Disco's Dead Baby.

Try a little something new :) This song is something a little new for sure...plus the lyrics are fantastic...and oh so relevant to our past music unit...(weird coincidence?)

Metric - Dead Disco

Sprinkler Rainbows!!!! ---> they are just NOT natural...

I have no words to explain how funny (and ridiculously stupid) this video is.

It is quite apparent that...this woman has an IQ equal to that of a coconut.

Congrats Sarah Palin on your Newest Award!

It seems that she's earned herself some fans...

~the Breakdown of a Magazine~

1. I examined Boho because it was the latest magazine I'd purchased. Fashion magazines interest me, and this magazine was one I'd never seen before (turns out it was Issue #1...ever). The whole idea of greener choices has always interested me so I decided that I wouldn't be dissapointed. Unfortunately though, you can only buy this magazine in USA, which makes me sad because I really enjoyed it.

2. The cover pic was obvious that it was a teenage fashion/environmentalist magazine. The magazine itself boasts on the cover that everything in it is 100% recycled, re-used, and re-styled. I felt I was doing my part by deciding on an eco-friendly magazine when I bought it. The magazine caught my eye in the store because the cover's paper wasn't glossy! That got me thinking that glossing paper must be bad for the environment, and when you think about it, it's really just unneccesary, other than to make us say "ohhhh SHINY!". The price of this magazine was affordable, at 4.99 US/Can.

3. The magazine begins with a few ads (all directed at an environmentalist female audience). That section is followed by a table of contents with an editor's letter after that. There's a section largely based on environmental fashion and interior design items that the magazine had picked out and approved. Feature articles follow the last section with articles starring 'everyday people' who have started their own company based on environmenal issues/being an envoronmentally friendly business. Beauty products and cosmetics are the stars of another section. Of course they needed a fashion shoot to be a real fashion magazine, but they didn't dissapoint with a great high fashion photo shoot section. A section featuring world changing chicks is included in the magazine, as well as a section about health and staying healthy.

4.

• the BLUE Climate and Oceans Project
• How to apply new make-up trends with eco-friendly cosmetics
• Catwalks and High fashion are going eco-friendly by using sustainable materials to create some of their latest looks
• Thrift shopping at it's best with a few pieces scouted, picked, and photographed for the everyday girl to see that she doesn't need to sacrifice her style if she decides to thrift shop!
• Super-model Josie Maran's eco-cosmetic line.
  

5. Soles4Souls is an article about an innovative new movement across North America. Anyone who owns a pair of shoes, would know that everyday life would be tough without them. Wayne Elsey realized that people in other countries needed our help, so he began the Soles4Souls shoe movement. Elsey first began by securing a donation of over 250 thousand shoes to send to the victims of the Tsunami. A year later when Katrina hit he secured another donation af about 1 million shoes that were delivered all along the coast to people who truly needed them. Elsey left his job to become a full-time developer and creator of Souls4Soles where anyone can donate a pair of new/gently used shoes. To date they had given away over 2.6 million shoes to people who truly need and appreciate them.

6. The target market for this magazine is Environmentally concious teens who want a fashion magazine they can feel good supporting. I know this because the environmental aspect is a very prominent theme in the magazine, as well as fashion. However, all of the fashion and articles were still up to date and very trendy for the everyday teen girl who wants to make some different choices. Also, all of the advertisements target that specific audience to with messages such as, "when you're done leafing through the pages of this mag, recycle it!" By reading the letter to the editor you can get a pretty good sense of who this magazine targets too with obvious re-occurring words such as "fashion" and "green" and "trendy".

7.

• Birkenstocks shoes
• Aveeno positively radiant skin serum
• Gotham clothing store
• Feedthepig.org
• SneakersAndSoul.com

The Autopsy of a Newspaper.

My attempt at fulfilling Assignment Number 2.

1) "Bugs Power Scientist's Drive" - Written by Staff Reporter Brett Popplewell

Summary :
Rahadkrishan Mahadevan's excitement about his work is very contagious. His claim to fame is that he's currently working experimentally with bugs to create fuel cells which could power our everyday household appliances. His theory (translated for a 5 year old to understand) is that by feeding these microscopic bugs our bio-waste (organic matter and waste water), they will in turn create electricity and leave behind clean water. Is this the answer to our energy crisis? Could we use bugs to power everything - including cars - one day? The only problem is that "microbial fuel cells are very small and have never been proven practical in 100 years." says Mahadevan. Darn, so the answer isn't a quick fix, but I have hope still that one day it could be as easy as throwing our organic waste into a fuel cell and letting it do it's thing. I hold out hope that Mahadevan's passion and drive may just be enough to help us on our way to fixing a few of our global problems. He puts it best when he says that "It's what consumes me."

For more information on this story visit : http://www.thestar.com/article/491098

2) "Victory Speech Caps a Storybook Comeback" - Written by Tim Harper, sourced from the Washington Bureau.

Summary:
McCain finally accepted the Republican Presidential Nomination, now officially representing a political party of the country that he felt compelled to fight for. After being taken a prisoner of war, McCain says "I was never the same again. I wasn't my own man anymore. I was my country's." The article then continues to compare McCain to Obama, talking about how much more experienced McCain is.


I'm sure a link wouldn't be appreciated and would be worse than the long article I read...so moving right along...

3) The differences between the two articles aren't vast, but there are some definite and easily identifiable differences. The staff reporter seems to have more of a writing style. They were able to take their time introducing the story and providing some interesting details and direct quotes, whereas the Washington Bureau article took no time in presenting all the facts (however they were confusing as they included the American Political System which is too complex for me). The staff writer's article appeared to be an article in a series of articles about the next great Canadian Innovators. The second article was more of a biased political article about John McCain. Obviously the second article was one that was paid for by the paper because it's about American Politics and foreign affairs. The first article was about a Canadian, making it Canadian news and easier for the paper to write about and make interesting with first-hand quotes. I can draw the conclusion that the stories bought by the paper will not be local or niche stories but more large national articles and worldly news.

4) Hard News Story: "Crash Closes 404 on-ramp" - Jasmeet Sidhu and Alex Cooper
After reading the first paragraph and the caption of the picture I felt that I knew exactly what the whole article was going to say. I knew who, what, where, when, and why the on-ramp was closed. The article goes on to speculate about how and why the accident happened more in-depth. All in all you can tell it's a hard news story because of the style it's been written in, presenting all of the facts quickly in case they lose the reader's interest.

Human Interest Story: "Second-hand Fashion to Help the Planet" - Erin Kobayashi
This article was all about the Green Party Leader Elizabeth May's new environmental fashion choices. By making every aspect of her life green, she hopes to set an example for Canadians everywhere. May says one day she wants to make a quilt out of her discarded floral dresses her friend no longer allows her to wear in public. By taking time to develop the story, I found I was more interested in this article than the previous one. However, it wasn't quite as easy to tell what the story was about because the information wasn't all in the first paragraph and it was very detailed.

Sensationalism: "What? Oprah Couldn't Help Mom Pay the Bill?!" - Associated Press
A high-end clothing store is suing Oprah's mother for not paying her massive bill of $156, 000 to Valentina. Failing to pay her monthly bill of 2000 dollars, Oprah's mother will try to resolve the matter before going to court says store lawyer Joseph Niebler Sr. This is obviously sensationalism as it provides no substantial evidence, and doesn't even include the name of Oprah's mother! It just says "Oprah's mom" repeatedly. Hmmm...reliable or just gossip? We all love a good story about a celebrity's parent that can't pay their bills don't we? Ah sensationalism.

5) In the article "Undecided Sundin Appears More like Retiree" by Kevin McGran it seems pretty obvious how much the writer already disliked the Maple Leafs. By including his biases and opinions into the story, he has probably twisted much of what has been said by Sundin into something else. Though I'm not saying the Maple Leafs are my favourite either, it doesn't mean that comments like this need to be included: "He sounded as frustratingly muddled as a Maple Leafs power play." It doesn't sound like Mr.McGran began this article with an unbiased perspective now does it? Also by making conclusions about what Sundin had said, the writer of the article seems to suggest that the hockey star had included a good-bye in his speech. "Sundin did add a sentence that almost sounded like a good-bye." When really, the quote that was said doesn't include a good-bye at all. "Whatever happens to me - whether or not I'm going to play any more - I think Toronto is always going to be the team in my heart." Whether or not it was a good-bye is questionable, but there is no evidence of it being a farewell. In the end, this article seems very biased against Sundin and the Leafs.

6) 3 Stories from Ontario:

TORONTO - "Armed Officers won't be in our Schools, Trustees Say"
OTTAWA - "Stripper Ban called Unconstitutional"
GUELPH - "The Hurricane that put a Black Culture in Exile"

3 Stories from Different Provinces:
WINNIPEG, MB - Tories Blasted on Food Safety"
MONTREAL, QU - "Columbine Incited Dawson Gunman"
MONCTON, N.B. - "Man Saved Twice in Motel Fire"

3 Stories from Different Countries:
ST. PAUL, MINN, USA - "Few Minorities Appear on Podium in St.Paul"
PAKISTAN - "American-led Attack Draws Condemnation"
IRAN - "No-consent Polygamy Sparks Controversy

7) Articles from other places are not written by staff writers (obviously) so that's one difference. Another difference is that articles from other places are usually about a popular topic that has been talked about before. It is not detailed news about one town or one law, but instead is an overview of what is happening in a country usually. Most of the news in Toronto's paper is ALL about Toronto, so I had an almost impossible time trying to find something happening in Ontario other than stories from Toronto, and the occasional story from Ottawa when there was a political article. Articles from USA were usually longer, whereas the articles from foreign countries were shorter unless about major issues that are a regular topic in Canada.


8) Stories aimed at:
Parents: "Alaska mum on Teenage Pregnancy"
Environmentalists: "Second-Hand Fashion to Help the Planet"
Feminists: "Sarah Palin Shares Nothing but a Chromosome with Hillary Clinton"
Middle-Aged Women: "Taking on the Original Gossip Girl"
Toronto Baseball Fans & Followers: "Young Jays Sparkle in Romp"

9) The subjects most represented in the front sections are economics, the Toronto International Film Festival, Politics, and Sports. They are most likely represented in the front page because these subjects combined together will attract a larger variety of people than having it all be about economics or politics (all hard news). The papers need to have some flavour to attract people to their paper.

10) 10 Words I Didn't Know:
Cineastes - A film or movie enthusiast/A person involved in film making
Misanthrope - One who hates or mistrusts of humankind
Schemata - A diagram, plan, or theme/an underlying pattern or structure
Coup - A highly successful, unexpected stroke, act, or move/A clever action or accomplishment.
Bastion - A fortified place/Anything seen as preserving or protecting some quality or condition
Pontificate - To speak in a pompous or dogmatic manner
Idyllic - Suitable for or suggestive of an idyll; Charmingly simple or rustic
Pundit - A source of opinion; a critic/A learned person.
Chroma - The purity of a color, or its freedom from white or gray/Intensity of distinctive hue
Electroencephalograph - an instrument for measuring and recording the electric activity of the brain.

11) "Can you Keep a Secret?" - Corey Mintz
Who: Stacey Case
Where: Case's print shop by day, dinner and a movie spot by night. Described as down a dark alley to the underground theatre somewhere on Dupont St, Toronto.
What: Stacey Case screens films once a week with a side of ribs. All films were purchased by him for cheap prices, and they're all very old.
When: Every Friday night.
How: Stacey Case will move everything in his printing shop aside once a week to set up a popcorn machine, a screen, and uncomfortable little folding chairs. He'll pick a movie from his large and very strange collection, invite a few of his friends, prepare his dry-rub ribs, and get ready for a good night of genuine entertainment. Whether the guests are enjoying themselves while watching the movie or just enjoying being there, Case is content to sit back and let the group (usually 60 people or so) do it's thing.
Why: Case and his makeshift movie cinema fans understand that it's all about the love of movies, ribs, and simple childhood pleasures. The atmosphere is much preferred to that of the TIFF. The critic puts it best when he says "No one is complaining of sold-out screenings for High Ballin', a Canadian trucker film made as a tax shelter. That could be because it's terrible. But that's the appeal. The chairs are uncomfortable. The fun is pure, untainted by cynicism, high expectations, or irony." To Case it's not about the movies, (because all of his are cheap and by no means to the standards of today's crowd) but it's about the simplicity of getting together with a few friends and having a fun night that just can't be spoiled.

12) The photo I've chosen is one showing the extent of the flooding in India. In the picture a child is hugging his mother as other children look out to the endless water in an Indian navy boat. I felt attracted to the picture because of a few things. The first probably being it's size, it's about half a page above the fold, so obviously it must be important. Second, it didn't have an article I had to read to figure out what was going on, just a caption. Also, the picture is photographed well, explaining the situation in a picture instead of needing words. It grabs your interest and makes you say "What's happening?!"

13) People write letters to the editor in hopes of creating a stir or opening some eyes to their opinion or perspective on a specific issue. Usually critical of political decisions and in response to an article previously written and submitted to the paper, the letters are a way of getting out one's opposing ideas without having to censor your opinion. The letters may be as opinionated as the author would like in hopes to show others their perspectives on any issue they would like. The letter I read was a response to an article from the day before. The author expresses their sympathy to the families and friends of soldiers past, but it's time to stop fighting. This person would like to see the guns go away and instead Canadians come home, or resume as peacekeepers or advisers. It's just time to stop the military role that we are providing in Afghanistan says this person.

14) Jennifer Aniston: Will be in Toronto trying to get some distribution deals for her newest movie.
Nicolas Cage: His new movie Bangkok Dangerous wasn't screened for critics, which means that if you decide to go, you may just want your money back after realizing it's not at all you thought it would be.
Michael Moore: Is at it again with another controversial film. Slacker Uprising follows Michael through a 62 city tour in 2004, where he rallies thousands of young voters to actually go out and vote. Described as his big "election year" movie, many people are itching to see what Michael will stir up before the election this time (the previous election Michael released Fahrenheit 9/11 which was incredibly critical of Bush). Now comes the best part, Michael has decided to release his newest movie online, for free. That's right, on September 23, Michael's movie will be available to anyone and everyone with a computer in North America.
David Spade: Apparently David Spade has a child now, with Jillian Grace (playboy playmate).
Angelina Jolie: In Britain 2 of Jolie's promotional posters for her newest movie Wanted were banned after the Advertising Standards Authority declared the images to be glamorizing the use of guns and violence.

Most of the celebrity news weren't positive, and a couple of the celebrities were mentioned in articles that were obviously sensationalism. However, a couple of the celebrities were surprisingly mentioned in good humour...after all the newspaper can't make everything negative can they?....

15) Private Investigator Wanted!

~Must be able to think like a criminal~

~Cannot get discouraged easily~

~Must have a good attention to detail~

~Must be able to follow another person without being detected~

~Experience preferred, but not required!!~

Thanks for reading!

Until next time

-peace

My Media Mii

Dear you,

Media here, media there. It’s almost impossible to escape it…well, unless you’re a hermit with a scraggly beard living in a cabin in the middle of the woods. Media influences how we dress, how we eat, it even sways what kinds of values our lives and culture take on.

Yes, the truth is that whether we like it or not, media can be like a third parent to us. It shapes us, moulds us, and influences us. It’s the largest influence in our lives simply because it’s everywhere (unless you’re Mr.Hermit over there in the woods). Therefore our media interests are can be used to define who we are. By knowing someone's favourite shows, movies, books, magazines, and music you can better understand and relate to that person. So to let you get a sense of who I am, I'll be breaking down my favourite parts of the media!

The tube, the telly, or the Television is probably the type of media I use the most. When I’m not zoning out during commercials I like to watch fashion-oriented shows such as; America’s Next Top Model, Gossip Girl, Project Runway, What not to Wear, and Sex and the City. After reading this you probably completed the action known as ‘the eye roll’, but I must confess they’re rather addicting! Fashion and gossip are two things girls love to indulge in. And let’s be honest here, who doesn’t enjoy watching the lives of rich New Yorkers in Gossip Girl? Oh the scandals, the lies, and the heartbreak, it's all so dramatic. The stories and situations are oh so unrealistic, but that’s why I like it, because it can give me a different outlook on the teenage life. I find these shows happy and – as a result- they make me happy! Plus…I get to pretend I’m rich.

On a bit more of a more serious note, I do watch some shows that don’t include drama and teen angst. I have an obsession with Jon Stewart and the Daily Show. While I find his accomplice Steven Colbert humorous, he’s not nearly as hilarious as Jon. I figure watching Jon Stewart is the best way to understand America’s very confusing political system. Watching him poke fun at Dick Cheney, George W. Bush, and CNN are just bonuses. Jon Stewart teaches me irony, sarcasm, and how to tear apart the common American politician. I’m actually acquiring debating skills (yes...that’s what I’ll call it).

Start at around 3.00 with this video clip...it's where it gets good. Jon is really fond of the media as you can tell- especially CNN.

Moving on from Jon Stewart...

Another commonly watched show in my household is baseball. Fastball is my favourite sport (ever). I love to watch the Jays and pick up some pointers. Hardball and fastball are close to the same (but they’re still both very different in rules and structure), however I love to absorb and utilize any advice or techniques I notice. I just wish I could go to Toronto to see them live!

On a different genre note, I'll admit that I used be a Lost fiend. I’m talking NEVER missing an episode, reading the theories on the net, I was the ultimate worshipper. Unfortunately I lost interest after there were too many weird things I just couldn’t explain and too many unknowns that I couldn’t understand. I just didn't know and couldn't be bothered to care about the logic of the show anymore. A polar bear in the jungle? A code you have to put in or the island will blow up? A large unexplainable smoke monster that can kill you anytime, anywhere? (crazy?) You tell me, it’s all too confusing, and much too interwoven and complex for me to try and follow.

So that's my television mii, let's go on to books now. They're probably my favourite. Reading has something special about it that can make you feel like you're so far away from reality. The worst part about reading, is being dragged unwillingly back into reality, usually by your mother who would like you to wash the dishes. Nevertheless, I tend to read a variety of books, though not many romances (unless tragic). Generally the types of shows I watch on television are the opposite to my interest in books. In a book I like to look for something with action and suspense. I usually enjoy a story about the perils of another's life, or about magic. Not Harry Potter magic though...it's too Grade five. J.K Rowling seems to write for little kids and I don't think her writing style is very sophiticated. Don't get me wrong though, I have still read most of the Harry Potter books.

A few books that I've really liked in the past were Tithe: A modern Faerie Tale by Holly Black, The Tomorrow Series by John Marsden, and Twilight by Stephanie Meyer. I think the reason I liked all of these books is because they're all about teenagers in different situations. From having their country captured overnight and fighting as the only survivors (The Tomorrow Series), to realizing the boy you're in love with is a vampire (Twilight), to discovering the life you've lived for 16 years was all made up (Tithe), I feel that all of these books are riveting and beautifully written. I usually like books that are descriptive, but not too descriptive, for example I find JRR Tolkien's writings to be much too descriptive for my liking. Action and a storyline are usually crucial too for my interest. Who wants to read a book that ends the with the same characters and settings as it starts? I'm just sayin'.

I'll break down why Tithe is my favourite book of them all. Tithe is set in the modern age, in a very grungy and urban city. Holly Black's writing is very dark, which paints Kaye as dark and an outsider (Kaye being the main character). It's pretty obvious that Holly Black has a definite style in her writing. Gritty and dark, but still very clever, which is why I like her books so much!

A passage from Tithe :
"The water's freezing," Janet said, sighing, "and your hair is messed up. Kaye, when we get there, you have to be cool. Don't seem so weird. Guys don't like weird."
Kaye paused and seemed to be listening intently, her upturned, kohl-rimmed eyes watching Janet as warily as a cat's. "What should I be like?"
"It's not that I want you to be a certain way - don't you want a boyfriend?"
"Why bother with that? Let's find incubi."
"Incubi?"
"Demons. Plural. Like octopi. And we're much more likely to find them" - her voice dropped conspiratorially - "while swimming in the Atlantic a week before Halloween than practically anywhere else I can think of."
Janet rolled her eyes.
"You know what the sun looks like?" Kaye asked. There was only a little more than a slice of red where the sea met the sky.
"No , what?" Janet said, holding the lipgloss out to Kaye.
"Like he slit his wrists in a bathtub and the blood is all over the water."
"That's gross, Kaye."
"And the moon is just watching. She's just watching him die. She must have driven him to it."
"Kaye...."
Kaye spun again, laughing.

We follow Kaye along her journey of self-discovery. Kaye is stubborn, intuitive, and intelligent, but together these traits lead her to a discovery that even she almost can't handle. Holly Black continues along with the plot as Kaye changes from human to faerie overnight, from pale white, to earthy green. I really love the way Holly Black shows the world. She's not afraid to write with a dark perspective, showing that even the magical world isn't all rainbows and sunshine, it has evil too.

Moving from paper to computer, the Web represents a chunk of my media mii too. Unfortunately, when I do manage to make it onto the computer in a family of 5, it's usually for school or work (the priorities). I do most of my school work through research found on the web, and I also watch youtube videos on occasion. My youtubing usually consists of watching funny comedians and their funny jokes...because they're funny. My all time favourite youtube videos have to be the Dane Cook videos. He's pretty witty, and the stick drawings in some of the videos really make me laugh. (There is some swearing in it...I would include one, but...)

<---Dane Cook.

Facebook and hotmail are two of the sites I probably use the most, but I can't forget MSN (connected to Hotmail), which I use less often this year than years past. MSN used to keep me connected to my friends, but since I see them everyday, do I really need to use it everyday too? (I think not...)

Also, I'm pretty into conspiracy theories so I did watch the documentary called Zeitgeist online (http://www.zeitgeistmovie.com/main.htm), it's really really interesting and I'd definitely reccomend it to any other conspiracy lovers out there. I feel he did his research pretty well, though it is a little one-sided (but that means he has a strong opinion about it which is good).

Now that you have a sense of my web self, we can move on to other parts of the media that are a lesser part in my life.

Music is a form of media I'd say I don't really take an interest in that much. I don't have an Ipod, instead I'll put on a station of the itunes radio and chill. I really like a station from France lately that I've found because it plays popular music from North America and some french music that i've never heard before but usually I still really like it. I don't listen to music because the lyrics of the song relate to me, I just usually listen to wahtever upbeat song I can find to help me stay happy and less bored.

I don't really watch movies on a constant basis, nor are they a large part of my media mii, but I have enjoyed some movies in the past such as 10 things I Hate About You and Catch Me if You Can (genius). I usually like movies with interesting plots and suspense. I'll watch movies that are on television quite often at home, but I usually don't really like them, just watching them to watch them I guess. Movies that are inspiring or documentaries usually make me content, and I enjoy watching them more because I can take something away from them. Because of this reason, I think I like Catch Me If You Can because I learned how to scam money if I were to live in the 60s... but unfornately that knowledge helps me less now. Oh well, it was interesting, and based on a true story (which makes it even MORE interesting).

So after writing all of this about myself I've realize a few of my points were re-occurring about why I liked the media I did.
1) It keeps me happy
2) I use it a lot
3) It keeps me happy

I hope you somewhat enjoyed my media mii, until next time...peace.
-rach

...

...schnitzel