10/12 "Art" Video

The video that I chose to watch and write about is called "Romance." The video showed several different arists and their style of art in the form of romance and why they saw it that way. The first chapter or artists had a passion for puppets. She liked to create a short film or story using these animated puppet characters that she had created on her own. She even had Meryl Streep star in one of her films. It was was about the romance between a puppet and a live woman. The artist wrote the songs and created the storyline. One of the songs was called "Lyric to a Melody" and it reflected the emotional flow of the film.
The second part of this video was about a woman who liked to come up with and direct plays. She saw beauty and meaning in things that other people would consider unimportant in love or romantic scenes. She had many "objects on legs" perform and audition for her plays. She picked the pocketwatch to be the main character over the beautiful and graceful cake. She believed it represented the starting/stopping of time, and showed regret is a prevailing notion. It leaves in the audience a feeling of "what might have been if one had a chance."
Another interesting artist in this video was a man who like to paint unique, bold works of art. He believes that his work is not confined to one demographic or audience. His artwork is very, very detailed and abstract and shows the problems and issues that occur in our contradictory world, such as homosexuality.

10/21 Stax Records

I had never heard of Stax Records until I had to research it this morning. I learned that apparently Stax Records had a huge influence on music culture and the music that we listen to today. It started in Memphis, Tennessee and soon became one of the most important recording studios in the world. Musicians such as Isaac Hayes, Otis Redding, and Booker T. & the MG's were all recorded and established at Stax Records. This recording company was actually founded by a white American couple, but they allowed people of all colors and ethnic backgrounds to record and produce music there. Although Stax was only around for about twenty years, the studio played an important role in the creation and distribution of southern soul music styles, although they also released gospel, jazz, and blues records. It went bankrupt shortly after 1975 when it failed to beat its rival, Motown Records. But it is still remembered to this day and is considered an establishent that went against the odds in a time where most people saw everything as white or black, not both at the same time. It successfully helped integrate African-American music into a world of discrimination and prejudice.

10/16 Jon Stewart vs. CNN

I watched the video where Jon Stewart makes fun of CNN. He basically makes fun of the people reporting the news, without actually reporting on any news himself. Yes, he talks about the topics and stories that go on throughout the week, but he spends more time making fun of the news than informing his viewers. I do believe that he may be correct in criticizing CNN for not fully finishing their reports on topics such as bills being passed, healthcare, and other things like that, but he is also somewhat of a hipocrit for bashing them when he doesn't necessarily report reliable news either. He spends more time trying to make people laugh and less time focusing on the news itself.
I don't understand why so many watch his show as a reliable source of news. I understand that his show is funny and entertaining, but it isn't a good news source. Nothing is perfect. It would take years for any news station to report ALL the details of EVERY story or event that occurs around the world. News stations do the best they can to inform the public of recent events and issues. Jon Stewart is first and foremost a comedian. His main objective is to make people laugh. He doesn't take the news-worthy events seriously and obviously doesn't respect other news stations like CNN.

10/19 Cold Weather :(

I decided that since all I've been doing all day is freezing my butt off, that I'd talk about how the weather is changing. First off, I need to explain how much I dislike cold weather. It is the worst! Many people say they would rather be cold than hot because they can always put more clothes on to stay warm, but I think this is ridiculous because I personally hate layering on clothing. I feel like my movement is restricted. Another problem about wearing tons of clothing is when I walk into a building and they have the heat on or its warm inside, so I end up sweating like crazy and being miserable! It really bugs me that businesses and schools want to keep their buildings cold in the summer and hot in the winter. I don't want to have to bring a scarf and gloves everywhere I go during the summer and then strip down during the winter. It makes no sense to me. I am a naturally cold person, so me and winter don't get along. My hands, nose, and ears are always like icecubes. I love the outdoors, but I hate being outside when it's cold, so I don't spend a lot of time doing outdoor activities during the winter. This makes me sad, because I love sports and nature.
I also hate winter because it's hard to play ball in the cold. It's hard to find motivation to play when it is 30 degrees outside :( I don't want to move to catch a ball. I dread hitting because it hurts my hands, and most of the time, coaches won't let their players wear hoodies when they're on the field so it's even worse!
The only good thing about this season is that Thanksgiving, my birthday, Christmas, and New Year's fall during this time. I always look forward to Thanksgiving because I get amazing, home-cooked meals when I visit my family in Alabama. Everyone loves celebrating a birthday, unless they're over-the-hill that is. Christmas is a joyful, happy time with lots of lights and decorations. Families come together. For the most part, Christmas is a good time of the year for me until my mom starts freaking out about presents and plans. Then, the new year roles around, and I feel like I get to start all over :) Spring comes, and I get to be excited!

10/14 Music

I think that the idea of a computer deciding what is good music and bad music is ridiculous. First of all, not everybody has the same taste in music. A song that one person loves may be a song that the person next to them cannot stand. There are hundreds of different cultures and races that also influence the kind of music that is listened to in the United States. This is why there are plenty of radio stations that play different kinds of music. If artists begin trying to generate "hits" based on Hit Song Science or Uplaya, then the variety of music that American's listen to will begin to deteriorate and transform into one genre of redundant, over-played tunes.
There are a number of hit songs in history that probably wouldn't score anywhere near a 10 on these computer-generated ranking systems. When a song is played for the first time on the radio or performed live on stage at an important event, nobody knows the effect it may have on the audience. Some people will probaby love it; some will hate it, but what if the majority of people love it, and it becomes a #1 hit single but on Uplaya it only scored a 5? Nothing can predict the affect a song is going to have on society, not even a computer. A computer can't take into account emotion and life experiences. Popular music isn't always based on a catchy beat. Sometimes a song with a inspirational message and meaning are favorites.
I just think that having a computer decide what kind of music should be played is a bad idea. It discourages creativity and uniqueness, and it may make listeners miss out on what could have been classics.

9/30 Religion

This article is explaining how Americans are losing their interest in religion. Americans have become so absorbed in other things in life and been influenced by other religions and beliefs that many aren't sure what to believe in or worship anymore. More people are becoming "spiritual" rather than "religious." People are confused and choose to believe in a higher power or a certain god, but not exactly the God that most of the population in America once believed in. Fewer people attend church. The younger generation don't have the same strong religous beliefs and family ties as the generation before them did. Teenagers worry more about the next crazy party they're going to attend and not about living a righteous life. It can be assumed that as the years go by, more and more people will lose faith and religion will become less and less important. What will America become and how will "religious" people handle the rapidly-changing world?

9/28 You Can Write Whatever You Liiiike..

Can I just talk about how my days seem so long, but I never seem to get anything done? I feel like I'm awake for 22 hours a day, but I can't find time to get anything done! I have a huge to-do list that keeps getting longer and longer. The problem is that I am ridiculously busy throughout the day, and I never really have down time, but I don't have time to get anything either. My days are so consumed with classes, weights, practice, individuals, and therapy in the training room that I really can't find the time to work on my relationships with people or see my family or get anything done for myself. By the time I fit in food, showers, and sleep, my day is already gone, and I just end up frustrated and stressed out about the things that I still need to do and the people I've neglected because of my crazy, busy schedule. I'm going to have to get better at time management. I've let things get a little out of hand. I'll probably go home today, see the family, do some laundry, and study for my sociology exam that I have tomorrow :( ugh! Sounds like a fun day huh?

9/25 Two News Sources

I don't usually pay attention to the news unless there is an ongoing, interesting story that a lot of people talk about. I used to watch the news every morning before school, but I realized that it is waaaay too depressing to watch all the time. I'd have to say that the source that I get most of my news from now is AOL. This is a good source for information because it is a respected website and source of internet all around the world. It is the homepage for my computer so everytime I log on, I see the top stories posted right there in front of me. I always read the summarys, and if something looks exciting or I become curious about a specific article, then I'll sit there and read about it. Another place where I get my information from is FOX news. I hear that all these news stations are biased in some political way, but I don't even watch the news for that reason so it doesn't really matter to me or effect me in any particular way. I just watch the news to find out what is going on in the world and to see how many people have died. It's also a good source for weather. FOX news is a credible news station that has been around for years and continues to provide people with accurate information and update current events.