Religion in America

According to the article, Americans do not have the same faith in God as they did in previous times. Many Americans are factual and like information that can be proven. The question, "Does God exist," can not be accurately answered by fact. Discoveries in science are pushing the idea of a god farther and farther away. With notions like the Big Bang Theory and evolution, people may begin to question who is right. The Bible or the scientists? Religious extremist also seem to be a turn off for religion. When people begin to use the idea of God to justify wrong doings, people may think that there is no good in religion, especially when the gods in different religions are similar. For example, Christians, Jews, and Muslims all worship what many consider the same god. Christianity was spread with war and bloodshed and Muslim extremists are not making this one god seem any better. People may also loose faith if they have been through hard times. No matter how many times they pray, their situation does not get any better. People like this may begin to loose faith because they believe that God is not doing anything for them. People who feel singled out in a negative way by the person or being that they are supposed to worship may begin to question the abilities of religion and the works of God himself. There are very few people who remain completely faithful when it comes to religion.

What Happened to Television?

As a child growing up in the 90s I could always find something to watch. My day schedule was literally planned around what time my shows came on. In my opinion, the 90s was the best decade. Every show was my show. I only flipped through channels when I was watching more than one show, which was pretty often. Now, I only watch three shows religiously and a few others that I watch when I see that they're on. Their times don't even affect my schedule all that much. Maybe the kid show in the 90s were the great ones because kid shows now suck. I might have to stab myself if someone made me watch Hannah Montana. I remember when the Hannah Montana Movie came out, and the promo said,"The show you grew up with." Who grew up with Hannah Montana? The person who did grow up with Hannah Montana is probably like three years old. I don't call that growing up. A show that people can say they grew up with is the Rugrats. The Rugrats was on for like thirteen years. That's growing up. Speaking of the Rugrats, Nickelodeon just went downhill. Nickelodeon was the best thing ever made when I was growing up. I had no problem with watching that channel all day. The show All That was like the best thing ever put on television thus far. Other Nick favorites included: Are You Afraid of the Dark, Angry Beavers, Doug, Taina, Keenan and Kel, Rocko's Modern Life, Rocket Power and the Amanda Show. I never had to worry about what was coming on next because I would most likely watch it. Even Disney and Cartoon Network are bad. On Disney, I watched stuff like Rollie Pollie Ollie, Bear and the Big Blue House, and PB&J Otter. I would wake up in the morning only to watch these shows. Other shows included Kim Possible, So Weird, Famous Jett Jackson, and In a Heartbeat. I won't bad mouth Cartoon Network too badly because they at least made a channel for their old shows, but its current programming is just as bad as the stuff on Disney and Nickelodeon. I want Scooby Doo and Dexter's Lab and Goosebumps back. I have no problem with being stuck in the 90s. People who write television shows now need to get more creative even if they have to draw on past time shows. Those were the best anyway. Everything on television now is either a crime show or a health show, unless it has a specific category like kids, food, or nature, etc. Somebody please fix television.

Unlike the AJC, CNN is broadcasted across the world. Stories tend to be more in depth then they would be if presented in just the AJC. Most newspapers tend to cater to the people in the area where they are highly distributed. Therefore, the AJC would be more appealing to someone living in Atlanta then someone living in Tokyo. CNN, on the other hand, is a global news source that appeals to many people across different nations despite the fact that its headquarters is also in Atlanta. Since CNN isn't a newspaper, it has a wider array of people that it can reach. Another good source for news is Fox 5. Fox 5 tends to be very informative concentrating more on the more important headlines. Fox 5 isn't CNN, but it does reach people in different states catering to that area's specific events. Fox 5 focuses on worldly and local events. Fox 5 may also have an entertaining segment, like cooking or what's new on television, while CNN tends to only focus on the news. Unlike the AJC, Fox 5 can be seen in different states and may vary within cities of those states. Fox 5 in Atlanta may be different from the Fox station in Savannah even though both cities are in Georgia. No matter what source the news is from, all stations, channels, newspapers, etc., have different opinions and different ways of getting their messages out.

Ignorant People

So when was being intelligent only a "white people" thing? I'm sick of people saying someone talks like a white person just because they can put a proper sentence together. People who think this way are really the ignorant ones. Just because I may not use slang and I know proper verb noun agreement doesn't make me sound like a white person. I speak like I have a brain in my head that actually works. I guess this is so hard to do for other people caught up in a black and white world. Are white people the only people that are allowed to sound like they have an education? No! So why is speaking correctly seen as a "white" thing to so many people? I don't want to be the idiot walking down the street who speaks like a 5 year old just because I'm not white. Since I'm black, am I suppose to sound like the people in the rap videos? I don't think so. It annoys me when people speak incorrect English on purpose. I don't see the reasoning. Do they want to sound stupid? Maybe, but stupid character trait is not one of my characteristics. Correct English is something everyone needs to learn. Next time someone says that I speak like a white person, I'm going to ask them,"What do you mean?" Let's see what their answer will be.

Media Articles

I read an article from the Atlanta Journal Constitution about Facebook. According to the article, which was printed September 10, 2009, Facebook users can now tag friends in status posts like they can in pictures. Andrew Huang, the project manager, wants users to display their "real world connections in their status posts." Facebook users can now post a status that connects its readers to the people involved in that status. Though this article is short, it is a good article in reference to media because it focuses on one type of medium, being the social networking site, Facebook. The article also incorporates how Facebook is trying to perfect itself, which is common with all sorts of media. The article quotes the project manager, which increases the article's credibility. The link to this article is http://www.ajc.com/business/facebook-to-let-users-135698.html.

The second article I read was from the New York Times. The article linked conservative talk radio with rap music. The article is written from the reporter's, David Segal, point of view, causing the article to most likely be a little biased. David Seagal says he listens to a lot of "Gangsta Rap" and claims that he can make a connection between Jay-Z and Rush Limbaugh. Both Jay-Z and Limbaugh refer to themselves as "living legends." According to Segal, in order to posses a job in political talk radio or to be a rapper, one must posses an ego, have haters, have feuds, and have great verbal skills. Like freestyling in rap, a talk show host must be able to think off the top of his head. Segal also says," rap is among the most conservative genres of pop music. It exalts capitalism and entrepreneurship with a brio that is typically considered Republican...Finally, rappers and conservative talkers both speak for a demographic that believes its interests and problems have been slighted and both offer stories that have allegedly been ignored." Whether it's talk radio or rap, it's a form of entertainment. This article is great because it compares two types of media that most think would have no type of connection. Segal also adds humor to make the article more interesting. The article's link is http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/20/weekinreview/20segal.html?_r=1&sq=radio&st=cse&scp=2&pagewanted=print.

New Panda

Today, the world welcomed another baby panda born in captivity. Since panda's are endangered, countries are trying to do their part by protecting these animals. In my opinion, pandas are adorable even if they can be a little aggressive and protective. Baby pandas are even cuter, especially the one in the picture. In the picture, the new mother can be seen playing with her baby. The baby doesn't seem to be able to stand up on its own yet, but it will get there with its mother's nurturing attitude. The baby has a long way to go before it becomes as big as its mother. At least the mother can relax knowing that her baby is safe within those bars that confine them. It may not be where she would want to be, but at least she doesn't have to worry about the dangers of the outside world. Hopefully, living in captivity will not affect her new baby too much. The cub should be fine as long as it follows behind its mother. I think that it is somewhat of a good thing to keep endangered animals, like pandas, in captivity. There is a good and a bad side. The good side is that the animals are safe, and they do not have to worry about anybody hunting them or their young. Endangered animals have a better chance of their numbers increasing in captivity than they do in the wild. The bad side is that captivity can affect the animals' natural instincts. Since they are so dependent on human interaction and feeding, they may not know how to hunt or survive on their own if they were ever to be released back into the wild.

Student Blog

The blog I read was very interesting. I will not say whose blog it was because I do not want anybody feeling bad even though what I have to say is all positive. The writer of the blog I read really put her emotions into her writing. Every topic she wrote about voiced her concerns. Her point of view and opinion were clearly present. One did not have to ask themselves what she was writing about or how she felt about it. Her blog was a mixture of fact, opinion, and emotions that could easily draw the writer in to continue reading. She chose the right word to properly convye how she felt about a certain topic. She was never on the fence about a given topic. Some of her entries were short, but others were very detailed. No matter what they length, all her blog entries were farely interesting. Even the short articles were detailed in just fewer words than the longer entries. What I enjoyed was that there was nothing that was hard to understand. She writes as if she is talking to a friend rather than writing for an academic purpose. I made a connection with the personal appeal in her writings. Writings on a more personal level bring the reader in more unless they are specifically looking for an all academic piece. I enjoyed the blog.

So "room inspection day" is tomorrow. I have no problem with that because I know how to clean my own messes. One of my roommates (won't say any names) is like "cleaning challenged". Everyone else pretty much cleans their dishes and/ or messes when they make them. But this roommate will leave a mess and/ or dishes sitting there for a week. We made an agreement to clean our own stuff, but sometimes it's just nasty and I have to clean my roommate's stuff. I barely use the stove but I'm the one wiping it down every other day since my roommate got something from last night caked up on it. Since we've been here, I've cleaned the bathroom like every weekend. Has she picked up a bottle of any cleaning product? No. In fact, there is nothing under her sink. This is where most people keep products to clean their bathroom, right? Absolutely nothing. I have a vacuum and she has a vacuum, but does she use hers? No. I'm not a clean freak but I don't want to have to dust the crumbs off of my feet when I walk around the room. I don't want to see dirty rings around the toilet and the tub. A little dirt here and there is fine, but don't make it nasty. I guess I'll be the main one cleaning tonight making sure everything is in order. Maybe I'll just clean my stuff so the inspector may have someone else to blame.

When I normally think of Mississippi, I think of a hot southern state with nothing to do but eat. I never thought of Mississippi as having its own culture or its own specific thing period. Mississippi seemed like one of the nobody states. After reading these articles, I realized that Mississippi did have something that made it stand out. I read the barbecue article first. It never once occurred to me that barbecue had originated with the Lebanese or that Mississippi had such a diverse cultural background. I was expecting black and white and few in between. I also thought it was interesting how Pat Davis' family served everyone, including African Americans despite the segregation laws that made this idea even seem dangerous. Mississippi paved a road during the Civil Rights era that many probably don't know about. A Delta Manhunt, though not as happy as the barbecue article, was still interesting. Despite the "anti-segregational" ways of Pat Davis' family, racism is still a current issue in Mississippi. Two different worlds can be seen in the same town of Clarksdale, Mississippi. It seems like a few of the townspeople had brought every type of weapon they could get their hands on to go after an unsuccessful burglar, who just happened to be an African American. NAACP saw this as a racial hate crime. It was like war just to go after one unarmed man. Despite its happy endings when it comes to barbecue, like all states, Mississippi also has its bad side.

Obama's speech was important. A lot of people have been slacking off when it comes to getting an education. Many don't take education as seriously as the country use to. Some students do just enough to get by rather than trying to actually achieve something. Education is what is going to get someone on the path that they most desire to be. Success shouldn't just depend on the school one goes to but how much effort they put in when attending that school. Slackers can't blame their teachers or their families, only themselves. Students need to learn how to live up to their potential through exploration in education. Good jobs don't come without an education. Everyone can't get rich by becoming famous. No matter what is going on in your life, education will help you get to a better place. Students need to learn how to take responsibility of their own lives. They can't rely on someone else to do everything for them for the rest of their lives. Commitment is important. Students can't give up every time they fail. Everyone should learn from their failures and mistakes. I don't see why this speech was so heavily debated. All students needed to hear this message. Nothing he said was irrelevant. He is right. Educating oneself is one of the best things one can do in their lifetime. Education creates independence, and independence creates new ideas. Don't be the one to use someone as a crutch. Get an education to learn how to stand without that crutch. Education leads to success because knowledge is power.

I went out with some friends on Friday night. The temperature was fair. It wasn't too hot and it wasn't too cold. The city was lit by nearby buildings and businesses. Street lights lit the way in every direction. Once I had got to the car that my friends were waiting in, we drove in the direction of Centennial Park. The streets were filled with tourists, football fans, people coming and going to Dragoncon, and Atlanta's homeless people. A few people were out to show their gay pride, and they were not afraid to flaunt it. When it came to the football fans, I guess Alabama had beaten Virginia Tech. They were the drunk excited people that blurted out random things and stood in the middle of the street chanting their Alabama cheers. There was an Alabama fan shaking his butt outside the Ellis Hotel. All he could say was, "Go Alabama!" when we walked by. A drunk guy with a cup in his hand stood at the corner with his friend swaying from side to side speaking to anyone who walked by. We got closer to Centennial Park. The Britney Spears concert had just finished. Exhausted people flooded into the streets while a line of cars began to build at the streetlights. Football fans and Britney fans were heard all across the city that night. Once we had made our way through the crowd and parked, we walked across the street to the park. As we walked we still had to dodge and weave between the people who had rushed to downtown for some football or for a little bit of music. Centennial Park was filled with the small steps of children who had just finished running through the sprinklers. A bar-b-que truck nearby gave off a sweat odor mixing with the light chlorine smell from the nearby fountains. Couples and families sat cuddled up on the park benches looking over the city. A couple of people from the football game decided to take a shortcut through the park. As they walked by, they talked about football and Britney. They even asked if we had come from the concert. After that, we started exploring the park. My friends and I walked around reading the names on the bricks occasionally coming to one we couldn't pronounce. We laughed as we picked our future children's names from these bricks. I landed on the name Smykes while my friend landed on the name Scihimich. After forcing ourselves not to look down at the bricks because they were a distraction, we walked from Centennial Park to Underground Atlanta in hopes of finding something to eat along the way. We passed more celebrating football fans and creepy homeless people lurking around muttering to themselves. We stopped at a map to make sure we were headed in the right direction. More drunk people stumbled by as they made their way to the Marriott. Once we had set our course, we began looking for cheap restaurants. We passed Hard Rock, which nobody but me seemed to have enough money for, and headed toward Underground. Homeless people slept curled up under statues and benches. City goers enjoyed a nice evening out at dinner. We walked down Broad Street thinking Taco Bell or McDonald's would be open at this time of night. We were wrong. Once we got to Underground Atlanta, the only place that was opened was the Waffle House, which was jam packed. We decided to give up and call it a night. We walked back to where we had parked the car and drove back to GSU. I walked in, made a sandwich, and fell asleep in my room around 2 AM. What an interesting night I had had.

My favorite song is "Gifted" by N.A.S.A. featuring Kanye West, Santigold, and Lykke Li. It is one of those songs that not many people know but can still get into when they hear it for the first time. The song itself is very different, and the video is weird, too. The beat starts off like it may be a techno song but quickly switches to a more a pop/hip hop flow. Kanye West has the first verse. I got addicted to his verse alone. The lyrics are very catchy. Santigold and Lykke Li sing the chorus, and Santigold takes the next verse. The song is basically about doing your own thing and being good at it. In the cases of the artists singing the song, music is their own thing, and it is was they are good at. I can listen to this song over and over again. Something about the beat and the meaning of the lyrics gets to me. I like that it also has a new sound. I love having music that a lot of my friends have never heard of. It feels great with they actually get into it. I have played this song around many people who were unfamiliar with it, but ended up loving it by the time it was over. I just wish the song was a little bit longer than two verses.

The link is youtube.com/watch?v=WZB7yswo6a0