa, because I understand the energy of New York.

Hazing: What Is It and Why Does It Happen?

According to the article on hazing on the campushealthandsafety.org website hazing is defined as "any humiliating or dangerous activity expected of you to join a group, regardless of your willingness to participate."Hazing can be found in multiple groups on colleges such as sororities, fraternities, peer groups or gangs. They state in this article that hazing can result in physical and emotional consequences. Among these consequences are low self-esteem, depression and upset feelings towards the group enforcing the hazing. Hazing has been around for a while and despite the fact that so many people know it's wrong, it is kept a secret among the campus because as claimed by the website, fellow peers are afraid to tell on their friends, they don't know who to go to or they don't think others will understand. Hazing is a problem in every college, on every campus. Whether it is mild hazing like a frat telling a pledge to make them a sandwich or hardcore hazing such a sorority making their baby pledges walk on glass, hazing is serious! Two ways to prevent this type of crime on campus is to regularly have check ups by older authoritative figures or if one would like to get very serious about the issue, by having an undercover rush for different sorority/fraternity/peer groups.
 
Fortunately for me, I am in a sorority and I can tell you that FGCU has no hazing going on in our Greek life. Although many of the fraternities around here joke around about hazing, it is never enforced nor have I seen it take place. My sorority has strict rules on hazing and if they are broken we could get in a lot of trouble. Even though FGCU is very good with hazing, I know for a fact other colleges and universities are not. One way I can help with hazing on our campus is by promoting the fact that "Hazing is for Losers." Zeta Tau Alpha, another sorority on campus actually has a campaign called "Hazing is for Losers" which all of our Panhellenic Council gets involved in.

Hazing

Facebook: To Be or Not To Be?

In the article that I decided to base this blog off, I chose the dangers of  having a Facebook. The article "The 5 Facebook Dangers" written by Jackie Burrell has 5 very interesting reasons why Facebook is not all the fun and games we make it out to be. Of course we know that posting Facebook statuses and photos that aren't exactly respectful could mess up your future with college admissions and future careers but there are also other dangers that can occur if you have a Facebook.  http://youngadults.about.com/od/legalissues/a/facebookcaveat.htm

In regards to the article, I agree with a lot of the things Burrell has to say. Once something is on Facebook, it is on the internet forever! Facebook is dangerous because it gives off this idea that everything is private and that only certain people can see certain things but that is not all true. Companies actually hire people to do background checks on new employees and Facebook is a major thing that they look at. According to the article, some teenagers have actually been charged for child pornography because the photos they are posting are too risque! Who would've thought that child pornography could be one of the dangers of Facebook. There are many other risks a person takes when they decide to activate their Facebook account. Whether it's due to college admissions checking out Facebook's, careers looking into their employees, or Facebook being evidence in a courtroom case there are a lot of dangers of having a Facebook! If I wasn't so into keeping up with what my friends across the country were doing, I'd probably delete my account right this instant!

Inhale This Smoke, Then Lose Your Fingers

In the advertisement for "Anti-Smoking Ad" the effect that is being shown is after the woman smoked cigarettes she lost some of her fingers. The text in the ad states "I chose to smoke. This is what it cost me" and then behind the text is a picture of the woman named Marie with her hands up and 4 of her fingers missing. There is some white-space (black space) in the advertisement but its well used and allows us to focus on the main part of the ad which is telling us not to smoke. Another reason why this poster speaks to the reader is because it says "Marie, Bronx, NY." This is an advertisement mechanism that hits close to home because they see that it is actual people going through this stuff.

I believe that this is a very persuasive ad because of the message it is telling. This ad uses the scaring technique to show people that the dangers of smoking are real and are happening to real people. The way the woman looks in this ad is the exact opposite of what most women in ads look like. Therefore she is old, looks depressed and ashamed, has bad hair, and of course not a full set of fingers. This ad is a perfect example for cause and effect because the cause of the ad is smoking cigarettes and the effect is a woman developing Buerger's disease.

Chung, Jenn. "Health Department Unveils Scary New Anti-Smoking Ad: Gothamist." Gothamist: New York City News, Food, Arts & Events. 17 Apr. 2008. Web. 17 Nov. 2011. <http://gothamist.com/2008/04/17/health_departme_5.php>.

Veterans Day

Both of these posters give a powerful message to the viewer, the first one is a happy, bright, and strong outlook on Veterans Day. The poster almost shows what we were fighting for in a way and has vivid colors and a strong image. Meanwhile, in the other poster the message is deep and although there is no movement or talking it's emotional. In the second poster, there are words that say "Following the footsteps of generations past, present, and future." That statement alone is moving and really breaks into the emotional part of veterans day allowing us to remember all those who have lost their lives for our freedom. Both of these posters are similar in the fact that they symbolize America. They also both mention remembering those who served, and have Veterans Day across it.

Works Cited

Blogspot. Web. 6 Nov. 2011. <https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX25z6V6M-wIqvXGnQHvqh6ZLuUY8rYbulXNbHHJGAeNcjg0R7Aoz7kYv76fQ7BRE6Fu_5bHsJrloH9b2U0InTFKtWYNT8VbO5_4Sb4xzp-Qpc4OI5OtnF2kS_vC7aWYQz09LuSFQW8TMA/s400/veterans_day_poster.jpg>.

Kick Acts Magazine. Web. 06 Nov. 2011. <http://www.kickacts.com/>.

What Women Want

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d54TiN3t5_I

Why Men Don't Talk to Women is a very disturbing, sexist and rather annoying video in my point of view. The video depicts all women as gold diggers and women that have no feelings towards anyone. It also depicts that we care only about ourselves. According to the movie, women believe that all men want to do is smother us and that is not true at all. Most of the time, women are complaining that men don't love us enough. The central idea that the author is trying to make is that its our fault that women are single and men want nothing to do with us because of how testy and moody we get. I completely disagree, although the video was funny it is not right to generalize a group of people because they share the same gender. In conclusion, I hope that you are just as mad as I am about this video!

Chicken or the Egg?

Now that I have you intrigued by my title, I'm sorry to tell you that my contrasting has nothing to do with chickens, nor eggs. I apologize but I can tell you that you will not regret reading what I am about to discuss. On the bright side, one of the items is food. I am contrasting two of my favorite things in the world, home (which is Warwick, New York) and my favorite food Snow Crab Legs.

Warwick, New York is a place I believe everyone should experience. There is no other place I'd rather call home then this beautiful, unique little town. There is something about the air in Warwick that everyone from there knows. When I am home I often find myself sniffing outside my window for that pure fresh air that I can't smell anywhere else. When you walk through my beautiful town you feel at home. Even if you aren't from Warwick, there's a cozy warm feeling that tingles through your body. The shops and restaurants invite you in and treat you as if you were gold. The greatest part of it all is each business is mom and pop owned. My town does not allow commercial chains to open up business. On the outskirts you will find a Shop Rite and a CVS but asides from that our businesses are all owned by people we know. Although we have over 50,000 people in our community it still has a small town feel where everyone knows everyone. For some they may not like it, but for me it's perfect!

Snow crabs are glorious. When I hear snow crabs I think of a buttery sensation in my mouth and juicy meaty legs. They are delicious and if you haven't tried them yet, you are not living. Snow crabs originate from all over but the greatest tasting ones come from Alaska. The legs are tender and easy to get the meat out unlike Alaskan King Crab or Blue Crabs. My favorite kind of Snow Crab legs are the ones that are seasoned in Ole Bay. Preferably from Joes Crab Shack.

I suppose your wondering why in the world I decided to contrast such two very different things. Well, for one I miss my home and I'd do anything to go back or to just talk about it. Another reason is I'm starving and haven't had my favorite food in a while and the Snow Crab legs were just on my mind. They are so very different because first off, Snow Crab legs are food while Warwick is a township in Orange County. Also, Warwick has a different taste then Snow Crabs. Snow Crabs are a physical taste that can satisfy your actual hunger while Warwick is more of a mental taste that can satisfy your hunger for home. All in all, I hope you get to A. taste Snow Crabs while b. being in Warwick, New York.

Midterm Part 2 Reflection

The technology tool that I decided to use for my midterm part 2 reflection was GoAnimate. I chose this tool because it seemed the most fun and interesting to show the first part of my midterm. I didn't even have to record my own voice or anything! The experience I had doing the midterm was rather fun! I looked over my first part of the midterm and chose certain sentences that I wanted to include in my presentation. It was interesting to see how the characters in the movie went about saying the information. If I could change one thing about my video, I would change how proper the characters sound. I wish they sound more relaxed and student-like. The sentences were meant to be personal and in the video they sound like robots.

Midterm Reflection

A New Kind of Soda Pop

The following is a comparison-contrast of the commercial for Sun-drop and the Joy of Pepsi commercial by Britney Spears. The first commercial for Sun-drop recently came out over the summer because it was a new product. The commercial consists of a known tune- "Drop It Like It's Hot" by Snoop Dog and features a white average girl dancing from coast to coast doing crazy moves! The commercial has begun a craze all over America and people are calling the dance the "sun-drop." I definitely think that this commercial has made its purpose because so many people that I know specifically went out to the stores and bought Sun-Drop, not only because it was a new product but because the commercial was stuck in everyone's heads! The dance moves in the commercial are funny, plus the girl who is doing the dance moves doesn't look like the kind of girl to dance the way she is! They almost make a joke out of white girls thinking they can dance, but it still sticks in peoples memory for days on end!

The Joy of Pepsi commercial came out much earlier in the decade and consisted of Britney Spears, one of the most famous pop artist at the time, singing a mixed up versions of all her songs with Pepsi replacing most of the words. Its a catchy sing-a-long that helped sell the product, just like the Sun-Drop commercial because the song got into everybody's heads! In the commercial, it shows Britney Spears making a music video and all different kind of people watching it and dancing along to it. This commercial glorified Britney Spears as an angel and came across to women that if you drink Pepsi you will be as beautiful as Britney.

There are many reasons why these commercials are similar such as the fact that they are both using music as a way of advertising. Also, they involve dancers and other people watching the dance go on. Another similarity is that they are both trying to sell their soda product. Another way they're similar is they are both wearing the product on their clothes. In the Sun-Drop the girl is wearing a Sun-Drop t-shirt while in the Joy of Pepsi commercial Britney is wearing an entire outfit devoted to Pepsi. She wears the colors (red, white and blue) throughout the advertisement. As much as they are similar they are also different based on a few things. One difference is the way that the songs are campaigned. In the Pepsi commercial, the song is meant to be beautiful, about the product, and specific for Pepsi. Meanwhile, for Sun-Drop the song is a well known tune that only has one word that is similar to the product which is "drop." As you can see, both products are similar yet contrast in a multitude of ways.

Copy Cat

According to the news article Plagiarism Lines Blur for Students in Digital Age written by Trip Gabriel, plagiarism is becoming an even bigger issue now than it has ever been before. Since the whole tech age, students have been able to obtain information ten times easier and because some have download music illegally, and have websites such as Wikipedia and file-sharing taking information that is not theirs does not seem as big of a crime anymore!


I personally am one of those students that do not understand why plagiarism is such an issue in the world, especially in college! The punishments for plagiarizing are severe and most of the time result in being expelled from the university. I know that taking other peoples words and using them as your own is morally wrong, but, I do not get why it is taking so seriously in many peoples eyes. This does not mean that I do plagiarize, because I know the consequences and would much rather use my own opinion to discuss a topic! 


New York Times Plagiarism

Purple Haze

It had down poured as if God had taken a bucket of water and decided to spill it all over Fort Myers. It was a late August day, and rain had become an everyday thing for me. Being from New York, of course I have experienced my fair share of storms, lightning and rain but nothing is like a Florida thunderstorm! They call it "heat lightning" and it truly electrocutes the sky. The booms, bangs, and raging last for a total of 45 minutes. Usually, the big tear drops, electric show and thunder happen right before the sun is going to set making the view unbelievable. The colors of the sky range from cotton candy blue, to an electric lavender. After I reflect on a view like this, there is no question why I love those rainstorms that make my hair poof-y and drench my clothes!

Rich, Dark & Creamy

The chocolate had been wrapped as if it were a  present on Christmas day. Everything about it made my mouth water. The chocolate was sweet as sugar but, rich as Bill Gates. I love chocolate as if it was family, which means a lot. I couldn't wait to unwrap the tiny piece of perfection. The taste was comforting and reminded me of my childhood. It was a piece of heaven.