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.

Want to improve your eye sight? Then take a look at this!!

I first got my glasses in grade 7, it was awkward at first but then I got use to it. As years progressed I realized my eye sight was getting worse. Then I realized if one spent a lot of time working with a computer, reading or watching television one is most likely short-sighted. Meaning you are unable to see objects in a distance, clearly.

After my third prescription, I decided to do something to improve my eyesight. Here are some things I did and still do to improve my sight.

1. When using the computer or even watching TV try to blink often. By keeping the eye constantly open we put pressure on them so its good to blink.

2. Do eye exercise! Make an effort to stare at something in the distance every 30-60 mins for 30 seconds. This exercise helps improve focus of distant objects, by preventing the eye becoming “used” to focusing only on objects that are close.

Nodding the head up and down is another exercise. This exercise will strengthen the neck muscles, therefore increasing blood circulation to the head and eyes.

3. Eat healthy! Consume fruits and vegetables that are rich in Vitamin A. Carrots contain beta-carotene, a substance that the body converts to vitamin A, an important nutrient for eye health.

I haven’t had a new prescription ever since I started following these simple tips! I believe that the media influences us to watch TV and use the computer. Which make use more attached to our TV’S and computers. But by following these tips we can enjoy using the technology without sacrificing the health of our eyes!

The Pressures of Fitting In....and Not Fitting In

For all teenagers, there's always been the pressure of fitting in, or to be a part of the in crowd. We've all been down that path before; just some of us choose not to conform to what the media considers "cool", "trendy", or "the latest fad."

Teens are always concerned about the latest trend in everything; from bright American Apparel sweatshirts, neon coloured sneakers, silly bandz, and keds, to Formspring, iPhones, and Blackberries (and no, I ain't talking about the fruit, but you already knew that didn't you? My point exactly). Buy the right pair of shoes and BAM you're in the cool crowd all of a sudden. It's pretty crazy when a single materialistic object can change one's social status at school.

But in recent years, there's been a new trend...of not following the trend. And no, that was not a typo, you heard me right: not following the latest fad. Yes, ladies and gents, I'm talking about hipsters. Suddenly you're too mainstream, listening to Katy Perry and wearing a Hollister hoodie just like everyone else, and you're not that cool anymore. You're cool if you listen to Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, buy your groceries at organic food stores, and wear slouchy knit hats, unlike everybody else. It's funny how the world works, isn't it?

It's actually kind of ironic. You don't want to try too hard, and yet you're trying too hard to not try too hard. You don't want to follow the latest trend, and yet you're following the latest trend of not following the latest trend. I can respect hipsters who do their own thing because they want to, and not because they want to seem cool, or "hip" I should say, because of it. It's always annoying listening to the guy criticize others because they wear the latest fashion trends or listen to radio stations like 104.5 CHUM FM. I sometimes follow trends, and sometimes I don't. I would not consider myself a trend follower or a hipster. I wear and listen to what I want, not because it's in style or cool to do so. But hey, if everyone else happens to like the same band or pair of shorts that I do, then that's cool too.

Facebook Friends

So I literally just got Facebook in December. Yes, somehow I was able to live without it until grade 11, even though almost everyone else couldn't seem to live without it. I never really undeerstood the need/want for Facebook... until I got Facebook.


There is satisfaction in knowing what all your friends, enemys and even your crush is doing at that exact moment. Posting pictures from the exciting moments and events in your life is also fun and Facebook definitely keeps us connected.


But the real questions that I have here aren't why we feel the need for Facebook, but is how many friends do have on Facebook? have you considered when you have possibly have TOO many friends? Is there even a limit to the amount of 'friends' you can have on Facebook? How many of the people you have as friends are ACTUALLY your friends??


Some Facebook Stats said there are over 500 million active facebook users and that an average user has 130 friends. This might be average, but most people I know with Facebook have at least 200 friends!


More statistics say that the maximum amount of friends you can have is 5000!! In fact, there is a several groups on facebook for anyone who wants to have way more Facebook friends!!


The description I found on one Facebook page for the group to reach their maximum amount of friends was:


"Need to add Facebook friends? Want to reach the maximum limit of 5000 Facebook friends. Let's work hard together so that everyone can reach their goal!"


This icon/image below was on the same Facebook page- Yes it is great to have friends, but there is a difference between regular friends and Facebook only friends











Who really needs that many friends on Facebook?? Or for that matter who needs 5000 friends in general???


Another group stated that by having more friends on Facebook, you would become more popular!


Do you really need hundreds or even thousands of friends on Facebook just to be popular?


Again, are they really even your friends?!


Some people add 10 or more friends every day! Chances are that if you are adding that many people per day, you either just got Facebook and are adding all your friends from school, work etc., or the people you are adding aren't even people that you know!


You really should not be sharing personal information or photos with peopl that you don't even know!


So, can you possibly have too many Facebook friends? When should you stop adding people?


In my opinion, you should set a limit for yourself as to how many people you are going to add, make it reasonable so that you can have a good amount of friends, but don't make your main goal in life to get the maximum amount of friends on Facebook! Its not worth your time or effort and it definitely does not make you any better or more popular! If you don't know someone, why add them?!

Fashion: It's a Culture

I would consider myself quite the avid reader, as I enjoy reading works from a wide range of genres. From Harry Potter to The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants to The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, I would say that I'm pretty well-read. But I also enjoy reading fashion magazines. Yes, reading fashion magazines. My friend got me a Teen Vogue subscription for my birthday and ever since then I look forward to picking up the mail.

The magazine is not comprised strictly of clothes, shoes, and accessories, as most would assume, but more of fashion as a whole. Fashion as a culture. Teen Vogue also includes new indie music and articles about designers/journalists/artists/models that talk about their life ambitions and dreams. Fashion isn't just a bunch of random clothes put on a model; it's an art form that artists(designers) use to express themselves and show the world.

And it's not just the content of the magazine that is intriguing, it's also the actual layout and design of the magazine. The bright and bold colours invite you in along with headlines screaming out at you in block letters or pretty cursive. The magazine delights all of your senses; you see the glossy bright photographs, you smell the Givenchy perfume escaping from the middle of the magazine, you touch the smooth feel of the pages, you hear that satisfying flipping sound from turning the pages, and you can practically taste that ice cream sundae that's in the background of the photo shoot.

I love how the magazine often features models of different backgrounds wearing clothing reflecting another culture. In a recent issue there was a model wearing a dress influenced by the people of Africa and another issue had Selena Gomez wearing a kimono which is obviously inspired by the Japanese. I also like the way the teen models are portrayed in Teen Vogue. It breaks the stereotype of snobby anorexic models who worry about their hair and makeup 24/7. Instead the models shown in the magazine have dreams (not necessarily relating to fashion) and have normal hobbies like horseback riding, singing, dancing, ice skating, and listening to music. I would encourage more teen girls to give this magazine a go; it's not "girly trash" as most would think. I'm not a sparkly pink loving girly girl, and neither am I tomboy, but I love Teen Vogue.

EPISODE VI: I, AM YOUR FATHER

EPISODE VI: I AM YOUR FATHER

I'll be honest, I grew up surrounded by video games and anything Nintendo related. I wasn't like all you other guys growing up with Disney and Spongebob or whatever. Instead, I grew up with Super Mario and The Legend Of Zelda. You guys would watch all these Disney movies, like Lion King, a movie about a cub losing his father and replacing him and becoming a king. However I experienced something similar growing up. Star Fox anyone? You got Mickey Mouse, I got Super Mario. You got the Disney Princesses, I've got Princess Zelda and Peach (lol). You get the idea. However though, I found myself getting tired of Nintendo, as I grew older, and the games and consoles came, my interest in that started to decrease. The N64, I loved it, Gamecube? Loved it, SNES? Yeah that too. But Wii? It didn’t last me a long, a bunch of mini games on that system, I felt that Nintendo is starting to attract the casual gamers and starting to ditch its hardcore crowd (like myself).

But hopefully that’s all about to change, because last week. The newly announced Wii U was revealed. I couldn't breathe. I had a mini heart attack.

Feast your eyes on the successor to the Wii. Goodbye is the outdated graphics, the horsies mini games, and the unsuccessful exercise games. The Wii U is capable of having 1080p high definition visuals. Which is the highest resolution today, and it competes with its other rival consoles like Xbox and PS3. On top of that, the Wii U is backwards compatible, meaning it could play your old Wii games, and your also able to use your old Wii controllers as well.

Speaking of the controller. One of the highlights of the reveal was the new controller. A controller that’s going to change gaming. The controller looks like an iPad, or a tablet, but with buttons. It consists of a 6 inch touch screen, 2 control sticks, the directional pad, the face buttons such as A B X Y. Shoulder buttons like L and R, and a built in microphone and camera on both front and back. Apparently, despite the awkward look of the controller, critics say it feels and handles very nicely. They compared it to the iPad 2 but with buttons and a grip. However, my favorite part is being able to switch the tv screen to the screen on your controller. If another family member wants to watch tv, and your on the Wii U, fear no more! You're able to switch from the tv screen to the controller! I recommend you check the video below, it'll show exactly what I'm talking about.

Enough of the system and controller. What about the games? Like I mentioned earlier, the Wii U can support 1080p resolution. So expect the same visuals as a Blu Ray player or PS3. With that being said, imagine a more beautiful Super Mario or Legend of Zelda game. Nintendo's games are known for having such lovable characters and storyline, but what I really love the most was the world we explored in those games. These worlds are so vibrant and colorful, those were some of my favorite moments in Nintendo games. Exploring these worlds were such a great adventure when I was younger, so imagine them on the Wii U.

Nintendo already announced (not revealed) a new Super Smash Bros and a sequel to the one of the greatest games on the Wii, Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess. But what about the third party developers? Games like Assassins Creed, Battlefield 3, Batman Arkham City, Ghost Recon, Tekken, Darksiders 2, Ninja Gaiden 3, and more are being revealed. Don’t believe me? Check out the video below. The first half of the video is about the developers first impressions on the Wii U, the other half, demos all the upcoming third party games.

Too much too take. Its so beautiful. Like I actually cried. It seems like Nintendo heard its fans from the 90's and are returning to them. They are coming back to its roots. I was loosing faith on Nintendo. I wasn't satisfied with the Wii, it lasted me for about less than a year, and its games were pretty boring for a hardcore gamer. But when Nintendo revealed this system, I knew right away that Nintendo coming back. The 3DS is just the tip of the iceberg, and Nintendo is just getting started.

Untitled Wii U Zelda Project. Looks like a sequel to Twilight Princess.

Advertising in Sports

After the game at one of the press conferences that are normally held, something odd occurred.

One of the workers was doing a sound check and a set up of the desk with the championship on it, as well as an Adidas Mavericks hat that said "champions" on it. He was out there to move the hat into "perfect position" for the camera. He was at that task for a good 2 minutes at least, with the camera on, shifting a hat from one spot to another, as well as changing the angle that the hat was facing.

Now, I understand that there are a ridiculous amount of sponsors in sports like Gatorade, Nike, Adidas etc, but I am getting annoyed more and more by the fact that we need to see that logo of a product. A cup is always conveniently placed facing the camera, for all our eyes to behold.

I also understand that these companies are sponsors for a reason, and that in the contracts they sign with the NBA, it's written in their to advertise that way. I'm personally not a fan of this, and believe that these companies wouldn't have a problem selling their products if the logo wasn't in my face 24/7.

Battlefield Bad Company 3

         All I can say is holy ****, this game looks amazing. To me this seems like it is going to be the only good game of 2011. In my opinion there are no good games out right now... I have not touched my ps3 in months, for real there is dust piling up on it… But back to this game the graphics and everything look so good my favorite part about the new graphics is the light that shines through the windows. The entire game engine was recreated to have better in game animations. I really think this game is going to be the best hit of all times. There are a couple video's out there of game play already but multiplayer game play has yet to arrive. This Sunday there will be a 12 minute review and all I can say is damn I'm looking forward to it.

THE BOOK OF AWESOME

Sometimes we just need to slow down and enjoy the simple pleasures in life. Come on, let's just chill for a minute and forget about essays, assignments, and all the other things that worry us. And let's just pick up The Book of Awesome...

This book is truly, well, awesome. The idea to write a novel entirely comprised of a collection of the little pleasures in life is so simple, yet so genius. The author, Neil Pasricha, has successfully managed to put a smile on the faces of all his readers. Say you failed your math test, fallen out of a relationship, got into a fight with your parents, or are just having a bad day; The Book of Awesome can make you forget it all. Even after reading one entry, you automatically feel a sense of relief and start to feel the smile spreading across your face. I love Pasricha's down to earth and comedic sense of humor reflected in his writing. Sometimes we take too many things for granted and we don't notice all the awesome things in life-until someone points them out. So I thank you, Mr. Pasricha for making our lives that much more awesome.

And now for some of my personal favourites:

When you're watching one of your favourite movies and you realize you don't remember how it ends

You get to relive the excitement, the drama, the suspense, the action...

The smell of the coffee aisle in the grocery store

After the fishy smell of the seafood section, you suddenly inhale the fabulous

smell of coffee beans. Mixed in with hazelnut and hints of vanilla, you pause to enjoy that heavenly scent.

The smell and sound of a campfire

The relaxing crackling sound and smokey fumes drifting around the air as

you sit in a circle with your friends and family...

Remembering what movie that guy is from

The moment in a movie when it dawns on me that I know that actor or actress, but sadly can't figure out who it is yet, bothers me for the whole movie. I'm not even kidding; it's like an annoying person constantly poking you in the back. But then the missing puzzle piece kicks in your brain and you figure it out-YES!

Stomping dry crunchy leaves on a sidewalk

CRUNCH TIME.

Correctly guessing if the door is push or pull

You just saved yourself from 2 seconds of humiliation there, partner. Congrats!

The moment after you wake up from a nightmare and realize it was all just a dream

You wake up with a jolt and feel your heart pumping like mad and feel the sweat glistening on your forehead...and then look at your alarm clock. "It was just a dream, it was just a dream..." and peacefully slip back under the covers.

Seeing a liscense plate from home when you're somewhere really far away

"Look! LOOK! They're from CANADA! NO WAY NO WAY..."

(Annoyed sleeping guy in the passenger seat: "And I'm supposed to care, why?")

The moment on vacation when you forget what day of the week it is

You totally erase your work-filled schedule from your mind and lose your sense of reality. Sit back, close your eyes, hear the sound of the ocean, and sip your ice-cold drink. It doesn't get any better than this.

The universal fry-sharing policy

Just make sure you don't take the one perfectly sized fry sticking out of the box; that one's off limits buddy.

Typing in your username and password at the speed of light

Suddenly you're this temporary computer whiz-SKILLS.

The moment on a roller-coaster when you get to the big hill and before you go down it

Just so you guys know, I probably won't be the best person to sit next to on a roller-coaster; just ask my friends. Well, unless you want to be deaf in one ear for the rest of the day.

Taking a spin on a shopping cart

Suddenly you're a little kid again with both your hands on the bar, foot underneath, and back leg hanging out like a figure skater.

The sound of water lapping against a dock

Close your eyes and take it in.

Passing under a bridge on the highway when it's pouring rain

Enjoy those 2 seconds of blissful silence.

AWESOME!

Blackberry vs iPhone

Blackberry has been the smart phone of choice in the enterprise for some time. With reasons that attract many people and satisfy people's wants. Such as, mastering most of the business app, bbm (blackberry messenger), e-mail, and controls with all the controls that IT requires. Blackberry is also made from our home country CANADA! Every year, there is new models that comes out for different types of Blackberries. There is seven types of Blackberry out to date.

BUT enter the iPhone.

It has video call, multitasking device, HD video, face time,many free apps, 5 mega pixels, front camera, HDR photography, and built in LED flash. This not only won the heart of new trend ,but won the heart of media related field.

So my question is, what ultimately wins in the enterprise?

About 36 million Blackberry devices is used globally, half of which enterprise is connected, Blackberry has about 17million to 18million device lead on the iPhone in the enterprise. Hundreds of organizations around the world have 5,000 or more Blackberry devices, and a bit over 50,000! So that means that Blackberry has set the basic standard for reliable and secure mobility.

So with that in mind, customers still want choice, and that means the enterprise mobility door is open for other people to choose. IPhone has a faster CPU than Blackberry and more memory capacity. In everyday use, though, iPhone's slightly larger capacity makes no noticeable difference. Both machines instantaneously respond to users' commands. Competitions between batteries also ends up in fist fights! Both machines will run on battery alone for approximately three hours in constant use, and will keep going between ten and twelve hours just idling. When iPhone first hit the marker, Blackberry devotees argued iPhone could not stand-up to the dangers and demands of rigorous everyday use. Blackberries admittedly take a beating, because their developers has corporate road warriors in mind as they designed the machines.

And now I guess it's your turn now, to pick which side you want to take.
Blackberry vs iPhone

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

Teen Targets

Teens have been used as targets for many different produces from make-up to clothes, face wash to school supplies... Trying to bribe us with promises of love, happiness, confidence, beauty and popularity. Using these techniques to lure in teen buyers is bad enough, but when manufacturers deliberately use them on a product that has proven to cause harm or death, potentially shorten or take away the live of innocent teenagers, that’s criminal! Introducing the cigarette manufacturers.

Cigarette manufactures have been researching the fads and trends of today’s teens and using this information against us. Selling a product that could potentially shorten innocent lives; now thats just outrageous! They are using many different techniques to lure teenagers into buying their products that have a slim, glamourous and intriguing packing. They do whatever they can to appeal to the teenaged market.

Some cigarette companies add menthol to their cigarettes which decreases the smell on their clothing and breath, making it easier for teens to smoke without their parents getting suspicious. Unfortunately, adding menthol to tobacco causes the nicotine to get to the brain faster increasing the addictive potential of a cigarette. (The faster nicotine binds to the nicotine receptors in the brain, and releases dopamine, a hormone that makes you feel pleasure and satisfaction, the higher the potential for addiction.) Their manufacturing techniques make it easier for teens to cover their acts of smoking cigarettes.

Not only have they hidden the smell of cigarettes, they have also camouflaged the packaging.

Is it just coincidence that this package looks like and i-pod? Giving teens confidence that they can successfully hide their smoking will increase teen buyers. They have also made cigarette cases in the shape of mascara containers, chocolate bars, a deck of cards and designer Louis Vuitton clutches to help teens conceal their cigarettes from their parents and guardians. Pretty ingenious on their part!

Where as a regular pack of cigarettes contains 20 cigarettes for around $10, cigarette companies have created mini pack of 4 or 5 cigarettes. I suspect the reason for this is two - fold, again to target teens. Firstly, the small packaging is easy for teens to conceal and contains the perfect amount of cigarettes if they are only planning to smoke at a party or on the weekend with their friends. Secondly, the small packages are a low, affordable price of $3.00, which just happens to be the same price of a bag of chips and a can of pop. These people have thought of everything! Luckily, the government has rallied to stop advertising on the radio, television and magazines in Canada. It is also suing the British Tobacco Company for the health care costs due to the harmful effects of smoking.

Not only have they made cigarettes affordable, accessible and easy to hide from their parents, they have also made them more interesting, tasty and enjoyable by adding crazy flavours. Making the cigarettes have yummy and fun flavours like strawberry, bubblegum, chocolate, peanut butter and jelly, tropical passion and mint would make the smoke more pleasing to us teens instead of just the nauseating taste of cigarettes. They say they are not targeting teens, but when we look at how they have added the above elements into their products it makes that statement laughable. Of course they are targeting teenagers, they have thought of absolutely everything to reel us in!

Unfortunately, nicotine is the most addictive substance on the market. More addictive than marijuana, cocaine, and alcohol. Starting to smoke cigarettes before the age of 18 predicts a higher rate of addiction in the future. Since these ads are targeting teens, they will get them started young causing them a lifetime of negative health effects in the future, including cancers, lung disease (COPD), and heart disease.Trying to seduce you into buying a product that will harm you in the end is murder! Doing this to children is infanticide!

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.

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

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.

What IS perfect, nowadays?

How skinny is TOO skinny? Is being skinny unhealthy? Well, we're not really thinking about those questions nowadays, are we?

The media, and pretty much everywhere you look, you are encouraged to be skinny, to look sexy, and due to this, we are convinced that super skinny, is super sexy. For example, the media uses only skinny models in television ads, magazines, and anything else you look at. You dont even see curves anymore, for clothing ads and modeling, the models are flat, and skinny. Most people cant even look like that, models use a lot of drugs to look like that, and starve themselves, bringing in the issue of eating disorders.

So basically, the media is encouraging us to be skinny, be unhealthy, and turn anorexic? Yeah, thats pretty much how it seems, and its working. Many girls are currently stressing about their weight, if their 100 pounds, or 200 pounds, they want to be skinnier. One of the main reasons, is some people will bully, make fun of you, and reject you if they consider you 'fat'. If you feel fat, you'll be afraid to be rejected, and try to lose weight. Some people take pills, throw up, starve themselves, or do other dangerous things to their bodies. Men nowadays also mostly look at appearance, they look for skinny, because 'skinny is sexy'. Curves may be sexy to a lot of men aswell, but if they are in the wrong places, they usually wont even blink an eye, because the media brainwashes us to believe being skinny is the only good thing. Even being average isn't looked at as much. I believe the new idea of using healthy looking women in ads is great, to encourage women to be healthy, and reduce the risks of eating disorders, like anorexia and bolemia. Things like this will hopefully help a lot.

Young children are even at risk of future eating disorders, and being self concious about their bodies.

One of the main toys that put them at risk are barbies. Barbies are older, but still very popular among young girls. They have extremely small stomachs, skinny waists, skinny legs, and huge breasts, all topped off with a big, unfitting head, that shows how small their bodies really are. Technically, if thats how real girls looked, we wouldn't be able to stand up and support our bodies, and would probably suffocate ourselves when we lied down. Other dolls made are the same, bratz, and cheap ripoffs of barbies, are all very skinny, and young girls will want to look like them, because they are 'pretty'. From a young age, the media messes with our minds, and gives us unhealthy messages about our bodies, and its putting eveyrone in danger, especially women, though men can feel self concious too, and could go to extremes to be skinnier, or work out untill they are all muscle, and nothing else, which could be very bad for you.

Sadly, the media is succeeding in their advertising, because even I have become quite insecure about my weight, and I feel I need to be very skinny to look pretty. Someone in my family is twice my age, 116 pounds, and thinks she is very overweight, so she isn't eating properly. The media is dangerous, being SUPER SKINNY is dangerous, and can lead to permanant harm, serious injury, and eating disorders. I could go on forever about how awful the media is for advertising this. I thought advertising clothing was about the clothes, not the bodies on the models underneath the clothes. Sadly, thats all that catches our attention now. 90% of the time, our body is the most noticed, and judged thing, usually by the opposite sex, but it can be by anyone. If we let the media take over our view on this issue, like it has been, it will have serious consequences, and coming from personal experience, depression. Though, if you see the truth behind this, and ignore the photoshopping, and the super skinny models' perfection, and find just one person who agree's, it will make a big difference in your life. To find people nowadays that wont judge you for the way you look is hard, but its possible. Personality is key in people. And most ads are just mind controlling, so dont fall for them.

I just wanted to get my oppinion across on the media advertising unhealthy body images. It needs to be reduced, because its harming us. Healthy, is beautiful. Skinny... well, if your scary skinny, its kind of scary, and unhealthy, so please go to a doctor, get some help, dont harm yourself. Thank you for reading~

A world of Fantasy

Greetings,

As this is my first blog, how you say, "post", I will introduce myself. My name is The Blade of Corrilon. You may call me The Blade of Corrilon. I am "posting" on this blog to talk about my thoughts on the different elements of media. My first blog, though, will be about my history and the land of my birth. Some of you may have heard of the realm where I come from, for stories of the grand adventures that take place there are spoken of in small groups across the land. There are many books that contain different components of my home country, all of them published under the name of Dungeons and Dragons.

Now these tales are often told by a single individual or Dungeon Master (DM), to a small number of friends that add on to the story. Thus, my world is different each time the stories are told. How the DM chooses to portray the world during each telling of the story affects how the reality of the world is constructed. It may be like your world is today, however bland it is, or it may be similar to my old world, where monsters and knights clashed, good kings and evil tyrants ruled and damsels needed to be rescued from tall towers. It is told to be better than your current reality and allow you to imagine yourself as someone, or something, else. The reality is still constructed to appeal to you and your senses.

Now no matter how well the DM portrays a story, if the listeners do not enjoy it, it will fade from history. Many a brave venture has faded from the memories of bards and travelers, shame really, some of them were my own adventures. That is why it is you, the listener, that decides what will pass on to legend. If the tale does not pass your judgment, then it will not continue on to the next generation. It falls to the DM to make the story as interesting as possible so that those who hear it will pass it on to others. If the job is done correctly, both the DM and the listeners will enjoy themselves and the stories will live on for awhile longer.

My home is a wondrous land of fantasy that I long to visit again, however, my tasks here are yet to be completed. All I can do now is share my tails of old and perhaps a few new ones, and hope that my stories will be passed on by all.

May the will of Corrilon be in your favor,

The Blade of Corrilon

Working on a trendy production line

Trendiness is the word on everybody's lips. With so many outlets for advertising we are convinced that we need certain items to make us popular. The sad part, of course, is that they do. We are establishing new trends as if they're coming off of a factory line, but people are just running out of ideas to explore. This is not because of a lack of creativity, though, but it is because the media is creating trends faster than designers can imagine them. Because of this unfilled quota, we are repeating ourselves. In the last decade (especially the last 2-3 years) old trends have been resurfacing. Take the fedora for example. Used by middle aged men of the of the 1930s-1950s, it fell out of popularity for a number of decades. Now, inexplicably, these creased bowlers have become 'trendy and fashionable' for all the young lanky lads. Really it just looks like you stepped on your favorite hat.

What I find even more curious is how many 80s products are now once again a part of pop-culture. People were ASHAMED of the 80s. But now, once again we have classic gems like oversized sunglasses (incase you think you don't look bug-eyed enough today), leg-warmers (because who wears pants anymore anyway?), and the new epitome of 80s fusion, JEGGINGS. Oh, dont get me STARTED on Jeggings. They're a piece of latex made to look like jeans, without those annoying pockets or, you know, functionality. However, feel free to spend twice as much on some useless rubber as you would on an actual pair of jeans. Why, you ask? Because these products will make you popular amongst your shallow consumer peers, like they did in the good old days.

Look at this f-ing hipster.