Importance of Friendship

Right away, let me acknowledge that yes, my title indeed seems a bit corny, however I truly believe in the power of good friends. Throughout all of life's ups and downs, friends can be there to comfort you, listen to your problems, and offer advice anytime you may be a bit lost. My own close friends are ones who I've grown up with and I consider them family. In our generation, I see so much drama between people who are supposedly "friends" that it just boggles my mind. I can easily say that I would not be the person I am today if not for my core group of friends. For that reason, I believe young people should strive for solid relationships with friends so the confusing parts of life can be shared and figured out together.

It is in high school that someone can really discover who they are, but usually this does not come without some push from an outside source. Teachers, parents, and even peers can lead you to realize your morals, opinions, and beliefs. However, most time in high school is spent gossiping and living with drama. While I was in high school, I made the best effort to stay away from anyone or anything prone to drama. I do realize that trouble can have it's way of finding you, but it's all about how you handle the situation. I really think that if teenagers spent more time being nice and actually caring about those around them, the world would be a better place.

Marketing for Women

After reading the article Social Lubricant: How a Marketing Campaign Became the Catalyst for a Societal Debate, by Rob Walker, I wasn't completely sure what his point was; it was one of those articles that makes more sense after a second look.

In 2005, a new marketing campaign for Dove products came out and created a "minor sensation" with its Campaign for Real Beauty. The ads featured women that "are not the ultra-thin fashion-model types common to advertising," also they were in their underwear. I remembered those ads, but I never knew they created such a buzz. The "Dove Girls", as they were called, were on the cover of People magazine and also guests on the Today show. It is uncommon for an advertisement to initiate so much reaction in people, but Walker argues that it did, right off the bat, with his title.

Walker says, "the more intriguing fact that it is a marketing campaign--not a political figure, or a major news organization, or even a film--that 'opened a dialogue'." At this point in the second paragraph, I was intrigued, but as I read on, a point really didn't jump out at me. Rather, it seemed like I was just reading statistics and facts put together. More towards the end I can clearly tell that Walker agrees with the ads all around message, which he translates as, "enough counting carbs, enough lectures from Dr. Phil, enough pressure to learn to dress well enough for the Queer Eye crew and achieve Martha-like aesthetic perfection in bathroom decor."

All that from seeing some so called 'average' women in the underwear hawking beauty and bath products? It seems like a stretch, but I don't doubt that Walker's audience of The New York Times readers thought so. His piece is a commonality in that publication and it seems as though this would've been received well. I mean, I can't imagine anyone arguing with advice to relax about their appearance. Society has only grown more vain since 2005 when this article was published and those ads still run, so what does that mean?

On Today's Youth

In the article Out of the Woods: Today's Kids Can't See the Forest for the MTV by Joel Achenbach, the author professes his love for the outdoors and implores parent's of young children to send their kids outside more often. His argument begun after he learned about 'nature-deficit disorder' , "...which basically says our children stay indoors too much, are alienated from nature, and are going a little crazy." That is the first and only time that ailment is mentioned in the text, and no real proof is discussed, so that seems like a bit of a loose end. Achenbach started strong with 'new' information but didn't even explore said information, rather he reminisces for the body of the work on his own childhood experiences with old technology and the outdoors. From a comprehensive standpoint, he doesn't follow his thesis. However, the memories he shares are ones that his audience can surely identify with, and in that way, he is relevant. Activities like climbing trees, building forts, and exploring trails have filled a large part of our generation's youth and with Achenbach mentioning that, he builds a relationship with the audience. His claim is that when he was young, the technology was not near as sophisticated as it is now, so there was no choice but to create your own fun; without endless television channels, computers, or electronic toys. Also, he demonstrates his authority on the subject by explaining the "long hikes" he frequently takes his children on. By the end of this article, the statement is made that it's the parent's fault because they overprotect to the point where kids may be frightened to even leave the house. All in all, the solution is simple; children need to be in touch with nature just as much as being in touch with technology, if not more.

film as an art form

Art can be defined as, "... the product or process of deliberately arranging symbolic elements in a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect...". Is this not what movies are?

Production of a film is a long, sometimes strenuous, process for which the directors of our time do not get enough appreciation. When most people think of 'production' they consider the money it took to make the film or the actors who were cast. When in reality, production begins when the idea is born and the artist decides to take it to the next level. The specifics of it include script writing, casting, shooting, editing, and screening the finished product before an audience. A long winded version, but nonetheless a 'process'.

Moving forward, 'symbolic elements' of a film can include lighting, sound, time, sequence, and composition. When watching a movie, how many people really pay attention to lighting or the design of a specific scene? Self proclaimed movie buffs like myself certainly do. If you stop and think of all the imaginative efforts and time that can go towards creating a scene for a film, it's astounding. For instance, sound in a film; why are there birds chirping or horns honking? Also, why is that specific song playing in the background? These were all choices made by an artist while creating his next piece. Thinking of sequence in a film, why do the scenes appear in the order they do? That is how the story unfolds, much like chapters in a book.

Lastly, there is no question that films have influenced cultures all through the ages they have been present. Cultures everywhere have been inspired by things seen on film and the growth of the film movement ceases to end. In 2010 alone 1.339 billion movie tickets were sold throughout the U.S. and Canada. On a smaller scale, think of times in a class where you watched a movie; did it leave a mark on you or cause you to do further research on a topic that intrigued you? In all these ways, a film is regarded as a piece of art. It's time people respected them as such.

digital libraries?

As a writer, I have to agree with Nick Taylor's opinion in his article, The Digital Library Plan: But Not at Writers' Expense, in which he states that all writers should be compensated for the work they do. In 2005, Google launched a plan to create an online database of books with a library scanning program. The problem arises with them doing so by not licensing in-copyright works, in other words, authors are not getting paid for their works being accessed. A copyright law gives the creator ownership of what they have created and guarantees that they will be able to continuously profit from their work, as long as it is under copyright. Google decided that didn't matter to them because, "writers and publishers should be happy about this: it will increase their exposure and maybe lead to more book sales." That's possible, yes, but what about in the mean time? Do writers just sit around and hope that this program will bring good things for them? Obviously an online database of books is an excellent idea, but only if it is done right. Google's co-founders rank among the twenty richest people in the world and the company is constantly growing and earning more. You'd think they could throw the writers a bone. A simple plan could be engineered where each time the books are accessed, the author gets a check. I believe that yes, knowledge is important, but so is recognizing the hard work and frustration that goes into creating a book. There should be respect for writers and all that they do.