What else?

Watching these videos shows me that many, MANY things are connected to global issues and sustainability. Everything they do is not sustainable. It either has a long term or short term affect. The cycle of production harms our habitat and its not even a primary issue in todays world. Who should be responsible? EVERYONE.

The most shocking fact i learned is that industries have no limits in their marketing strategies. Their only desire is to sell, and cash in. The ad campaigns they lead are unbelievable but people got so use to it, they are easily lured in. The industries use the excuse of ''meeting the consumers demand''. The consumer demands the better product, not the product with high expenditure and low quality.

The information affects me in various ways. I realized that i am part of the group thats being seduced, tricked etc...I purchase many products that i actually don't need. I never drink from the tap water available at home, i'd rather purchase bottled and store it my room...why? the only reason was security, i wanted to make sure i consumed the purest water available. Now i realize that i have been spending money to harm myself.

The cycle of life of forces us people to consume and single out the best out of a huge market. In reality its not the best. Everything thats going on nowadays impacts planet earth. In order for these industries to produce they have to consume natural resources, kill them of. Once the cycle begins, it never ends. People will always want bottled water for instance and industries will always produce due to ''consumers demand.'' In Kuwait, every household has the availability of tap water, but they don't actually use it. People would rather ''Evian'' or ''Fiji'' due to their prestige. The only thing their doing is spending money, the good stuff is actually for free!

I plan to fly, SO HIGH!

''Success isn't a result of spontaneous combustion. You must set yourself on fire''. ~Arnold H. Glasow


Its time…SENIOR YEAR. The year that’s all about getting ready for another stage in life, heading to university. Many say that its easy going but I say is my time to fly high, to do well and to exceed expectations. My plan is to strive and work hard to exceed expectations and be an ideal all rounded student. English A2 is my only Diploma program. My target is to successfully round up and complete this course.

I need to cut the slack and be VERY organized to be on task and on top of all the requirements.

*VENI VEDI VICI

''I CAME, I SAW, I CONQURED''

The Resistance

Reading the Resistance lyrics instantly sparked several themes that are related to George Orwell’s novel 1984. To begin, the theme of Totalitarianism is resembled both in the lyrics and in the novel.
The main goal in the novel was to warn of the serious danger totalitarianism inflicts on society. George Orwell clearly describes the terrifying degree of power and control implied by a totalitarian regime/party. In such cases many things are limited such as freedom of thought, rights and humanity were monitored and shattered. Orwell was a socialist and strongly believed in the rebellion to enable advancement in society. A dystopia is presented, meaning a perfect totalitarian state. The lyrics show the fear, discomfort and disappointment of being placed in such society. Lines 1-3 clearly backup my saying. ‘‘Is our secret safe tonight? And are we out of sight? Or will our world come tumbling down?’’ These lines portray that the theme is combined both in the lyrics and in the novel. The party has universal control over society, blocking people from thinking for themselves and having thoughts of their own and the lyrics convey if their ‘‘secret’’ is safe and are they not being watched or in other words will the party find them and is the party monitoring them and then bring their world tumbling down with severe punishment. Within the lyrics there are also words of rally and enthusiasm and potential hope, as Orwell believed. ‘‘Let our hearts ignite’’ shows the faith that they will at one time overcome. They live in fear but they will strive and wait to see each other smile again. The people are manipulated, but they are aware and they will pay any price to be happy once again and maintain the love and never give in.

War Equals Peace

  War: a time of violence and bloodshed. When thinking of the word, I automatically think death. I see people losing parents, siblings, and children. Although that is all true, with war comes serenity and peace. How, one may ask. Well, the main purpose of war is to solve a problem. Not all problems can be solved with words, and sometimes battles are needed in order to prove which side will be the winner. When the problem is solved, one side obtains peace by knowing they have succeeded, and the others know where they stand, and have relief that the time of suffering has ended.
  A resolution is what war aims to provide. Without a resolution, people would be uneasy and unhappy. Without war, there would be no resolution, therefore no peace. The words war and peace are perfect antonyms, and so they complete each other. The word peace would not exist without its comparative to war. In order for people to appreciate and understand what peace means, they must go through war. Without knowing war, you wouldn’t know peace, and without knowing peace, you wouldn’t know war.
  There’s an African proverb that I find illustrates my point; it states, “However long the night, the dawn will break.” Here, by saying the night is long, the author is referring to a harsh time. The dawn is the coming of happiness. War is exactly the same. It is scary and dark, like the long night, but in the end there will come peace and happiness. When the war is over, people will feel relieved and have an enormous burden lifted from them. All of their prior fears and worries will no longer matter since the biggest issue they have been facing (war), will have ended. Under that circumstance, I believe it to be plausible to say that war, ultimately, leads to, and is peace.

How Important Is Media?

Many believe media is just another part of life, not very important, and doesn't make much different; but has anyone really thought of the work and effort behind it? We all change skip the first 10 minutes of a movie to avoid trailers, or change channels when a commercial comes up, so why do marketers spend so much time and money on ads?

Chanel No. 5, a perfume I'm sure everyone has heard of. Why's that? Because of the continuous advertisements seen all over the media. First, they chose a very important figure as the face of the perfume. Nicole Kidman. 

Because they chose such a famous actress, they have automatically increased their grab on customers of different demographics. Fans of Kidman range from children to adults, unlike the typical customers of the brand Chanel. Now, Chanel has fans of Nicole, fans of her husband, fans of her children, fans of her movies, and many many other people associated with her out to buy 'her' perfume. Chanel has branded their product with Kidman, and instantaneously doubled their pool of buyers.

Now, some might say that ads aren't what's causing the increase of sales, but numbers say otherwise. Nicole Kidman has become the highest paid actress, per minute, for a television commercial. For her 3 minute advertisement for Chanel No. 5, she received $12 million. If producers didn't believe these ads were bringing in revenue, they wouldn't have paid a quarter of that. 

Big companies use big names to sell their products. Using a person such as Nicole Kidman grabs attention, and creates a hype for the company name. Using figures to sell a product is a very smart and powerful way to advertise a product, and it is done daily in the world of media.

Here's a link to the 3 minute, $12 million ad:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C525FnMFSBI

Coca Cola

While searching through the internet, I came across an old Coca Cola advertisement. It caught my eye because it seemed more frightening than pleasant. An elf like boy, with glaring eyes, stood in the back of the ad, with a six pack of Cola in front.  It looked very much like a christmas advertisement because of the red and green. After doing some research, I found out why.

In the early '20's, Coca Cola was known to be a 'summer time drink'. All ads persisted on people drinking it chilled, and many of the advertisements featured bottles of Cola on a bed of ice. Marketers wanted to increase their sales, and therefore came up with the idea of incorporating Coca Cola with Christmas. 

In the early 1900's newspaper ads were the biggest and easiest way to market a product. The Cola company decided to use Santa Clause as bait for readers. Santa Clause was the biggest part of Christmas, and appealed to the largest amount of people. Adults, parents, and children were all within the demographic of people that celebrated Christmas. In order to make Cola an all year round product, the company used Christmas as their ideal market strategy.

All Coke ads began to print in the famous colors. Elves, Santa, and many other Christmas decorations were all within the reach of the ad creators. Red, is a very strong and attractive color, and it is commonly used in many ads to grab attention. The base color for all Coca Cola ads became red. 

Techniques such as color, and  using famous figured (like Santa) are all tricks used in media. The way to attract the readers attention is the hardest, most important part. Until today, Coca Cola is one of the most powerful companies, coming up with an approximate annual revenue of $6 billion. Media and advertisements made Coca Cola the drink that it is today. If marketers in the '20's hadn't of created the 'all year round' drink, Cola might have died out before we were ever born.

Feral Children.

While watching tv the other day I came across an interesting documentary. It was about kids left alone and abandoned since a young age. Not many people have heard the term feral child. That is because their are only about 100 knows cases around the world. A feral child is a child that has been living since a very young age without any (or very little) human contact and interaction. These children are often abandoned by unfit parents, and are left to fend for themselves since birth. Although a child doesn't have to be abandoned completely, the lack of physical and phycological stimulation leaves these children mentally disabled and socially handicap. 

Oxana Malaya is one of the few children seen around the world to be a feral child. At the age of three she was left outside her home, in Ukraine, by her alcoholic parents. Finding shelter and warmth with dogs, Oxana began her life with the pack. For five years she would eat, sleep, and live with dogs, without any human contact, until one day a neighbor reported a chid living with animals. When authorities picked Oxana up, she could only walk on all fours, and continuously barked and growled. Her behavior was studied by many therapists and phycologists, and all claim that her behavior was not an act, but her true instincts.

Feral children aren't widely known, but their stories are ones filled with heartache and pain. Oxana Malaya isn't the only child that has been abandoned by their parents, as there are others of her kind. Yet I found Oxana's case  intriguing because of her odd circumstances. Usually, feral children are found to be extremely underweight, have little or no mobility, and are more or less mentally disabled. Oxana, on the other hand, acted like and was a functional dog. Now, Oxana lives at a home for the disabled, for this enormous neglect has greatly hindered her chances to live a normal life. She regained part of her speech, only because she knew a few words before 'joining the pack'. 

The program had a great impact on the way I viewed the show. They used serious tones throughout the narration, and made the emotions clear. The knowledge of what's happening to children around the world is making me more aware of the realities of life. Not everyone can live and afford a lushes lifestyle. These days communication has become very simple and easy, and therefore we're seeing the truth of the world. The media exposes the truth, and reality cannot hide. I feel deeply sympathetic towards this woman for what she has endured, but find great fascination in the way she has developed. Here's a Youtube link that'll give you an idea of how she acts like a dog.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qyqbnDjId7g