Royal Rumours

The royal couple, a dream come true or a tragedy in the making? It depends on whether you have been watching or reading the saga enfold. Not only a difference in media forms, but also in the story line.
Ever since the engagement, the television networks have been following this couple in a positive way. They have been keeping the rest of the world informed about the loving relationship these two people have. While on the other hand, magazine tabloid’s have been busy tearing up their past, present and future lives with unnecessary rumours and gossip.

If you were like me, and only watched the television broadcast of the Royal engagement and wedding ceremony, then you would have only heard the positive side of the festivities.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0gxvdRpQrAk&feature=related

They talk about the ring, her gorgeous dress, her hair, how lucky they were to have each other and how much they were in love. They didn’t once say a negative comment about either one of their past lives, or made up rumors about this couple or their families.

http://www.ivillage.com/kate-middleton-pregnant-star-magazine/1-a-340860

In an article written in ‘Star’ magazine, they wrote about Kate possibly being pregnant before the wedding and thus the rushed engagement and hurried wedding date. Rumours, rumours, rumours’, that’s all they want to spread. Are they trying to make the community turn on them, and doubt their relationship? Where do they get this information from? What is their goal when giving this couple such poor publicity?

On the other hand, one tabloid source has her infertile.

http://www.zimbio.com/Kate+Middleton/articles/Snwk-Jbxvi8/Touch+Weekly+Kate+Middleton+Can+t+Get+Pregnant

In this article, the ‘after plastic surgery’ picture of Kate Middleton doesn’t even look like her. If it is true, which I doubt, they should have chosen a picture that doesn’t look like her head has been pasted on to a random body. Nice try!

http://www.nationalenquirer.com/celebrity/kate-middleton-plastic-surgery-shockers

Frankly, I would rather watch the positive aspects of their lives, even if it is exaggerated, rather than hear about her cross-dressing uncle, queer brother or her prostitute cousin. So be careful what you watch and especially what you read. Or as Ben Franklin once said, “ Believe none of what you hear, and half of what you see.”

Prom of your Dreams?

Its that time of year! Where the seiner classes gets to celebrate their four years of hard work. Its PROM! The high school event that everyone looks forward to, something to dress up for, something to get excited about!

But why does this event have such a big reputation?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4YziwpXjY2o

In the media, prom is such a big deal. They make it seem like it will be the best night of your life. It is the event that is emphasized in every teen movie. When in reality, many people are just setting themselves up for a night of disappointment.

Before the actual night of prom, there is the preparation, which is probably the most stressful part. Finding a date, and the right dress are just some of the more important development steps you have to go through to get ready for ‘the best night of your life’. Also, the make-up, hair and nail appointments, limousine rides, and after party room will hike up the price of prom to the sky! These teenaged girls and guys (more particularly girls) spend hundreds of dollars for one night of your life! You don’t need to buy a $300 dress to have a good time.

What the media likes to say is that during your prom night, you will fall in love and have a happy life with that partner beyond high school and prom. You’ve finally pinned down that person of your dreams, that you thought you’d never get. At the end of the night you both become the Prom Queen and King, what an amazing night!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpi4AJzWTCI

You don’t need to have all the over-the-top details to have a good time. A good time is made up of good friends, laughter and memorable stories. It’s not what you wore or how much you spent. When you look back at this day, its not the limo’s, hair, and make-up that will make you feel warm, it’s beyond that.

So go ahead, celebrate the achievements, friendships and what the future has in store, not those $700 Gucci shoes.

High fashion or high priced hoax?

It's no suprise that runway shows and designers clothes like Versace are wickedly expensive.
But runway shows seem to be less about clothes and more about being flashing and attention catching for all the wrong reasons.

The fashion industry tends to be over-glamourized and seen as just because it's on a runways & on television viewed by so many people that the clothes must be good, right?

IT'S NOT FASHION, WHEN THEY AREN'T WEARING ANY CLOTHES.

What is deemed as 'high fashion' seems to be less and less about the clothes.
And more about who can put on the most outlandish runway show.

Fashion shows and designers control what sytles and colours are 'in' each season,
and fashion should always center around the clothes.
No matter how over the top or creative the designers get with the clothing, there should still be clothing involved.
When it comes down to it, runways shows have turned into a performance that incororates fashion lines BUT
it not based on showing the pieces in the show.


Runway shows have turned into all hype and creativing contorversy.

So don't buy into all the labels and houses of designer brands simply because of the name.
The clothes should speak for themselves, and in most cases they do not.

Who are you to tell someone how to parent their child?

Recently a news story about a canadian couple raising a child to be gender neutral, exploded all over the net.
Here's the original article below;
http://parentingsguide.com/2011/05/canadian-couple-wont-reveal-childs-gender-the-mommy-files/

The article talks about how the family lets the children choose what toys they want to play with, what they want to wear, if they want to be home schooled or go to a public school. So why are they under such fire?

Our culture and media is obsessed with gender. It's how we are placed in a demographic by the media, it's used to defined our actions as 'manly' or 'girly'. It's such a part of our society today, that anything that crosses over the line into the opposite territory there seems to be a media fire there to voice their opinion.

But why is that grey area between boy and girl such a big deal?

Media doesn't always seem to accurately portray transgendered, or gender neutral individuals in a very positive way.

It's not like someone who is gender neutral or transgendered has any effect on your life whatsoever, them being who they are or want to be doesn't hurt you in any way. Everyone should be intitled to live their life the way that makes them happy, and if you don't like or agree with someone else's lifesytle, then look away.

So why, as a society do we feel the need to be entitled on how to tell someone how to parent their child?
I interpreted the story as simply a human interest piece, stating the story, letting it raise some questions and to really get people thinking about how their parenting style is different to this on, and how they might be open minded to accepting this way of parenting a child.

Think of the way your parents raised you and the colours as well as the types of toys they gave you. Where they associated with your gender?
The pressures of gender seperation influence parenting styles, and helps shape how the next generation view gender.

I personall support these parents in how they are raising their child, becasue ultimately it is their business how they raise their child and nobody else's.

If your interested in viewing some more opinions, check out this disscusion lead by Dr.Drew sharing their thoughts on this specific article.
http://fitperez.com/2011-05-25-gender-free-child-discussion?from=PHheadline

How big is Your Carbon Footprint?

Our carbon footprint is the measure of the impact our activities have on the environment. It is based on the amount of green house gases produced in our day-to-day life, through burning fuel for electricity, heating and transportation.

In Canada we produce a total of 747 million tonnes of carbon dioxide. In my opinion I think Canadians have a high carbon footprint. So an average Canadian produces approximately 24 tonnes of greenhouse gases every year.

Media advertisements have a great impact on our carbon footprint. All around we see ads which influence us to buy something. The emission from the factories and industries are let into our atmosphere during the process of manufacturing the product we buy. So the products that we buy like cars, video games, etc increase our carbon footprint.

So why is it important? It gives you an idea of the kind of impact you are having on the Earth just living day to day. With this knowledge you can start taking steps to reduce your footprint. We don’t want our Earth to turn into a giant, hot ball do we?!

Don’t want to control your Carbon footprint? Imagine after 50 years:

- Demand for food will increase by 60%

- Demand for water will increase by 40 %

- Demand for energy will increase by 60%

Think about filling your stomach, and drinking clean water! We will all be fighting for these supplies. This is what could be happening in our lifetime! Do you want this to happen? If not then measure your carbon footprint and reduce the amount of Carbon dioxide used in your life.

Measure Your Carbon Footprint and change the world:

http://www.carbonfootprint.com/calculator.aspx

Photoshopped or photo shocked?

Photoshop is something that goes hand in hand with digital photograhy nowadays.
Especially when it comes to the advertising world.
But it wasn't always the norm to see photos altered.
Before digital photography, photos were always looked as accurate portrayls due to the fact it was much harder to alter in the darkroom.

Personally I have mixed feelings about photoshop. I feel you can be very creative and create wonderful surreal images in photoshop, but in the adervertising world it is taken way too far. Photoshopping in the media has been accepted, and it is so normal that people accept overly prossed images as reality.

Now if you didn't see the comparison, would you have accepted the second one as real?

Or how about this one?

Not convinced that these 'shopped pictures have that big of an effect on us? Eating disorders and body insecurities are influenced by media portrayls of the 'perfect body'. When you are surrounded by it constantly it's hard not to willingly accept it and not consider the fact it's photoshopped. I have never met a single woman that likes everything about her body.

Have you?

So don't ever be down on yourself, especially with summer comming up and it's time to wear those bathing suits soon because you feel you may not have that so called 'perfect body' but even the celebs don't. If they did, there would be no need to photoshop.

We are all human, we all have bodies, no two the same. The fact that you wake up every morning and live one more day makes you beautiful.

The Death of Community

I was keen to visit this world at first, but I grow weary of it.

So much of it differs from my world. You are more possessive, less accepting and more protective, not to say that where I come from we do not have property and enemies. But you hide yourself from your own neighbors, that is where I am disturbed. There is little sense of community in the modern cities that I have visited. You rush from one point to another, from your home to work and back again, not taking the time to talk with the people that you meet. I for do not know the names of the people that live two doors down from me.

I do not blame you. Why speak to someone when a machine is easier to deal with. A paper tells exactly what you want at your own speed with waiting or trying to keep up with someone. The technology today has eliminated the need to interact with people directly. Even when we do want to talk to a person, why seek them out when we can leave them with an instant massage.

Back where I come from, a village grew stronger the closer its people were. We would defend our homes more fiercely if we had something to protect. I know that achieving this task would be difficult now that the cities have grown larger and more and more inhabitants move in every day, but I am not asking you to go out and learn the name of every person in town. I am simply asking you to get to know the people around you. Talk to someone new, do something out of the ordinary, create the unity.

This is my challenge to you,

The Blade of Corrilon

Define: Love

The technical definition of love is a profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person. Does gender or age have an effect on your own definition of love?

A sixteen year old male, Cawthra student would

define love as "One of the deepest feelings of affection towards a person that one can have."

A sixteen year old, female, Cawthra student would define love as "When you find someone you like that wants to be

there for you, that you can tell anything to. Love is when you find someone who wants to be with you not for your body, but to hold you in their arms to let you know they are there for you."

An twenty year old male would describe love as "When you care about someone as much as you care yourself."

Aatwenty-three year old, female would define love as "A mutual support system. It's not just based on lust or physical attraction but rather something they give you."

50+ female would describe love as "An ever-changing feeling that's not static. It ebbs and flows with a root of mutual trust and a mutual value system."

50+ male would describe love as "The older you get, it's more about mutual respect, being there for one another. More focused on the heart rather than the body."

As we age, the definition of love stays the same in the sense that trust and support plays a big part and that it's not all about lust and physical attraction although, that is also a big part of love. I think the classic quote "Love is friendship caught on fire." would be my own definition of love. With friendship, you learn how to trust each other, and support each other. The fire part to me is the feeling you get when you realize that your "friend" was never just a friend, they've always meant something more to you.

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!

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.

Episode II: ITS A TRAP

Episode II: ITS A TRAP

OK FINE, I LIED. All my post wont be about Star Wars, its gonna be annoying, so i decided to tackle another topic. This one being not as big as the the other posts, and speaking of which, there are like 5 or 4 blog posts about creatures (vampires specifically) and video games, so i said to myself, hell, why not combine the two and blog about that.

So i will, whats up zombies?

omg, their everywhere

Oh zombies, i love you, not only are you everywhere, (literally). Thank you zombies for not attracting little screaming 12 year old Bieber fans, thank you for being so intriguing and awesome, but most importantly, thank you for being in video games.

Personally, I think zombies are best represented in video games. There's nothing more awesome playing some good zombie game, running away from a mob of fleshing eating zombies and finding that trusty shotgun you left in the basement, then blowing them to shreds. On top of that, the suspenseful storyline of how it all started, learning that the main antagonist of the story is a bioengineering pharmaceutical company, creating viruses and bio weapons. Oh fun times indeed.

But lets not forget what makes zombies so appealing, what is it exactly? Is it the fact that they are also in movies, shows, comics and video games? The stories? the way they look? I dont know. I think ever since the invention of "Nazi Zombies", zombies became a worldwide addiction. Just like how vampires had twilight, zombies had Nazi Zombies. For those who dont know and are thinking "WHAT IS THIS NAZI ZOMBIE THING YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT SIR?" Its in a first person shooting game called Call of Duty. First appearance of Nazi Zombies was in the 2008 hit Call of Duty World At War. 

Yeah, this actually happened.

Enough of video games, what about movies and shows? Yeah, they have them too. Fortunately, its awesome, no Twilight love triangle BS. Zombie shows like The Walking Dead and movies like Zombieland and Quarantine  are insanely awesome and highly enjoyable. Comic books too such as the Walking Dead. 

I say zombies are way cooler and better then vampires or werewolves, they don't do any pedophile things like stalk you or want to suck your blood, but they actually give you the chills and scare you. Can you image a hungry flesh eating zombie chasing after you in the middle of the night? 

So I wanna ask you guys a question:

Zombies or Vampires? Why?

My vote is definitely on zombies, its the fact that their scary, the way the look, what they do, and how they do it. Its without a doubt cooler than vampires. To wrap things up, I think zombies should be more appreciated than vampires, everything entertainment that the zombie genre has to offer is way better than what vampires have. Zombie movies, games, movies, comics, books shows, destroy vampires. Enjoy my mini zombie gallery, recognize any of these?

Concerns With the Ever So Popular Twilight

I love vampire and supernatural books as much as the next person so I picked up the novel Twilight in grade seven at a book fair when the book was unheard of and newly released. I noticed a few odd concepts in the novel but at the age of 13 it doesn't register to a full degree.  By grade 9 the book was flowering with the popularity it was receiving and I read it again. I was disturbed by the new things I found that I now know isn't natural.

Edward Cullen. Main hot, sexy male character.

He is a stalker and a pedophile.

He watched Bella as she slept? He thirsted for her blood? He followed her home? 
There and then, the alarm bell started going, but Bella STILL fell in love with him! She's okay with the fact she watches her. She's okay with the fact that he thirsts for her blood and wants to EAT her.  Usually you would not be turned on or attracted to someone who takes their free time to watch you sleep or wants to eat you...you get a restraining order.

To top it,  he is over 100 years old. She is 17.  Can you say Pedophilia?
Think, if he did show his age?  He'd be ANCIENT.

Why is he in high school again? WHY would you want to repeat the thing most can't wait to get out of?
Possibly Edward has had hits to his manly pride as well. After all, he does Sparkle like a diamond in the sun.  What happened to the TRADITIONAL vampires? The ones who stayed inside all day? Who were afraid of crosses? Who hated garlic?
They were replaced with sparkling, human loving vampires like Edward.

Miss Bella Swan becomes SO RELIANT on Edward. Ditches her friends, ditches her friends and  lies to her father several times throughout the series.
Then he breaks up with her suddenly.
What does she do?
She sits, in a corner and mops. For MONTHS. In the SAME clothes.  She refuses to talk to anyone and shuts out the world.
WHAT?
GO GET SOME HELP.
She is a boy. We get it. You loved him but hunny, get over it.
Then he comes back and she goes on crawling back to him like a sick little puppy.

What does this teach the young girls of today who read these books?
Be reliant on your man.
WOW.
Independence? We fought for that! Why do you need a man? You can live just fine without one. Don't make me start quoting the Pussycat Dolls and their "I Don't Need A Man" song.

"I don't need a ring around my finger, to make me feel complete" -PCD
Yep, but Bella does. At the age of 18, she ditches University and her family and goes off to marry Edward. Smart move. Way to give up your entire life for a man.

Now after going though Biology in grade 9, I realize a HUGE problem.

BELLA GETS PREGNANT?

HOW?

That is biologically incorrect.

He has no blood and no semen therefore not only is it not possible for him to have intercourse with her, it is impossible to make her pregnant.
Also, WHY would you want the child of a vampire who will rip its way out of your body when its ready to come out?

Smart thinking...I guess they didn't think people learned biology. Or did they just wish for us to ignore the basic facts of reproduction?


Call me critical because I can't enjoy a basic vampire novel but I can only ignore so many details before it becomes unbearable to read without thinking WHAT THE...?