Perusing the online news this morning, I found some interesting tidbits that make me wonder why we listen to them at all. Truly, the more I dig into American media's take on newsworthy items, the more I uncover that there is a pattern we do not like to admit. To wit (in no apparent order):
1.) Vanessa Hudgens, a 19-year-old actress, claims she's found the key to a great relationship: "If you really love someone, you shouldn't have to work at it." Even worse, she told this to CosmoGirl!, which means a bunch of teeny boppers who are clamoring for love advice are looking to this twit and actually going to listen to her. Look, she IS a twit, because she's 19 and she and her boyfriend, Zac Efron, will be broken up sooner or later because - gasp! - they didn't work at their relationship. Girl doesn't know what she's talking about. The reason why I think so many people are dissatisfied in their relationships is that they get so comfortable in them that they forget to do all the little things that made us fall in love in the first place. Ladies start forgoing the makeup and guys forget that we used to like love notes written once in a blue moon. You refuse to learn new things about each other, which is what falling in love was all about: the new, the awkward, the undiscovered. If there's nothing left to discover, what's the point? So, kids, please do not listen to a Hollywood tartlet who thinks love is easy. Remember, no one likes an easy woman!
2.) Found this ditty on CNN today, and while it's relatively an unremarkable bit, I started to get that weird, uncomfortable feeling that they wrote the article for all the wrong reasons. Not only is the headline a bit misleading, but it also highlights the human panic that might be induced by something that we can't even control. In short, the Easter Island statues are in danger because of record numbers of tourists visiting the tiny, 10 x 15 mile island. All right, I can understand that tourists walking on these things would accelerate the process, but sun, surf, winds and humidity? That has nothing to do with record numbers of tourists. Is anything truly resistant to Mother Nature? To be honest, I'm more worried about preserving this climate for my daughter and her children than saving the Easter Island statues from the elements. It's similar to the idea that we think all forest fires are dangerous: it's actually the way the forest cleanses itself. To be sure, a fire started by human hands rather than nature (lightning) may have different implications, but we all choose to live somewhere that is particularly vulnerable to the earth's rages: Flooding plains, insatiable heat and dryness, unbearable cold, tornado valleys, venomous creatures, earthquakes. Everyone has to deal with something; it's all about your priorities. Love to visit Easter Island; not a priority if Mother Earth gets to it first, though.
3.) CNN is a pretty popular American media outlet, and I don't know if I should be surprised or not about this: Earlier this morning, I found a headline on the Gmail Ig homepage, and the BBC reported that a man in Kentucky shot four people at a plant before killing himself after an argument with his supervisor. BBC = British Broadcasting Corporation. Erm... I checked CNN to see if they got wind yet. Nothing. I went back to the Gmail Ig page and found the New York Times had picked up on it. Not until an hour or more later did CNN post something on their front page. How the heck did the BBC get to this first? Maybe it's because they were fascinated with the fact that the man was able to go home, retrieve his own firearm, and return to work with no one suspecting. My ideas about gun control and gun ownership are null and void here, but I know most European countries are fascinated with the fact that U.S. civilians have a right to arm themselves. That probably has nothing to do with the BBC reporting on it first, but you don't hear much about school and workplace shootings in Britain, that's for sure.
I'm just glad the BBC still gives the U.S. some kind of air time on their media pages. The problem with U.S. media is this: If something happens overseas and the U.S. doesn't hear about it, does that mean it's not news? I had a conversation in college about the tree in the woods conundrum, and one of my professors argued that in order for a sound to exist, the soundwaves had to hit an eardrum. Therefore, if a tree fell in the forest and no one was around to hear it, there was no sound. I didn't have much of an answer to that. But now I ask, what if the person is deaf? Go chew on that, dear readers, and please let me know your thoughts.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Thursday, June 05, 2008
Pass Me a Cane
Spotted on Slate.com, "The Facebook Commandments":
While college kids can get away with huge numbers of friends, the geezers among us should be a little more selective. And by "geezers," I mean everyone born before Ronald Reagan's first inauguration.Reagan was inaugurated the year I was born, in 1981. (You lazy dolt, go get the calculator and figure my age out yourself!) Once you figure out my age, you will know why I'm still flabbergasted. I am nearly a geezer on Facebook. Pity party!
Some Randomness Just for You
1.) Read on a 14-year-old's Yahoo! profile:
2.) Brand names are sometimes worth it. Spend on Windex; save on toilet paper. Spend on garbage bags; save on prescription drugs. Spend on dishwasher detergent; save on children's clothing. Feel free to add your own "Spend on, Save on" favorite.
3.) Lisa Kogan and Glenn Beck are two of my favorite columnists on CNN. Check out Lisa's column here - she also writes for "O" magazine. I don't necessarily meet eye-to-eye with her all the time, but she makes me laugh. And Beck, a baby-faced conservative radio talk show host, always provides a good read.
4.) So. Our country is ready to elect a black man before a woman to lead our country; that's all right. It was nearly split 50/50, but who knows if either of them had run against a white male Democrat? Considering the US government allowed women to vote before people of color (yes, the Voting Rights Act included many more than just black folks), I'd say this country is, for once, taking a step in the right direction. (Not to say John McCain is a step backwards... but... all right, look, Ireland is on their second female president, and she's been in office since 1997. This country can't go around thinking it's better than others when we can't elect someone who is Hispanic, black, female, gay, Buddhist or Muslim, especially considering the fact that we pride ourselves on the fact that we are a free country who are a mish-mash of lots of nationalities and ideologies. I mean, it was hard enough to listen to the media squawk about Obama's middle name, when it had NOTHING to do with his policies. JUST SAYING.)
5.) Echoing some of Kogan's sentiments in her article this week, I am asking my readership to vote. VOTE. VOTE. VOTE. No freakin' excuses allowed. You are NOT allowed to complain if you don't vote. While you might say you voted for the other guy in 2000 and 2004, at you least you made an effort. If you didn't vote, get thee to a DMV. (This is one of many public offices you can register to vote.) Don't like donkeys or elephants? Take the independent road and make a statement that you're sick of going bipartisan. Don't like who's running? Take advantage of this free country and vote Nader. Or, even better, write in your own candidate. Write in yourself, for Pete's sake, if you think you can handle the job. JUST VOTE. (You can deal later with the narcissistic comments when you tell people who you voted for.)
I hate most people- mostly posers and jerks that try to talk **** for fun and try to mess **** up. I AM getting a TATTOO in June. I have 8 piercings- done myself. Add my myspace is u want [removed address for privacy] I LOVE ICP- if you don't **** you! Peace!If a girl says peace, but also remarks the big "eff you" if you don't like her favorite band, do you think she realizes her own irony? Most 14-year-olds think they're not of this world, anyways. If we met, she would hate my guts and I would love it. Also, her mother needs to take away the computer and tell her no tattoo artist will touch her baby-soft skin until she's 18.
2.) Brand names are sometimes worth it. Spend on Windex; save on toilet paper. Spend on garbage bags; save on prescription drugs. Spend on dishwasher detergent; save on children's clothing. Feel free to add your own "Spend on, Save on" favorite.
3.) Lisa Kogan and Glenn Beck are two of my favorite columnists on CNN. Check out Lisa's column here - she also writes for "O" magazine. I don't necessarily meet eye-to-eye with her all the time, but she makes me laugh. And Beck, a baby-faced conservative radio talk show host, always provides a good read.
4.) So. Our country is ready to elect a black man before a woman to lead our country; that's all right. It was nearly split 50/50, but who knows if either of them had run against a white male Democrat? Considering the US government allowed women to vote before people of color (yes, the Voting Rights Act included many more than just black folks), I'd say this country is, for once, taking a step in the right direction. (Not to say John McCain is a step backwards... but... all right, look, Ireland is on their second female president, and she's been in office since 1997. This country can't go around thinking it's better than others when we can't elect someone who is Hispanic, black, female, gay, Buddhist or Muslim, especially considering the fact that we pride ourselves on the fact that we are a free country who are a mish-mash of lots of nationalities and ideologies. I mean, it was hard enough to listen to the media squawk about Obama's middle name, when it had NOTHING to do with his policies. JUST SAYING.)
5.) Echoing some of Kogan's sentiments in her article this week, I am asking my readership to vote. VOTE. VOTE. VOTE. No freakin' excuses allowed. You are NOT allowed to complain if you don't vote. While you might say you voted for the other guy in 2000 and 2004, at you least you made an effort. If you didn't vote, get thee to a DMV. (This is one of many public offices you can register to vote.) Don't like donkeys or elephants? Take the independent road and make a statement that you're sick of going bipartisan. Don't like who's running? Take advantage of this free country and vote Nader. Or, even better, write in your own candidate. Write in yourself, for Pete's sake, if you think you can handle the job. JUST VOTE. (You can deal later with the narcissistic comments when you tell people who you voted for.)
Tuesday, June 03, 2008
While We're Making Up Words... Does "Dragee" Count?
I guess I should try to make up my own. Along with such American terminology such as bling and truthiness, the newest rage is hypermiling, in light of $4 gallon of gas that has hit the nation swiftly, with no chance of decelerating.
Granted, maybe I've started a few hypermiling ways of my own. I usually don't go out more than three days during the week, and I try to combine my errands so I don't have to run out piecemeal every day. I moved from California to avoid the idling process of stop and go traffic (ok, that's not really a tip, but I do a lot less idling). And since I've started driving my husband's sporty little manual transmission car when I get the chance, I started shifting my automatic transmission into neutral every time I approach a red light or stop sign. Slow acceleration and braking are apparently gas savers, too.
The one that bothers me the most, however, is the fact that on the thruway, there are folks who take advantage of the drag that cars create in front of them, and coast along on their bumpers. Taking advantage of someone's drag is fuel saving for the hypermiler, yes, but you are causing the dragee (made-up word) to lose much more fuel. It's a selfish move, effectively; not only are you making the person in front of you pay more for their gas, but you're also not cutting back on the pollution you create, which is honestly the REAL reason why we should be hypermiling.
Anywho. These people drive me nuts. I frequently drive between parents' home and my home town now, so I get plenty of thruway driving, and I hate the action of drifting. These people make my blood pressure rise, and I tend to get anxious, angry, and I can usually effectively shake them by slowing down or weaving between traffic (neither good options on a thruway).
Unfortunately, this hypermiling craze is not going to fix the real problem, which is that energy costs will rise regardless of how many times we shut off our engines while driving on the road (no matter how illegal it is in many states). We drive gas-guzzling SUVs that, we're just realizing now, are hard to sell in favor of a smaller car. People are purposefully running out of gas on the road to get a free gallon of gas. An article newly minted on CNN says that GM is closing four pickup and SUV plants, build smaller and more efficient cars, and even dispose the Hummer brand.
Which I say: ABOUT TIME. I never really bought into the SUV craze. I love my little zippy cars. In fact, I'm actually considering purchasing a manual transmission vehicle for my next car, when my winter beater bites the dust (bites the snow? Bites the salt? For Nor'easters, it's all the same!) because I've learned to effectively watch my RPMs and learn how to upshift from a low RPM to save gas. My husband does a great job in teaching me how to get my miles to stretch, especially since he has to drive an hour to work (this translates into $500 of gas per month right now, which will inevitably rise as the months go on).
For GM to make this move is smart and beneficial to the American consumer market. Our European counterparts are probably doing the point-and-laugh right now, because not only is public transportation a fact of life there, but $9 gas is as well. We've got it made with $4 gas! Furthermore, this is the precise response that a large employer of working-class citizens needed to make in order to keep their appeal to the American consumer, instead of watching them walk off their lots in favor of the more fuel-efficient Japanese brands. Maybe this will also get the annoying tailgaiters off my bumper too.
In order to keep this fresh and on topic of how the media figures into this whole brouhaha, I just like the fact that Americans can come up with terminology and let it slip into mainstream talk. In fact, most civilized countries these days are keen on making up their own vocabulary that separates it from the established language of the land (look up "cosplay"; also see "bloody," "bugger," "cheesed off," etc. in British colloquialisms). The evolution of language has forever been changed by media - once the written word became printed word, the media could reach legions of people in ways no one ever dreamed. Then the printed word became the electronic word, and the term "globalization" seems ever present in our vocabulary now. Not only do adults make up their own terms, but so do the teenage population.
When you think about it, who doesn't make up their own language once in a while? Parents do it with their kids. Pet owners do it with their dogs. In fact, the beauty of language is that it's all made up by us. While there's a standard to help us understand each other, there's also the fact that humans at some point made it up in the first place. When you hear English and Mandarin spoke in tandem, you really understand how language evolution seems so easy to do.
Granted, maybe I've started a few hypermiling ways of my own. I usually don't go out more than three days during the week, and I try to combine my errands so I don't have to run out piecemeal every day. I moved from California to avoid the idling process of stop and go traffic (ok, that's not really a tip, but I do a lot less idling). And since I've started driving my husband's sporty little manual transmission car when I get the chance, I started shifting my automatic transmission into neutral every time I approach a red light or stop sign. Slow acceleration and braking are apparently gas savers, too.
The one that bothers me the most, however, is the fact that on the thruway, there are folks who take advantage of the drag that cars create in front of them, and coast along on their bumpers. Taking advantage of someone's drag is fuel saving for the hypermiler, yes, but you are causing the dragee (made-up word) to lose much more fuel. It's a selfish move, effectively; not only are you making the person in front of you pay more for their gas, but you're also not cutting back on the pollution you create, which is honestly the REAL reason why we should be hypermiling.
Anywho. These people drive me nuts. I frequently drive between parents' home and my home town now, so I get plenty of thruway driving, and I hate the action of drifting. These people make my blood pressure rise, and I tend to get anxious, angry, and I can usually effectively shake them by slowing down or weaving between traffic (neither good options on a thruway).
Unfortunately, this hypermiling craze is not going to fix the real problem, which is that energy costs will rise regardless of how many times we shut off our engines while driving on the road (no matter how illegal it is in many states). We drive gas-guzzling SUVs that, we're just realizing now, are hard to sell in favor of a smaller car. People are purposefully running out of gas on the road to get a free gallon of gas. An article newly minted on CNN says that GM is closing four pickup and SUV plants, build smaller and more efficient cars, and even dispose the Hummer brand.
Which I say: ABOUT TIME. I never really bought into the SUV craze. I love my little zippy cars. In fact, I'm actually considering purchasing a manual transmission vehicle for my next car, when my winter beater bites the dust (bites the snow? Bites the salt? For Nor'easters, it's all the same!) because I've learned to effectively watch my RPMs and learn how to upshift from a low RPM to save gas. My husband does a great job in teaching me how to get my miles to stretch, especially since he has to drive an hour to work (this translates into $500 of gas per month right now, which will inevitably rise as the months go on).
For GM to make this move is smart and beneficial to the American consumer market. Our European counterparts are probably doing the point-and-laugh right now, because not only is public transportation a fact of life there, but $9 gas is as well. We've got it made with $4 gas! Furthermore, this is the precise response that a large employer of working-class citizens needed to make in order to keep their appeal to the American consumer, instead of watching them walk off their lots in favor of the more fuel-efficient Japanese brands. Maybe this will also get the annoying tailgaiters off my bumper too.
In order to keep this fresh and on topic of how the media figures into this whole brouhaha, I just like the fact that Americans can come up with terminology and let it slip into mainstream talk. In fact, most civilized countries these days are keen on making up their own vocabulary that separates it from the established language of the land (look up "cosplay"; also see "bloody," "bugger," "cheesed off," etc. in British colloquialisms). The evolution of language has forever been changed by media - once the written word became printed word, the media could reach legions of people in ways no one ever dreamed. Then the printed word became the electronic word, and the term "globalization" seems ever present in our vocabulary now. Not only do adults make up their own terms, but so do the teenage population.
When you think about it, who doesn't make up their own language once in a while? Parents do it with their kids. Pet owners do it with their dogs. In fact, the beauty of language is that it's all made up by us. While there's a standard to help us understand each other, there's also the fact that humans at some point made it up in the first place. When you hear English and Mandarin spoke in tandem, you really understand how language evolution seems so easy to do.
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