uh huh thats her number.

This is an ad for a men's magazine. The text: "Let us keep dreaming of a better world." Che, men's magazine. Wow, what is wrong with these people! There is this girl who honestly looks like a call girl at the train station, with her petite skirt that barely covers her butt, and she has her number on it, so even a decent man would look at her but! Shes tanned, so not at white..ha ha! I mean who are these people kidding, this is disgusting. So the subtext for this one would be, that if you buy this magazine, you can get numbers of hot booty call girls? Or through this magazine you have a better chance with a call girl? or any girl..well reality check to those who may be mistaken..call girls dont care, they do anything for money, they are just that shallow. On the other hand, a decent, sensible girl would slap you ugly! >:( so there.

Yeah Right!

"Part good, Part bad, that's men's essence." This add advertises men's deodorant. I think this is a bad ad because its so stupid. The picture shows a guy walking with his girlfriend or wife(who knows) and has left his 'pants' at a display of a red lingerie. The subtext of this ad would be, every man who wears this deo, is part good and part bad. He can balnace out with his girlfriend, as in be with her but have dirty thoughts in his mind at the same time about some other girl...how pathetic. And also, pretty girls will be with you if you wear the deo!! BOO-HOO!

More like touch MOI!

More like touch MOI!

Advertising is the boss! Believe it or not, everything that draws our attention towards a subject is advertisements. Now a days, ads are not only the eye catchers, but are also the product sellers. If the add isn’t appealing enough, then the product would be said to be sucky. It’s the graphics, the choice of color, the big text, the small texts, the background, the model. It’s the look on the model’s face; it’s their clothing, their body shape, the gender. It’s everything, and anything an editor thinks that would catch the attention. But, it’s the subtext that they intend to neglect, which makes the ad a ‘bad ad’. There are various ways in which I can prove that my Nintendo DS ad is one heck of a ‘bad ad’!

Firstly, it’s the seductive model. Although she is no celebrity, she has a great, slender, hot, and captivating body, which is a great tool for getting attention. She stands in the picture holding the Nintendo DS; in her low, black, spaghetti strep shirt with black short shorts. Her hair style gives her a glamorous, fresh look, whereas her facial expression is sexy. Her lips, her attitude, even her pose; all work together to pull the attention strings. Also, the devil horns and tail give her a hotter and a naughty look, as the devil is considered to be dangerous and tough. The model was perfect for the seductive attraction that was aimed to be gained.

Secondly, the word choice helped the ad to create a much, much more seductive impact. The ad included texts like, “The Bad Girl,” “Likes to touch as hard or as fast as she wants,” “Likes how with wireless gaming, she can kick the crap out of 16 total strangers,” “Likes to send her little secrets using picotchat,” “Likes to play around,” and the naughtiest one, “ touching is good.” These texts, considering the ‘topic,’ the Nintendo DC, are simply stating the advance technology that comes with the gadget. The text surely, described the functions provided, while giving a whole different meaning to the ad.

Thirdly, it’s the story behind the scene, it’s the stereotypical subtext. The title, “The Bad Girl,” has nothing at all to do with the DS, and which totally shows that the attention victims are men. With the hot, middle aged girl, the ad clearly aims to get the attention of horny men who would stare at the ad for minutes and would enjoy the dirty message. Evidently, hot, bad girls who like to play around, touch, share dirty pictures, have sex with strangers and wear petite clothes would come to you if you buy a Nintendo DS! This ad’s stereotypical subtext is very disgusting and not appropriate for the product.

Lastly, this ad would be considered extremely offensive, and is plainly not appropriate. Nintendo DSs’ are mainly for kids, and this ad is surely not something any parent would want their kid to see. Also, not all girls have the perfect, sexy body and would go for a guy with a DS, it’s pathetic. There could have been various different ways to advertise the DS, and by choosing this image, it wasn’t a very smart idea. Nevertheless, it’s just a modern gadget, and people make a big deal of it, by creating such ads. Why can’t the ad just be a decent, appealing, colorful ad that would attract “kids, not old horny pigs”? Why does it have to be a girl advertising her shallowness? Why do most of the ads have to be sex appealing? Why?

Blind Alley...

Blind Alley, written by Iris Johansen was surely a thriller/mystery. It was nicely written, with neat discriptions and great setence fluency. The style, and the plot just sucked me in..once i started reading this book, i couldnt pu it down! Rather, i finished it in 2 days straight(on my HAKA trip lol). It was fun reading and getting to know the characters. Also her discriptions and details help you relate to the characters better, and sympathize with them towards the climax. The book did have great building actions, climax, but, however the ending wasnt satisfying. I thought it could have been written in better way..see it didnt leave me thinking..it was jsut like ok wow, show over..leave. But all over id give this book a 4.5 out of 5 :) So yea, if you are up for a good thriller, with an okayish ending, this is the book for you. And surely id like to read other books written by her! (i do hope theyd have a better ending :p)

Imitation

There seems no question that soon cyberspace is going to take over human outdoor activities. One out of every four people owns a laptop. A laptop, with the current generation's advanced technology, has access to Internet, which means, free access to video games, online magazines, shopping sites, movies, music, and who knows more. People are being hypnotized by the mesmerizing beauty of Internet, and yet there seems no sign of worry. Now a days, majority guys prefer playing computer games on weekends, rather than hanging outside with their friends. Girls on the other hand cyber-shop, instead of moving their butts outside the house and walk a block or two. People find chatting online more comfortable than talking face to face, they do their homework, assignments, and research, all through Internet. Yes, there are various other resources for the same information, but no, today's generation is just that lazy.
Everyone knows where do find the right shopping site, which is the best game site, where to save their documents, and where to abandon them. Although, surprisingly, most of those people wouldnt know where the nearest walmart is, where is playground, where is the closest postoffice, or the closest coffee house.

"Ugh! I feel Fat!"

I remember waiting for the bell to ring after fourth period so i could meet my friends in the bathroom to share the newest shades of lip gloss and to trade gossip from last weekend's party. Every single day at least two girls in our group would complain about the size o their butts or their frizzy hair. Then a debate would unfold--with each girl trying to outdo the other with tales of their fatness and friziness. i guess getting a group of girls in front of a mirror just lends itself to body-bashing, right? but why is that? how come we grow closer when we tear down our bodies?

When you're constantly picking apart your looks, you might think it will feel etter when other people disagree with you. but no matter how many times your friends come back with "you're not fat!" or "im so much fatter than you!" it doesnt make you feel better. in fact, just saying all this bad stuff about your body is only going to make you feel rather worse.

First realize that sometimes we body-bash to cover up bigger problems. Maybe you're feeling insecure about something else (like catty girls at school or your parents' divorce). so you focus those negative feelings on your appearance rather than deal with whats going on inside.

next recognize that this kind of talk is really just a surface wat to relate to other girls. everyone is afraid of being judged, so instead of putting our true selves out there, we dis ourselves before anyone else gets the chance.

Look, its hard to do, but when you stop bashing you body, you'll finally have time to talk about what really matters.

--------Jess

Response: this is the story of most of the girls. Looks is their first priority, if they dont look good then they can't go out of their rooms! if they have a bad hair day, they skip school, if they gain half a pound, they go on everlasting diets. The starve themselves, and avoid every single dang thing that contains sugar/oil. If the weather is the cause for their frizzy hair, they wont agree to it, and blame it on something else(just an excuse). They use words they would never ever think of saying to someone else to critisize their own looks; now how bad is that?! People hate it when someone calls them fat, or ugly etc, but they dont realize they do the same thing to themselves over and over again untill they just colapse! I too sometimes talk about me being fat and having frizzy hair(i mean come on, im a girl for sakes!), but not that bad, and not EVERYSINGLE DAY! So, yea i do know that liking yourself for the way it is the best thing a person can do to their body! People need to learn how to respect themselves, before they expect someone else to...


NOW THAT WOULD BE FAT! XD

"I was sexually violated in a dangerous ritual"

During my freshman year of colledge, I was flipping through one of my sociology books before class when i landed on a page about female genital mutilation, or FGM. It talked about how girls in some cultures have parts of the gentitals cut off or swen together; its supposed to keep women's sex drives low, so they'll stay loyal to their husbands( or prevent them from having sex altogether). And all at once, I flashed back to my childhood and realized: I had been a victim of FGM.



I had a typical suburban American childhood--I was a Girl Scout and had friends of all races and religions--but I'm also a part of a really small sect of Islam. There are only 1 million of us in the world, and we follow strict traditions to a tee. One of the customs is the khatna; Its when, at about age 6, a girl has a piece of her clitoris removed(Most muslims dont do it, its cultural, not religious.) When I was 6, i knoew nothing about sex or why a khatna was a big deal; i just knew it was something other girls in my sect did, and that it would hurt.
My khatna was done at the office of my pediatrician, who was in my sect. I was so scared, my mom had to pin me to the table. My legs were spread open as i felt the most excruciating agony--a shooting pain that went from my vagina to the top of my head. but i never questioned it; i moved on as if it were normal.
But when i put the pieces together at 19, it made me feel like id been raped back then--something had been taken from me without my consent. and even though i was a virgin, i became scared that i wouldnt be able to function sexually. I made my first appointment with a gynecologist, who confirmed my fear: most of my clitoris had been removed. Here i was in college, where everyone was experimenting with sex or was talking about it, and all i could think was that no guy would ever want someone who was sexually handicapped like i am.
As distraught as i was, i decided to channel my energy into change. FGM is an accepted, deeply rooted tradition where my parents grew up in Africa(and in other parts of the world), but in the US--where FGM is illefal and we know its wrong--it has to end.
I cant report FGM to the police; that could just drive it underfround and make it more unsafe. The best way to stop it is to educate my peers: if my generation refuses to do it to our daughters, and so on, FGM will die out.
People also need to know that girls who have undergone FGM arent "weird"; theyre victims of a violent physical and psychological crime that people must talk about. The more people know about it, the less likely it will be practiced.


Response: This was a very astonishing article that left me speachless for a while. It is just sad and disgusting to know that certain cultures still do such things. I did know that monks follow FGM, but not islam. The tought to do something about this did triger, but then it made me angry that even though i might think this is wrong and disturbing, religious belifes are much more stonger than my individual voice. I am sure that there are actions being taken towards FGM now, but am still worried, as there is no doubt that it still takes place secretly. What if it were me? What if it were one of my friends. Just the tought, what if it were my mom? i wouldnt have been here, now, this moment. I feel miserably sorry for that girl, and hope that not many girls suffer from such acts in the upcoming generation..

Tolerance

"In public affairs, in rebuilding of civilization, something much less dramatic and emotional is needed, namely, tolerance. Tolerance is a very dull virture. It is boring. Unlike love, it has always had a bad press. It is negative. It merely means putting up with people, being able to stand things," (Froster 680). E.M. Froster, through his essay "Tolerance," discusses his idea of tolerance and states how he feels, that tolerance is the best aid during wars. He says that tolerance is better than love, since "Love in public affairs does not work," (Froster 680). I agree with Froster, as in my opinion, love does not always work. Love according to me, is very biased. Love is like a black ribbon upon our eyes, that blinds us against whats wrong or right. Love teaches a person to hate. On the other hand, tolerence is a great way to cope with people. There are no likes or dislikes. E.M. Frosters' views towards tolerence are very much like mine, and he leaves us with a wide range of thoughts and ideas of both love and tolerence.

Apart from the para: But i still wonder, will my response towards this essay be different later in the future, as accroding to me, i haven't experienced love yet. Its like likes, dislikes, and tolerence. Through i say i hate couple things, its a matter of exaggeration, i dont hate it. I dislike it. So yea..that thought is a bit of a boo boo. :/

The Bad add.

This is very intimidating add for a nintendo DS. Just looking at this add, the sexy picture strikes out, where the the hot girl stands wearing shorts wiht a speggeti strep shirt holding a DS. The devil tail and horns gives it a more naughty-ish, hot look. "The Bad Girl," "Likes to play around," touching is good," would be just a few of the texts that stand out. When I think of the Nintendo DS, i think of teens and kids playing around with it, where as this add clearly isnt ment for kids. With such girl, it is obviously made to get the attention of guys rather than girls, as like me girls would go "ughg, what the heck!?" It is greatly disturbing to see, how some people can take a "DS add" to certain extends..like for me, after looking at this add, the thought of nintando DS wasnt the main distraction, the quotes "touching is good" with the hot girl were the images that grabbed the attention.



http://www.nmmlp.org/what_we_do/contests.html

Tolerance

Watching the homeless child
crap on the sidewalk

Watching the old couple
Beg for spare change

Watch as they cry
because of gang violence

Watch as they're jailed
from a far away range

Pain without love!

"Pain" by Diane Ackerman

"Pain" was a really strong essay in which Diane disscusses different asspects of Pain in different situations. She uses the 'example' strategy through out her essay. She talks about different cultures and their points of views of pain. She also states how women go through pain phisically and how some religious people are willing to tolerate pain as a sign of their devotion to their gods. She mainly emphasizes on the phisical pain rather than emotional; which she brings up in her last paragraph. In my opinion, it would help her to make it a stronger paragraph if she added more details on emotional pain.
In my opinion pain is different for different people at different times. Sometimes you may feel pain and ignore it for your own benifit, eg: getting piercings. Physical pain can lead to mental pain, eg: a person being beaten up, or a person being chased by a serial killer and almost facing death, can go under deep depresion..Pain is very different, and according to me, there are still different situations in which i havnt experienced pain yet..

The Letter

Dear Mr. Kristof,
“Obama and the War on Brains,” is a fairly strong article that you published on Nov. 14th, 2008. You brought up a lot of different facts and stated various biased opinions.
Barack Obama, the currnet president, is a great man, and I agree to and favor the compliments you gave him, although I’d like to share my thoughts toward your article; your point of view was very much sided of towards speaking against Bush. A lot of different times you pointed fingers at him through your prickly word choice. Those strong, pointy words, however made me feel sorry for Bush, rather than your motive: to accuse him.
With all my due respect, I’d like to say, that in the future, you could re-read your articles and look over the pros and cons, before publishing. These types of discussions are favorable in daily conversations, but published, are just disgusting.

Yours Sincerely,
Mahika Gupta