Gaming: Addiction? Escape? A problem?

GAMING!!! DANGER, DANGER!

Video games, one of the most popular things for kids to spend their time playing nowadays. 65% of households in the USA play video games. 18 Hours a week if the average time spent playing games for gamers. In millions, 154 game consoles are sold compared to 36.4 computers. Videogames are getting more and more popular. It's kind of scary...

I have noticed that 'most' males nowadays (though girls play games, usually that not their topic of conversation) either base their conversations off of gaming, or girls, and sadly, its usually gaming. It's becoming the hot topic everywhere you go. Pokemon, Call of Duty, Grand Theft Auto, Resident Evil, Mario, Zelda, Halo, Gears of War, etc.. I hear talk about ga

mes all the time, and these are just some. Don't get me wrong, I'm a gamer myself, and its a really fun thing t

o do, to a point. I have seen all sides to this fun 'activity'. You see that word in there? 'Active'. Well, most games, are the opposite of this. I've seen people get highly addicted to playing games, and I keep seeing it, every day. It's unhealthy to sit and do nothing but play games all day, so I'd just like to adress the issues, and the positives to playing in fantasy worlds.

As said, gaming is great to a point, its really fun, and a great way to spend time with friends for a little while, but many are getting addicted. Even my friends, some of them have gaming addictions. My boyfriend even plays them a little too much, but he kn

ows when to stop. Gaming is a distraction to every day life, and school. You wont do your homework, you wont study, and you wont pass, if you don't take a break from

gaming once in a while. I've even hea

rd of some people getting some of these side effects due to gaming for hours and hours each day: developing eating disorders (see last post), getting really sick, having a strange withdrawal, migraines, lack of sleep, weight gain, heart attacks, having seizures and much more. Personality and mood change is common, and it can effect you in ways, physically, and mentally. Addiction is a very serious thing, no matter what you're addicted to. It can always harm you. Maybe there should be a danger label on game cases, haha! :) No, really... I love horror games. They are amazing...

FLIP THE PAGE, some people, like me, play video games to escape the stress around you. As long as you limit your game play time, and don't take it too seriously, its fine to play games for an hour or two. There are many types of games you can p

lay, and one of the most played, are RPG games, and some others are; Action games, shooter games, Action-adventure games, adventure games, Simulation ga

mes, strategy games, and more. Shooter games have become a lot more popular nowadays, though I don't have too much interest. I

enjoy RPG, some action/adventure, simulation, etc. Anyway, games can be used as an escape from our world, and we can put ourselves into another world, that we can control. Its actually a big stress reliever, though play too much, and you'll just add more stress to your days. Playing RPG games are fun, because you can be another character, and live someone else's life. Its actually very interesting to play games sometimes, its a great feeling. Everyone has different taste in games, and that is fine, but I enjoy RPG. Personally, I play weird RPG games with romance, because I'm a girl, I like that kind of thing, but it helps me relieve stress. Its fun when I have nothing else to do. I use to be highly addicted to video games, though. Now I hardly play, because I realised I was being too lazy. Now I'm on the computer a lot... but I'm not addicted. I have learned the consequences. Even computer games can be addicting.

Now, back to the addiction topic for a moment. Time to bring up ADVERTISING! Along with other types of ads, you find video game ads around a lot, too. There are a lot of ads online for games, and in stores, magazines, an

d even in television commercials nowadays. I remember when I was younger, and I thought hey you Pikachu and Pacman was cool... now its shooter games, horror, and the quality of everything is amazing. There is a much larger variety of games to choose from, its like a little kid in a toy store, trying to decide which toy to buy. Due to advertising, even more games are being sold nowadays. The media usually doesn't talk about the problems in gaming, and the addiction, and health problems. They just advertise, so of course games will be a po

pular product to buy. Someone has to bring up the negatives, so I wanted to write about it! Also, did I mention how much money you waste on games? Good games can go up to around 60$ per game! Its outrageous. I know when I walk into a game store, and buy 4 games, I've blown over $2oo dollars in about 5 minutes, its stupid. So, I limit myself, and don't buy many games.

Next thing I want to address, is the number of new game systems. Recently, the Xbox 360 has come out, PlayStation 3, the 3DS, and now new game systems are planned to be coming out, and one pretty soon. Game systems can cost around $300 dollars, and the price range can go from $200-$500. If you don't have the latest game system, your not 'cool'. The Nintendo Wii is the latest game system I have, and as much as I want to play certain games for Xbox360 or PlayStation 3, I doubt I will ever buy them, because its a waste of money, and then, you'll want to buy games for your system, and that will cost another 50$-60$ dollars per game, and then BAM, you've lost your pay check, or, all of your pay checks for the next year. The amount spent on video games is horrifying. If I was to add the prices up on all of my games, I know for a fact my house has spent over $1000 dollars on games, probably over $2000, because we have a lot of them. Buying games could make you go broke very fast, so we don't buy many games any more. We focus on bills, food, and clothes. I recommend any gamers to think about the issue of MONEY when they want to buy the latest game that just came out. Please, just be aware of how much you are spending on games. Advertisements for gaming are a little too successful nowadays. They are making more and more games and systems to make even MORE games. It just keeps moving forward, and the game companies are very successful.

Now, I will list some of the negatives I've mentioned already:

• Many Health Concerns
• Waste of money
• Distraction to everyday life
• Distraction to SCHOOL
• Addiction
• Effects you Physically and Mentally (negative)
• much more!!!
• 
  

The positives would be:

• Escape from stress
• Something to do with friends or when bored
• Experience new things that you aren't able to do
• ITS FUN!

Please, remember, if you are a gamer, set limits for yourself, please do not develop a game addiction, and if you have one, please get some help. :) Or just GO DO SOMETHING ACTIVE!! BE HEALTHY OR NEMESIS WILL COME EAT YOU. >:(

Black Ops... haha. :)

World Disasters- Celebrity donations and fundraising

Our world has experienced many disasters that have devastated people's lives and damaged anything from houses to major infrastructures.

Some of the major and more current disasters include:

On January 12, 2010, Haiti experienced something that changed their country forever; a 7.0 magnitude earthquake ruined their country.

On March 11, 2011, Japan experienced a major 8.9 magnitude earthquake. The earthquake then caused a tsunami and also caused a serious accident at a nuclear power plant.

To help rebuild these nations a very large amount of funds are needed. To raise awareness and fund raise this money, we need as many people as possible to donate time and money to these causes. Much of the fundraising done uses celebrities and other famous stars to bring knowledge and show the importance of aiding the disaster struck countries.

Just like many of us, celebrities feel it is important to help places like Haiti and Japan. The media also uses them because much of the public is greatly influenced by celebrities. Telethons, videos, concerts and fundraising events have been held to raise the money needed to aid these nations. Last year, Help Haiti Live was held to support Haiti victims.

Songs like We Are the World and Do They Know its Christmas have been produced and reproduced to raise more money to help the hungry. Tens of millions of dollars were raised by the celebrities efforts(and it helped greatly). Madonna donated $250,000 to Haiti relief last year along with many other celebrities including Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, Wyclef Jean, and George Clooney. For Haiti relief, George Clooney and MTV Networks organized a telethon last year in order to bring further awareness of the devastation in Haiti.

Even now, some of these places still have not recovered from the devastating events. There are still people living in tents and people without clean water or food.

Some people might criticize the celebrities for helping with the relief efforts because they think that the celebrities just want more attention in the media or that not all the money is going directly to the cause. However, it is clear that celebrities have helped to raise awareness and a great amount of funds for these disasters.

*There is also a link for a video about Haiti.

Thinking Pink.

Pink.
It's just one of the ten million colours that our eyes can distinguish.
Look at these two photos.

Did you assume one was a boy and one was a girl?

Why?

Simply because of the colour their wearing?
It's not like they can choose the colour of blankets they are wrapped in or the colour of the clothing they wear. But why is pink so overly associated with females?

Not only are baby clothing and toys seperated by pink for girls and blue for boys.
Think of all the commericals kids see growing up for toys that are pink for girls.
The pink power ranger was a girl.
The colour pink has such a negative connatation around it towards men. There have been instances when men wear pink shirts and get called gay. But what does a colour have to do with someone's sexual orientation? It's ridiculous, it's simply a colorur! When a woman wears blue, she is not seen as masculine or 'manly', so why is it so different when a man wears pink?

Elvis drove a pink cadillac, and in the 50's it was popular to paint cadillacs various shades of pink.
Pink floyd? Pink Panther? Not exactly the face of feminine in the least.

So are we really that easily media persuaded, that we are so brainwashed to associate a colour with a specific gender just because everyone else does? Do you really agree with pink being a girly colour? Or have you been bombarded with messages surronding pink, that you have bought into the association of colours rather than using your own rational opinion?

Addicted to Facbook!?!

Addicted to Facebook?

Facebook is developed to pull you away from the real word and reduce 1 on 1 interaction. When you get a friend request you forget about your surrounding to see who he/she is. When you are thinking about logging off, Facebook pulls you back in because you want to check your profile before you sign off, wasting more time from your day.

Ways to Defeat a Facebook Addiction

1. Delete your wall

The wall is used to update statuses, and for your friends to post comment, pictures, and more. If you’re interested in cutting yourself off from that addiction, without sacrificing the communication tool that is Facebook, just delete your wall.

2. Turn of Email Notifications

Turning of your Facebook notifications will help reduce ones Facebook addiction. These days we get pinged about every new notification and wall post that anyone posts on Facebook. Facebook will be less interesting because you will not get any notifications.

3. Delete some friends

By reducing the amount of facebook friends you will receive less unnecessary new feeds about games and other things that will waste your time. Therefore reducing the time spent on facebook

4. Get a time limiter plug-in

By limiting the time on the internet, it will help one reduce the time spent on facebook.

EPISODE III: THIS ISN'T THE BLOG YOUR LOOKING FOR

Episode III: THIS ISN'T THE BLOG YOUR LOOKING FOR

3DS is out, should you care?

I got the chance to pick up Nintendo's latest creation. Their latest device called the Nintendo 3DS. Ok so who cares? Its just alternate version of the Nintendo DS. Nintendo has done this before, making alternate version of the DS such as DS Lite, DSi, DS XL, and now 3DS. There's a catch though, the latest DS could be the best handheld instalment yet, and arguably their best creation up to date.

Feast your eyes on glasses free 3D.

Forget wearing 3D glasses, those were the dark days.

However, I do have mixed feelings with this device. So I'll start with the Pros first. At first I was definitely wowed, I couldn't believe the 3D effect, it was very breathtaking, viewing the 3D effect for the first time is very exciting. 3DS is definitely the greatest piece of tech I've tried since the Playstation 3. You really have to see the effect in person to believe it. There's also a sweet spot, if you want to see the 3D, it must be right in front of you, a slight tilt will ruin it. So friends watching you play right beside you won't be able to see the effect. Fortunately, Nintendo added a sensitivity switch for the 3D effect, switch the effect to on or off, how convient. (See picture below, sensitivity slider is located at the right side of the top screen.)

Enough of the pros, now the cons. Unfortunately after a couple of hours of play, the 3D effect is really irritating to the eyes. Not only does it make you dizzy, but I could feel my eyes getting blind. Nintendo even advises that you take 10 – 15 minutes breaks after every hour before you start a game. And speaking of games….

Thats you.

It only gets better. Nintendo fans rejoice. Fans familiar with Nintendo games will be pleased to know that a lot of Nintendo's first party games will be joining 3DS' library. Super Mario in 3D? Zelda in 3D? Star Fox in 3D? Heck yeah. Those are just a couple to mention, but how about all the third party developers? Imagine Sonic the Hedgehog in 3D? or Resident Evil, Metal Gear Solid or Assassins Creed? Yeah I'm sold. (See pictures below for screenshot comparisons of The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time 3DS Remake.)

Its ****ing beautiful! :D

However, my only concern with the games are the launch titles. The 3DS launched March 27, 2011. The launch games are awful. So awful that I didn’t even bother purchasing a game day one. Games go from Nintendogs to some random pilot game. I don’t care. Petting a dog in 3D? No thanks.

So how about the hardware? The 3DS has probably the best visuals up to date when it comes to handhelds. Its upgraded, and believe it or not, the 3DS' visuals are more stronger than Nintendo's previous console, the Wii. Even today, I'm still wowed by this, just the fact that it’s a handheld. The face buttons like A B X Y and shoulder buttons like L and R return, the D-Pad also returns but what's new this time around is the analog stick. It controls nicely. Also, camera's return, front and back, allowing you to take photos and save them on your device.

The 3DS also comes packed with 3 built in games and a Mii Maker (Just like the Wii's Mii maker, but better) The three games are Augmented Reality Games, or AR Games, Face Raiders and Mii Plaza. Out of the 3 I'd have to say Face Raider's is my favourite, its just hilarious. On top of the built in games, are Nintendo's new wireless feature called Street Pass. When your 3DS is on sleep mode, and you walk by someone who is also on sleep mode, you will trade Mii's and they will go to your Mii Plaza. What I really like about this is that you can see what other's have created. You can also create your own greeting for when you trade Mii's. I thought it was neat. At the moment, I've walked by 12 different people and collected 12 Mii's. Speaking of Mii's, the 3DS' version of Mii creator is very innovative. Allowing to take pictures of your face and generating it to make a Mii that looks like you. Its hilarious, me in Mii form is very scary, the resemblance is too much.

Unfortunately, the online friend messaging component sucks. Like a lot. Pictochat is gone and is replaced with a scaled down messaging systems that don't really work well. Also, the very awkward Friend Code system is back. What I also don't like is that fact that the Internet Browser isn't up and running, the option is there, but its not live yet. But thee BIGEST disappoint is the battery life. The battery is even worse than an iPod. Depending on your settings, 3DS can last up to 3 – 5 hours. Complete garbage. I personally think Nintendo did this on purpose to let kids rest and have breaks. 

My verdict? Its mixed, I have mixed feelings about the 3DS. Its without a doubt really impressive. Its possibilities with upcoming games, and an impressive hardware, its hard for hardcore Nintendo fans like myself to pass this offer. But there's a catch, there's always a catch. Disappointing online functionality and battery life. On top of that, having the 3D effect on constantly will strain your eyes. Personally, I think the pros outweigh the cons. On the bright side, the 3DS will have a great future. Things are looking really great so far, a promising line-up of games, and a lot more online services like DSi Ware. But I'm sorry, I can't pass down The Legend of Zelda in 3D, I'm sold.

So thats my review. Enjoy this Youtube video. The video showcases all the upcoming games for 3DS.

Nintendo 3DS Software Lineup

Friday. The day we all look forward to. The last day of school, then the thing us teenagers look forward to the most : the weekend. Well recently, Rebecca Black released a song called "Friday" courtesy of Ark Music Factory. If you haven't heard this song, and put yourself through that torture, give yourself a pat on the back, because you're doing yourself a favour. If you've seen the video, and listened to the song, I feel your pain. It is truly the worst song i've ever heard, and im not quick to judge anything or anyone, especially music.

For starters, what's with those lyrics? Clearly, she needs to go back to school and learn how to write a proper song. I dont know any teenager that's lucky enough to sleep in untill 7am. In her friends car, there is only one available seat, so what is she contemplating when she says "gotta make up my mind, which seat can I take?". So after the chorus, and other pointless lyrics, to this pointless song, she says "yesterday with thursday, today is friday, we-we-we-so excited, we so excited, we gonna have a ball, tomorrow is saturday and sunday comes afterwards". In that one little verse, I can name so many things wrong. Is this 13 year old girl, trying to teach us the days of the week? 'we-we-we-so excited' should instead say "we're so excited", which would make more sense, and make rebecca black sound a little bit more intelligent.

Next, rebecca talks about driving. Uhm...last time I checked the law states anyone under the age of 16 doesnt have a license, and cannot take the test to get your G1 and when you do manage to get your G1, at the age of 16 or older, you still have to drive with your parents, so it seems to me that rebecca and her 13 year old friends, are breaking the law.

Don't even get me started with that voice of hers, It took all the strength I had, just to listen to the entire song. I've never heard anything like it, and that, that is not a compliment. Hopefully, Rebecca does not record another song, like she's promised to on Twitter. Seriously, I dont think the world can handle another song by Rebecca Black.

Let's just hope that Justin Beiber says "no" to singing a song with Rebecca Black. I'd love to see the worlds reaction that song.

p.s. for those who don't know, Friday was a song originally sung by Bob Dylan.

A changed perspective

Since I began this media studies course, my perspective on how media impacts society has completely changed !! a simple trip to the mall fills my mind with thoughts of how all of our society just falls into these categories. there are the people who follow all the trends, there are the people who absolutely shut themselves out from what society tells them to do and then there are those people who kind of fall into both sides and that is just like me. I love keeping up with the latest trends, but no matter how "hot" or popular something is ... if i don't like it i wont wear it !! i find it so sad that some people compromise their own style in order to feel like they belong. i think people need to embrace their own style but truth be told it takes a while to find it. I used to be one of those people who always cared about what people thought. i could never afford the really expensive brands ... so whenever my friends got rid of an abercrombie and fitch sweater for examples .. i would jump at the chance to wear it and have it for myself. its absolutely pathetic how i felt soo much better about myself just by wearing a sweater that all of my friends had. but now that i look back on it everybody else probably felt the same ... or else they wouldn't be wearing the sweater to . now that I'm older Ive learned to embrace the things that i like.... and my clothes don't make me fit into a crowd ..... my clothes make me stand out. yes i wear things that other people like and i guess you could say that they are within all the trends, but i love taking things and making them my own. so i have developed my own style of not really caring what people think ...... i wear what i want to wear and how i want to wear it ..... i sure hope people can develop the same thing ... that way our society would be a much cooler place rather than having a bunch of fashion clones walking around our streets.

Say yes to the dress

"Every girls dream come true"

The special moment, special day, special person, special feeling, and special love; all in one day. I guess you can say that, that one day is the wedding day. TLC Say Yes to the Dress leads the bridal one step closer to their dream day. Clients are full of condolence for all the customers, understand their feelings of frustration, and emotional breakdowns, but also the happiness that people cannot easily describe in words.

I believe that this show is like a diary of brides journey till the very special day. The very second fiance and bride say "I do".. every relief, happiness and unknown tears forcefully rage out of their eyes.

This show illustrates that every detail and aspect of the wedding dress matters. Wedding dress is not an ordinary dress that you can buy at H&M or Holister. It is once in a life time fashion show on very own isle expressing the love and compassion in your dress.

Every girl has their own dream dress. The modern tradition, the colour of western culture is white. However, not all brides seek white dress. Some people want their accessories, fabrics or shoes..in which certainly can motify the dress you like, to a the dress you love.

"A dress without a sash"

"It looks wrong"

It makes her look uncertain.

It makes her think she's fat.

According to the rule of brides, every aspect matters.

Then what is the defintion of a wedding dress?

According to standarized defintion from google, wedding dress is a main symbolism of purity of heart and innocence of childhood. Later attribution suggested that colour white symbolizes virginity.

What I think of wedding dress:

A dress, in which the moment you put on.. you know its yours. Because your heart will be beating like raging helicopter. For my self, I never had the experience, but I only imagine that the moment you put on the dress, it will be the feeling of stempede of chidren going for recess.

I guess everyone has their own style, opinion, interest, like and dislike. However, these can vary and differ in any state in life. You may have an opinion one day than another the other day. Depending on the mood your interest can change and you can create your new hobby. But, wedding dress.. there is only one right dress for you. THEN..when you wear your perfect one, you know its yours!

Monaco wedding gown. Inspired by Cinderella dress.

Listen Closely

Everyday we're hit with messages to buy things that if they are put simply, they mean "buy this and you will be pretty" or "buy this and you'll be the most masculine man around". One way teens are influenced by media is through music music can have many different effects on a person. It can cause a simple reaction of bobbing your head, it can lead to a major dance party or it can be as simple as listening to the words. For some artists, listening to the words is what they want most for their listeners. Sometimes their message in the song is more than "Romeo take me somewhere we can be alone" or "It's friday friday gotta get down on friday" sometimes it's a message about American politics, cancer reasearch and how the world needs to change.

Even some of the songs that are at the top of the charts right now have positive messages in them, two prime examples are Pink's Prefect and Katy Perry's Firework. Both of these songs are about being who you are and always remembering that you are important to the world. It's also about remember that people care about you and that to them, you are perfect just the way you are.

There is non of this

Or feeling like this

These artist have made an effort to put positive messages out in the media, other artist have chosen different issues to tackle with their music. The Dixie Chicks and Pink have both created music about the way America is being run, challenging at the time George W. Bush about how people are treated. There are so many songs out there about different world issues it is simply amazing to say the least.

If you want to take a look here is a few to start:

Pink-Dear Mr. President

Dixie Chicks- I'm not ready to make nice

Mugshot ft. Rob Dyer- Skate 4 Cancer Song

U2- Sunday Blood Sunday

basically anything by Bob Dylan

Brett Dennen- Ain't no Reason

John Lennon- Working Class Hero

Rascal Flatts- Stand

Ludacris ft. Mary J. Blidge- Rynaway Love

Just to name a few

Enjoy

Has it gone too far?

Basketball superstar Kobe Bryant recently facing a hefty fine of $100,000. On Tuesdays game against San Antonio Spurs, Kobe was pulled out of the game due to too many technical fouls. Kobe then said a "gay slur" towards the referee. The next day on Wednesday Kobe found out he has was being charged $100,000 for his actions on Tuesday nights game. Is this a fair punishment just for a couple of words? The NBA is definitley over doing this situation. San Antonio is a big rival of the lakers and Kobe was simply just in the heat of the moment. Any ordinary person on the street wouldnt even get charged for saying what he said. I'm sure Kobe didnt really mean what he said and it was just out of anger. There has been many other worst incidents in sports than a simple slur. France national soccer team player Zidane head butted Italy player and was only charged $25,000. Is Kobe Bryants incident worst than Zidanes? Is it worth 80,000 dollars more? Personally I think Zidanes incident is by far much worst than Kobes yet Kobe has to pay roughly 80,000 dollars more.

To Infinity and Beyond...

"You've got a friend in me, you've got a friend in me..." Toy Story 3 clearly had a friend at the 83rd Academy Awards. And that friend came in the form of a little gold statue. Without a doubt, Toy Story 3 outshone all the other nominees for the Best Animated Feature Film category. I mean; do you honestly think that a movie about a kid training a dragon could beat this classic Disney film series? Get real.

I think it's pretty amazing how the Toy Story movies managed to be so successful; from the very first film in 1995-all the way to the 2010 last movie in the installment. The really intriguing thing is how-how did it manage to stay at the top?

Well for one thing, the storyline definitely contributed a whole lot to the success of the series. When Toy Story came out in 1995; the concept of toys coming to life excited the general audience. This idea sparked an thought in our minds: what if toys really did come to life as soon as we weren't looking? I mean you never know... Just kidding. (Unless you actually believe that theory, then that's cool too). There wasn't a lot of movies at the time that played around with this idea, so the Toy Story creators reached a whole new level on the imagination scale.

The details in the animation also helped the film franchise gain all its fans. Toy Story was the first full computer-generated animated movie created! All the little details that the movies include really give it style. I've always liked how classic toys; such as the barn animal sound effects wheel, Etch A Sketch, play-doh and monkeys in a barrel; are shown in the flicks. It's pretty cool that the audience is able to spot board games such as Monopoly and Sorry in the movie; you have to admit it's pretty legit.

But the one thing that sets this Disney movie apart from the others is the characters. The characters just have so much depth to them; and that allows the audience to get more attached to the story. As the movies progressed, the audience was able to relate better to the characters. If we all didn't love Buzz Lightyear so much, we probably wouldn't care at the scene where he figures out that he's actually a toy. We would have been like "Ha, the loser can't fly. Big whoop. This movie sucks, when is it over..." Yeah, you guys get the picture. And of course all the characters add their own sense of humor to the story-they're honestly all quite hilarious. Whether it be Rex being silly or Ham making yet another sarcastic remark, it still gets me every time.

So if any of you claim to be too old for a Disney movie; just know that you're never too old for Toy Story. There's always something for everyone; and in our teenage years some of the pop culture references or jokes we didn't get when we were younger now start to make sense. To all the "big kids" out there, I encourage you to give these movies another chance. "...But the thing that makes Woody special, is he'll never give up on you...ever. He'll be there for you, no matter what."

Jersey Shore

It’s a shore thing!
I wouldn’t be a reality TV blogger without representation of the jersey shore-season 3.
Well another of the jersey shore has come to an end!
Hope all you guidos and guidettes enjoyed the 3rd season!
Well, Snooki, Pauly d, J-Woww, mike the situation, Vinny, Sammy, Ronnie and Deena finished another summer season at the shore. A very uneventful season, if I do say so myself!

Other than the nightly clubbing escapades, the toilette habits of the gang and gym, tanning and gym antics-it was not a very exciting season!
You know the producers are desperate when the big excitement of the day is mike the situation feeding the dog’s peanut butter and marshmallow fluff and then waiting for them to do their business all over the house when no one else is home. The other housemates come home to a "stinking" house. Not that hilarious.

J-Woww starts off the season with a bad break up with her boyfriend back at home- he leaves her house with her computer, hard drive, bed and best watch. Her and Snooki pack up her purse puppies and head back to the shore. Anyone who’s been burned in a breakup would feel bad for J-Woww who seemed like a real victim in the first episode.

The rest of the housemates are up to their old tricks, looking to hook up with whomever...in a drunken stooper each night at the karma club.

Deena's the new girl this season, a friend of Snookis’ from back home. She’s a lot like Snooki with a lot less drama!

Okay, the elephant in the room...Sammy, formally known as Sammy sweetheart, and Ronnies’ ongoing relationship drama gets very intense and very tiring. Aside from the fact that Ronnies’ behavior boarders on verbally and physically abusive (too many steroids perhaps?) it just gets to be too much too often and too predictable to enjoy watching! These blow outs are part of the show or should i say, most of the show!

So, at the end of the season, J-Woww meets roger-who really seems like a decent buy by j-shore standards, Snooki seems to be dating a guido who seems tolerant of her antics and the boys remain single even after dodging grenades all summer.

Mike the situation seems to be getting a little old for the shore...he seems isolated from the group a lot, offering his lame big brother advice and stirring the pot between Sammi and Ronnie whenever he could. i think he sees himself as a brand now, the situation may need to move on! Sorry but he makes a lot of money for a guy who seems so dumb! Amazing what a good set of abs can do.

Speaking of money, its been reported that most of the j-shore cast are now making $100 000.00 per episode-each!! Not bad for a day of G-T-L!! (Gym tan laundry) hung over house loungers are overpaid! The next season is taking them to Italy! Season four may or may not prove to be quiet an adventure! Ciao Bella!

If It Sounds Too Good To Be True… It Probably Is

We have all seen these types of advertisements.

The ones that promise happiness, popularity, beauty, love and acceptance if you were to purchase and use their products.

People in advertising say that it’s better to be thin, have a life style of drinking, casual sex, and smoking…etc
Believe it or not, there are tones of ads that subconsciously play with your mind, focusing on what the advertisers think young men and women want.

Why do we let these commercials and ads form our view of society? What makes us want to be like these people in these advertisements?
While searching for general commercials that use this technique for buyers I came across this one ad for “Kraft Dinner.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65Gr3cK_J9c

In this commercial, it shows a young man eating “Kraft Dinner BOLD” while working ate a gas station. After taking one bite, he becomes more daring and goes out to a sports car pretending that it is his. He starts to wash off the front of the car when a group of girls pull up in their car next to him. One of the girls walks up to him handing him her number saying that her has a “nice car.” After she’s walked away the owner of the car comes out of the gas station and hands him cash for washing his car. Who wouldn’t eat bowls of this mac and cheese to bring a little more luck into their life? Moral of this commercial; if you eat ‘Kraft Dinner’ all of the prettiest girls will want to come over with their numbers and you will gain some cash. In reality you will probably eating your “Kraft Dinner” alone.

If you are willing to buy a certain product to greater improve yourself, it doesn’t mean you are not happy with your current situation, but you want to bring a little more excitement into your life. Unfortunately, when eating “Kraft Dinner” for example, you won’t get a group of girls vying for your attention but end up feeling worse (and full.)
Don’t get your hopes up, these products won’t get you to suddenly walk in the spot light.

You are who you are, and no product can change that.

Below are some of the advertisements that have caught my eye, and I feel will further show these ideological messages.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e04SjNGlfUo&NR=1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9tWZB7OUSU

Modification

Body modification is defined as willful alteration of the human body, whether it's for religious reasons, a rite of passage or just for self-expression. Most of us have undergone this, body modification can include piercing any part of your body or getting a tattoo on any part of your body. Some are more socially acceptable than others.

Considered "Socially Acceptable": A Simple ear piercing.

Considered NOT "Socially Acceptable":

Some of the things that people do to their own bodies may seem cool now, but let's think later into their lives, will they be happy when their skin starts to sag and wrinkle.

But of course the examples above are minor body modifications. Some people try to be a human version of an animal by doing many different modifications. People who try to do so, are called "Humanimals". Why do people do this? Some believe that they are related or connected to a cetian animal so they get plastic surgery, get tattoos and even piercings to look more like this animal.

Canada is a free country, and each person is their own. But sometimes people can get out of hand with expressing themselves.

Friday. REALLY NOW???

Friday by Rebecca Black.

I KNOW there has been so much hate on this song and the young girl herself...but I really can't seem to help myself.
In earlier years there has ALWAYS been the trend of letting the audience listeners know what day of the week it is.  Ive never understood why its necessary to let us know that Saturday and Sunday follow after Friday. I'm fairly certain EVERY teen at least knows this for obvious reasons stated clearly in the song itself.

The overall message of the song is not bad. I get it. Fridays ROCK.

Really.

They do.

But I have a few problems with this song.
Other than the fact that her voice is overly auto tuned and not to mention REALLY monotone which is slightly sad because there are videos of her singing without...and she is actually quite decent.

Really, that's the only problem I have with Rebecca Black directly.

The Lyrics...were done by another. 

The Lyrics...

 HORRIBLE.

My biggest problem...is the music video.
Its not really her fault for its turn out though.
They people who directed it should have payed more attention to her age, the law and basic entertainment ideas when making this video.

Lets look at the video:

At the beginning she is getting up...she wakes up with makeup on? 

I'm sorry...but your supposed to take that off before you go to bed.

People don't wake up in dark eyeliner and mascara that barely looks touched! 
If your going to do makeup for a morning scene...try more natural makeup so it doesn't look so odd to the viewers...

Then she heads down stairs while singing about eating cereal

"7am, waking up in the morning
Gotta be fresh, gotta go downstairs
Gotta have my bowl, gotta have cereal
Seein’ everything, the time is goin’
Tickin’ on and on, everybody’s rushin’..."

BUT

despite eating and rushing around you see her do NEITHER.

She just stands there.

No cereal.

No movement.


Then she is at her bus stop and her friends role up in a car...

"Gotta get down to the bus stop
Gotta catch my bus, I see my friends (My friends)

Kickin’ in the front seat
Sittin’ in the back seat
Gotta make my mind up
Which seat can I take?"

cool. Driving to school...cruisin' along. SCREEEEEEEECH.

HOLD UP.
OKAY.
THIS IS WHERE LAWS START TO GET BROKEN.

You and your friends are thirteen.  THIRTEEN.

YOU CANT LEGALLY DRIVE.

So technically...they are showing her and her friends doing something that is very illegal...even in the state of California which is where she is from and where this was shoot.

And besides....does it really matter where you sit as long as your in the car????

Another two that are illegal...
NO ONE IS WEARING SEAT BELTS.
and
THEY ARE SITTING ON THE BACK OF THE CAR WHILE DRIVING.

Another law broken.  Ouch.

Then  they start talking about partying and they are at a house party
"Partyin’, partyin’ (Yeah)
Partyin’, partyin’ (Yeah)
Fun, fun, fun, fun
Lookin’ forward to the weekend"

At the age of 13...how much House partying did YOU do?

Would your parents let you DO that or HOST that?

Oh no.

I personally find that inappropriate to show in a video made by someone who is 13 years old.

I understand that its very common to want to be treated older than you are and to be like one of the 'cooler' older kids but driving illegally and house parties at the age of thirteen is really pushing it.

In the end, I dont beleive it's entirely Rebecca's fault of the failed music video...she really was just having fun.  But I do believe that the directors of the video should have really payed attention to how the video will possibly be taken as well as the laws and age of Rebecca herself.

The Businessman Says "Meeeeeth"

I've been noticing a lot of pointless activism lately. I don't mean to say that activism is a bad thing, but a lot if it's being done by people who don't seem too intelligent. Mainly I'm looking at people fighting the advertisement of drugs. Aside from subliminal messaging, I can safely say that I've never seen a commercial for The Friendly Stranger Cannabis Culture shop. They say drugs are advertised in movies, but I've never seen a movie that centers around drugs without the drugs destroying the protagonist. Chiko

A Scanner Darkly Cherry Bomb and Trainspotting, for example

Anyone who says they find positive messages about the use of drugs is finding them because they're looking for them. Like politicians that watch cartoons to prove that Goofy is gay. They say it's the media that gets kids hooked on drugs, but the case is that it's drugs that get kids hooked on drugs. People use drugs in order to escape from a world that they despise, not because their wiped consumer minds tell them to. They then consume not because they're told to, but because they need to. Have you ever gone to the 32nd floor of a corporate building to buy coke out of a briefcase via a man in a suit, smoking a cigar? Doubtful. Teenagers buy and use drugs recreationally with other teens. Corporatocracy doesn't tell kids to do drugs. Other kids tell kids to do drugs.

Top Teams, What do the Playoffs Hold?

So the NBA regular season is coming to an end, and the playoffs are right around the corner. The playoff picture itself is set, and the regular season standings arent about to change drastically with only about 1 game left for every team in the regular 82 game season.

The 2010-11 season has not dissappointed, if anything, it surprised everyone.

Teams made combacks, some fell, trades were made, good and bad, young teams rose, and pride was restored to some of the biggest franchises in NBA history.

Two of the biggest success stories for this year have to be the San Antonio Spurs and the Chicago Bulls. Both teams have stepped up their game this year, and are the top teams in their conferences and subsequently, the top 2 teams in the NBA.

The Spurs were having the best start of the year this season, holding onto the best record in the entire NBA for virtually the season, and will most likely end it that way. To be fair, the Spurs have been a very consitent playoff team for the past decade, winning 4 championships during that time, but this season everyone saw a change.

Tim Duncan gets less touches, but the teams offense takes a step forward?

The Spurs have been known for their defence in the past, but now have incorporated probably the best offensive play the team has seen in a long time, while keeping the same old intenisty on the other end of the court. It will be nice to see if the trio of Parker, Duncan and Ginobili, can lead their team to another championship, and each of their own 5th championship ring.

Maybe they can also add some exciting plays so that people know who they are.

And now, the Chicago Bulls. I'm not even going to deny it, but I think that the biggest reason for their success this year has to be the improvement in play for 22 year old point guard Derrick Rose. The Bulls have made the playoffs for the past 3 years, since Rose was drafted to the NBA. But the Bulls were always sliding in their, never among the elite teams, let alone the top of the conference.

With Rose establishing a more than decent jumper and 3-point shot, his offense has become more versatile, and not just fantastic drives to the bucket.

Chicago has also been without their top 2 big men in Joakim Noah and Carlos Boozer for about a combined 45 games this season. The injuries looked to end the Bulls season early, but Rose took leadership of the team, and has led them to their first 60+ win season since the Jordan Era.

Derrick Rose is also the top candidate for regular season MVP this year. He is the only player in the NBA who is in the top 10 of scoring and assists (24 PPG and 8 APG).

If he wins it, he will also be the youngest player in NBA history to win the Maurice Podoloff Trophy.

Moving onto the playoff picture, here are the top 4 seeds in the Eastern and Western conference:

East: (1) Chicago Bulls, (2) Miami Heat, (3) Boston Celtics, (4) Orlando Magic

West: (1) San Antonio Spurs, (2) Los Angeles Lakers, (3) Dallas Mavericks, (4) Oklamhoma City Thunder

There is no doubt that one of these teams will be leaving the post season with a trophy and some rings. Personally, the Bulls are my favourite east team, and my favourite overall to win.

The problem is, I don't see them going all the way. I would love to see that happen, but nobody has seen how far the Bulls are capable of going in the post season. They haven't gotten past the 1st round of the playoffs in the 3 years with Rose, and though they have improved immensly over the past year, they have alot to prove.

With that said, the playoffs are a completely different game than the regular season.

This is proved as recently as last year. The Cleveland Cavaliers, with Lebron James, had the best record in the NBA, but were taken out of the playoffs quickly by the Boston Celtics. Lebrons gone to Miami now, and Boston has been struggling lately, but how well they will play in the post season is a different conversation I don't want to get into.

The Los Angeles Lakers went in as a good team last season, but had late season struggles. They had a losing record over their last few games, and did not have the best record in the Western Conference either.

But they have won the NBA Championship for 2 years straight.

Being optimistic, the Bulls are still my favourite pick for playoff success. I do see the Bulls possibly sneaking in, but I believe that the east championship will go to the Heat. They have overcome most of their chemistry problems, and their antagonistic foes the Boston Celtics are looking bad after loosing Kendrick Perkins in a trade to OKC.

The Orlando Magic, I don't see at all because they have Dwight Howard, and that's about it. The Magic are a roster of over payed players that are good, but aren't as good in my eyes as they are portrayed. Plenty of veterans that are fairly consistent, but out of their prime.

And with Dwight Howard having alot of foul issues, regular and technical, I could see Dwight getting in trouble, if not ejected, in the playoffs.

The Oklahoma City Thunder will see a championship one day, but it seems to far out of reach for such a young team with not enough experience.

The Mavericks always make it to the playoffs, but almost always get kicked out during the first round, and don't make too much noise if they get to the second. Their playoffs success is not endearing.

And the Boston Celtics have lost their intensity, and identity. Kendrick Perkins didn't get to play in the playoffs due to injury last year, but he is a very supportive teammate, and when he got traded before the deadline this year, the Celtics have lost their strength in the post, as well as their identity and fire as a team.

In the West I see the Spurs or Lakers getting the championship because they are proven title contenders that can finish and win it all. It comes down to how much they really want the championship this year.

My NBA finals predictions are:

Bulls vs. Spurs

or

Heat vs. Lakers

But again, the playoffs are a different game, that can be very surprising.

At this point, any team has a chance at glory.

the g20 Summit

last year toronto was the host for a event so huge the event commishers had to call in the military to protect the majour leaders of the different countries attending the G20,G8 events. During previous G8 and G20 events in other parts of the world there has mass rioting and entire citys rising up against the events happening in there city. But in toronto the g20 leaders thought that a peacefull place such as toronto But whoa were they wrong. During the events toronto experienced uproar with police vehicles being burned, windows smashed and worst of all a make shift prison where arrested rioters were detained in horrible conditions that were just plain unspeakable. The main reason for the violent clashes with police was due to the group of anarcists the black block. Here are some of the disturbing photos taken at the summit protest As you can see very powerfull stuff the pictures came out kind of wonky if you would like to see the pictures more clearly please go to this link: http://www.ctv.ca/gallery/html/g8-g20-toronto-violent-protests-20100626/index_.html and that is what i said.

Dance Music

For the past two decades techno and Dance music has been booming in the music industry. Music that is popular these days is now usually mixed with or is substituted by a form of dance music or techno variant. Most pop music by such artists as ke$ha Black Eyed peas Katie Perry use dance music in their songs. Some songs by artists like these are even considered dance music. As the popular club scene increases so does the music. Artists create new dance or techno music almost everyday a song can be perfected and released within a week. It is an east solution for the fast conveyor belt system of our media, where the most popular is the newest song. Lyrics are sometimes not even necessary anymore and if the artist wants a singer, the singer does not need to actually try and sing, an artists can auto tune the voice to sound perfect. Artists can also sample other songs and create their own tracks. The only problem with sampling other songs is that the artists lacks originality if he or she chooses to sample too much. in Conclusion techno music is the greatest movement in music of all time and is used in almost every new song.

The sence assailant

I Have noticed during my travels across your world that you are losing a battle that I'm shure that many of you do not know you are fighting. You are losing the war against advertisements. Now don't feel like the reason you are losing is completely your fault, their techniques are hard to avoid. You are constantly bombarded by images, models, characters all convincing you to buy one thing or another or use this over that. My I am surprised how materialistic this world is. You all require the latest and best product, no mater how new the object that is going to be replaced is. Every where that you look, something is being pushed into your face saying that this is the right thing for you. I have to say that advertising companies have "crossed the last straw". Where I am from, the only form of advertising was the town crier, and he mainly spoke of what the king was doing, not of what to buy. You have been exposed to the constant battering for so long now that you have become desensitised and have grown accustomed to it all. After my first day here, I refused to look out side again for fear my eyes would burst if I saw another bill board. You all have forgotten what it is like to be able to walk down a street and not be exposed to advertisements. You are forbidden to have original thoughts. You must not be blinded by the bright lights any longer. Regect what the companies tell you and form your own oppinion. we must stop bombardment and free our eyes from the advertising abomination.