blog 7

ah theres nothing quite like a good snoop dogg album. on this cover there are so many things that are sybolic to snoop and his gangsta ways. first off is the font of the writing, which is very big in the west coast and im sure can be found on many low riders in the area. next you see snoop with his long braids covered by a du-rag and he is sporting a very cool looking go-tee with a stern look on his face. then you see the huge wad of cash in his right hand and a shiny chain dangling from his neck with a huge pendant on the end of it. then you look to the background of the picture where you can see his left hand with ring on many of his fingers on the thigh of a very voluptious young woman. with all this going on it makes you wonder how he could be so serious. if that was me i'd have a smile from ear to ear. Then you see the parental advisory sticker which has been synonomous with west coast rap artist since the early 90's. all of these things are what snoops all about and i think that he keeps these things in the open because he wants to still be thought of as the gangsta he was when he was a crip.

blog 11

Before:

Both ads from Bacardi have done the job of putting a positive image on their products by making it appear that the changes made by the drink have a good impact on those who drink it. It seems that they don’t want to hide the fact that by having drink after drink, your actions might change and your inhibitions may disappear. They just want to put it in a better perspective, as if it may help you in some way or another. This may be misleading to many out there thinking their product is what you need to “get the girl” or to those who take the ads literally and think that’s all you need to have a good time. I think that they need to put more emphasis on the words “please drink responsibly”, especially with ads that portray large groups of people together drinking. There have been many victims from these types of situations and it is up to the companies selling these products to make that message clearer to the readers and users of their product.

-----------------------------------------
After:

Both ads from Bacardi have done the job of putting a positive image on their products by making it appear that the changes made by the drink have a good impact on those who drink it. It seems that they don’t want to hide the fact that by having drink after drink, your actions might change and your inhibitions may disappear. They just want to put it in a better perspective, as if it may help you in some way or another. This may be misleading to many out there thinking their product is what you need to “get the girl” or to those who take the ads literally and think that’s all you need to have a good time. I know many people who think that without the aid of their "special drink" they wont enjoy themselves and wont be liked by others as much. this is a huge problem. Someone in my family had to go to AA meeting because he thought that he needed these drinks to be liked and he became dependent on the drinks. I think that they need to put more emphasis on the words “please drink responsibly”, especially with ads that portray large groups of people together drinking. There have been many victims from these types of situations and it is up to the companies selling these products to make that message clearer to the readers and users of their product.

blog 8

the angry iguana

blog 16

a few arguements:

-how have values in america changed over the years?

-do comedians go to far with their jokes when they speak about race and stereotypes?

-how has the perception of a positive role model changed over the years?

-how have new video games affected todays youth?

-is there a double standard when it comes to talking about race and stereotypes?

blog 15

gender: when asking men and women about the same topic it is obvious that men and women have very different views and this may cause a contrast in ideas.
resolution: get the opinion from both genders without stating my opinion and see what are common answers.

age: the age difference is something that could give me a wide range of different opinions. the older people have ideas about the "good old days" while the younger generation might not agree with these ideas.
resolution: put myself in the position of those i interview and possibly get a wide range of ages because usually older people have experienced more and have more to back up opinions.

ethinicity: other cultures may value things other than the things we value in america. resolution: when interviewing someone from another culture i will have to take into consideration things they might find important or not.

religion: religious views are very important to some people and have an effect on the way people live. this shouldn't cause a conflict in the interviews but it could have an impact on the ansers i recieve.
resolution: be aware that there are a wide range of beliefs and those views should not have an affect on the interview.

political party: this is probably the one which is going to be the easiest to view. how conservative or not a person is will have a huge effect on the views of the person and it will show differences more clearly than the other areas.
resolution: dont put my views into thought when talking to someone. my views shouldn't have anything to do with my interviewing process.

socio/economic group: i have been in around people of all classes, i have found that usually those who have been in the upper class group care more about superficial things such as outward appearence and "the scene" they are caught in while those in lower and middle classes care more about the character of a person and usually vlue friends and family more.
resolution: try to ask from more than one socio/economic group and not give my opinion or views about any of the questions i ask in the interviews.

blog 14

symbols:

red=anger/stop
green=go
zzzzz...=sleep
vultures=death
$=money
roses=romance
snow flakes=winter
halo=innocent
skull=death
candles=birthday
red octogon=stop

i saw when comparing my symbols to those of my classmates some of the same symbols had several different meanings. this could be true because of past experiences of the person or just the differences in cultures.

blog 13

from the last assignment i have found that there are many different ways to look at the same object or scene. when looking at something, we usually try to see things in one way and thats enough. but when you look at i from different perspectives(which might be like seeing the same thing in two different moods) you see much more. i find that it is much easier to find words to describe something in a negative way rather than in a positive. when coming up with the positive scene it seemed like i was just giving a few details about the scene, but while making the negative version i felt that i had to go more in depth.

blog 12

GC

positive:
There's music playing and people all around. The mood is relaxed and I can see people meeting for lunch. Some people do homework or are on their computers. The smell of grilled chicken fills the air. On either side there are tables lined up the entire length of the food court; some selling food or deserts for special causes, others selling earrings and other types of jewelry. Flyers are being handed out for the parties that are going to be happening in the next week. People are laughing and playing ping pong to my left while others on my right wait in line to get food.

negative:
This place is packed! There is music so loud you can’t hear yourself think. People are bumping into you as you try to fight your way to get food. There are lines so long you’re not even sure you’ll be able to make it to the front of any of them. As you approach the center of the chaos, more obstacles appear in front of you. There are people standing in the center of the path, handing out hundreds of flyers that will probably end up on the floor in a matter of minutes and kids playing guitar hero, which creates a line all the way across the path. After the maze of people, you finally get to what you’ve been looking for, the food. But after all of this you just want some sleep.

advertisement

many people have problems with cigarette ads because they dont feel they show the truth. most feel that they should focus more on the effects smoking would have on those who use them. however, the cigarette companies aren't stupid, so they show images like this one. a diverse group of people having fun and enjoying themselves. They do this because they want their product to have universal appeal. and like most, this one seems to be directed towards teens or young adults. they want people to think that their product is going to make them enjoy their life more. i dont smoke but i believe that a lot who do didn't start by seeing it in a magazine. most start because a friend introduced them to it. I'm neutral on the subject. i dont care what they advertise because the advertisements aren't making you do anything. if you want to smoke, you will.

blog 1

My favorite piece of writing was my Florida writes essay. Every teacher i had told me how hard the essay topic would be. The day came and like everyone else, i was nervous. We all sat down and recieved our topics. the topic asked if i took more value in something i worked hard for or something that was given to me. I remember seeing it and just having everything click.

At the time, my family was going through a lot of money issues. My dad had to work two jobs and my mom was working overtime every day just trying to get themselves out of a hole they dug themselves into financially. after a few months of that, my dad realized that he couldn't continue like that for much longer. he managed to get a job working pest control on and army base in iraq. the job was exactly what we needed. he got paid much more and it wasn't so physically demanding.the only drawback to this new job was that we saw him for less than a month per year. it was stressful on the rest of my family but we knew that he made a sacrifice for us.

when i saw the essay topic. i just had so much to say about the topic. normally i take a long time just getting my thoughts together. this was easy. i think it i got a good score on it because i enjoyed writing about that particular topic.