Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Twitter 2.0: Tweet Tweet


Picture taken from: The Intersection of Online and Offline

So, I signed up for Twitter about a month ago, because you can't really diss a site like Twitter until you use it. So, I decided to give Twitter a chance until I'm out of school at the end of April...and still...I just don't see it! You know when it is two in the morning and your mind is keeping you up/thinking, blocking your actual getting to bed? Well, Twitter, to me, is like those annoying thoughts, spralled out into 140 character bubbles that have no real purpose for being except TO BE. It's a fad, obviously. The majority of the people on there, including myself, have nothing interesting to say, ESPECIALLY the celebs. I don't care if you are knitting with grandma or taking the boys to soccer or shoving your face into a McDonald's Apple Pie (hmm, did I just diss myself with that one :pause:...). Anyway, it's a bunch of Facebook statuses and a site for lazy readers :cough: most Americans :cough: which is why it's probably so popular in the first place. As for the Breaking News aspect of Twitter, I sort of see how it can be good for getting information quick in certain situations but you have to use their HORRIBLE search feature to find the story, then you have to click on a ton of links to get to the actually vids or pictures (By the way, Twitter doesn't have any kind of picture/video uploading system tied into the actual site so you have to use third party systems to get this info on your profile). It's almost like a search engine instead of a "social networking" site. Twitter gets a C for Calamity in my book. TWEET!!!

My profile on Twitter: Ripagodazippa Feel free to stalk me!

P.S. I don't think advertisers should be looking into ways of advertising on Twitter. Twitter seems to be about self promotion.

Thursday, March 26, 2009

Memphis Mom Dies in Car While Son Gets Traffic Ticket

MEMPHIS, TN (AP) - A Memphis man who was driving his 83 year-old mother to a hospital says a Shelby County Sheriff's deputy stopped him for an expired tag and did little to help as his mother died in the back seat of his car.

Wayne Ables says during an early March 12, 2009 traffic stop, the deputy refused to follow Ables to Saint Francis Hospital-Bartlett and write the ticket there.

The hospital was less than a mile away.

Instead, the deputy, whom the department has not identified, checked Ables' license and insurance while calling an ambulance.

Ables said his mother Vernice Ables suffered from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and stopped breathing during the traffic stop.

Published reports on Saturday, March 21, 2009 indicate the Sheriff's Office is investigating and evaluating dash camera video.

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)



Ugh! You have to LOVE that southern hospitality. :sarcasm: But seriously, the cop couldn't escort the man to the hospital and give him the ticket after or just let him go, period? :sees it's the end of the month: Guess he just had to fill that set monthly quota so he can get the kids nice Easter baskets in April. Did he think she was faking death to get her son out of a ticket? SMH! I'm sick of this city...

Sunday, March 1, 2009

Twitter

To qoute the movie BIG:

I don't get it...


So I just joined Twitter and....yeaaaaa...not in love with it. LOL maybe because it was built up in my mind by people mentioning it a lot but...it's just a page full of Facebook statuses. Maybe I'll have to give it time but it doesn't even have a proper search bar to find people in your area...or maybe I'm just slow and looked over it, which is VERY possible. "Twitter is on its way to becoming the next killer app?" hmmm...

Photobucket

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Excerpt: Success In America

What does it take to be successful in America? Some say good looks and others say experience but is a proper handle of the language necessary to be successful in this country? English is the common language of the United States but although countless immigrants founded this country, many people continue to discriminate against the those who do not speak our native tongue. The following paragraphs will discuss the ongoing battle between those who speak English and those who choose not to and whether English is really necessary to be successful in America.

Myriam Marquez is an award-winning columnist who was born in Cuba in 1954 and grew up in South Florida. “As a Hispanic, Marquez recognizes that English is the “common language” in America but knows that being American has little if anything to do with what language one speaks” (Marquez 200). In Marquez’s article “When and Why We Speak Spanish in Public,” Marquez explains why she and her family continue to speak their native tongue, Spanish, although they have lived in America for more than forty years. Marquez talks about how when she and her family speak Spanish with each other in public, people see that as being rude to those that do not understand Spanish but she quickly explains why she and her family continue to do so. She says it is out of respect for her parents and comfort in her cultural roots that she continues to speak in her native tongue (Marquez 200). Marquez explains how most of the early immigrants to the U.S. kept their native languages for many generations. These immigrants fought for the U.S. in wars, voted in elections, and held office. There was nothing rude or “un-American” about these people and there is nothing is rude about speaking your native tongue. What is offensive is “when there are two or more people who are bilingual and another person who speaks only English and the bilingual folks all of a sudden start speaking Spanish, which effectively leaves out the English only speaker” (Marquez 201). There is a difference between being disrespectful and being comfortable with your cultural background. If Marquez and her family stopped speaking Spanish, in their eyes it would be like they were discarding their heritage.

In Greg Lewis’ article “An Open Letter To Diversity Victims,” Lewis tells America’s young people “to succeed in America...it’s important to speak, read, and understand English as most Americans speak it” (Lewis 197). Lewis believes that those who support bilingual education are condemning Spanish-speaking children to a second-class economic citizenship. In order to be successful in America, you must know the language and know it well. Lewis further stresses this point when he says, “Bilingual education doesn’t provide students whose first language is not Standard English with the single most important skill they need for making their way in the broader culture” (Lewis 197). It may seem cruel and unfair to tell people that they have to learn the language but if they continue to disregard the English language, America will become divided. Also, Lewis points out that if it seems you have to compromise your identity to become successful in American think about this: those who promote “diversity” are the ones asking you to deny your individuality by suggesting you become part of a collective identity because of your ethnicity (Lewis 198)

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Down to Earth (Peter Gabriel)



This song was robbed at the Oscars! Ah well! It is from the movie "Wall-E" which came out last summer.

Friday, February 20, 2009

My Predictions for the 81st Annual Academy Awards



Best Picture
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall, Cean Chaffin
Frost/Nixon - Ron Howard, Brian Grazer, Eric Fellner
Milk - Dan Jinks and Bruce Cohen
The Reader - Anthony Minghella, Sydney Pollack, Redmond Morris, Donna Gigliotti < gut is telling me this movie might surprise
Slumdog Millionaire - Christian Colson

Best Director
Danny Boyle – Slumdog Millionaire
Stephen Daldry – The Reader
David Fincher – The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Ron Howard – Frost/Nixon
Gus Van Sant – Milk

Best Actor
Richard Jenkins – The Visitor
Frank Langella – Frost/Nixon
Sean Penn – Milk
Brad Pitt – The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Mickey Rourke – The Wrestler

Best Actress
Anne Hathaway – Rachel Getting Married
Angelina Jolie – Changeling
Melissa Leo – Frozen River
Meryl Streep – Doubt
Kate Winslet – The Reader

Best Supporting Actor
Josh Brolin – Milk
Robert Downey, Jr. – Tropic Thunder
Philip Seymour Hoffman – Doubt
Heath Ledger – The Dark Knight (I still don't think the DK was great but HE did a great job)
Michael Shannon – Revolutionary Road

Best Supporting Actress
Amy Adams – Doubt < she will probably win tho.
Penélope Cruz – Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Viola Davis – Doubt
Taraji P. Henson – The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Marisa Tomei – The Wrestler

Best Original Screenplay
WALL-E - Andrew Stanton, Jim Reardon and Pete Docter
Happy-Go-Lucky - Mike Leigh
Frozen River - Courtney Hunt
In Bruges - Martin McDonagh
Milk - Dustin Lance Black

Best Adapted Screenplay
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - Eric Roth and Robin Swicord
Frost/Nixon - Peter Morgan
The Reader - David Hare
Slumdog Millionaire - Simon Beaufoy
Doubt - John Patrick Shanley

Best Animated Feature
Bolt – Chris Williams and Byron Howard
Kung Fu Panda – Mark Osborne and John Stevenson
WALL-E – Andrew Stanton

Best Original Song
"Down to Earth" from WALL-E – Peter Gabriel and Thomas Newman (music), Peter Gabriel (lyrics) (this song is a JAM lol)
"Jai Ho" from Slumdog Millionaire – A. R. Rahman (music), Gulzar (lyrics)
"O Saya" from Slumdog Millionaire – A. R. Rahman and M.I.A.

The Definition

Boring, Egotistic, Goody-goody! Labels are titles given to us all regardless of whether we encourage them or not. Gracie Arnett approved of most of the lables given to her throughout her life, but the one thing you could not call her was someone who could not dance. This is exactly what Mrs. Robinson, the coach of her school's majorette squad, did.

It was the fall of 1972, try-out season. Gracie had already gotten into the school band and been ordained vice president of the student council, but there was one more title she had her eyes on, majorette. "A majorette!" her sister Birdia exclaimed, "but you like to read books and hang out at the library. What do you know about being a majorette?" Gracie stormed off to her room. Once she had her mind set on something, she was determined to follow through on it, and she was going to try out for the squad, regardless of support at home. She soon found out that others had doubts about her talents, mainly Mrs. Robinson, the coach of the team. Mrs. Robinson refused to let her try out. Not only did she believe that Gracie could not dance, but she also did not want her on the team because she came from a working-class family. Her mother and older sister were both maids. Outraged, gracie spoke to the school's principal who forced the coach to let her try out. In the end, she made the team, but she had to earn her team's respect.

The first basketball game of the season had finally arrived. If there ever was a time to shine, this was it. Gracie found herself nervous while going over the routine and her solo in her head. She knew she had something to prove, not only to Mrs. Robinson and her sister Birdia but to herself. The half time buzzer rang, and the majorettes marched onto the center of the court. The lights dimmed and the funk hit "Pop That Thang" by The Isley Brothers began to play. Gracie broke out into the routine like an old pro and when it came time for her solo, she danced so hard that she kicked off the tassels on her new boots. The crowd broke into a roar as her sister Susie, who helped her create the solo, screamed, "If you can't do it like I told you, do it like I showed you!" Composing herself, Gracie simply marched passed Mrs. Robinson and smiled. There was no need for an apology from Mrs. Robinson in Gracie's mind. Actions speak louder than words and her actions had spoken plenty. The following semester, Gracie became captain of the majorette squad. "Hey, bookworms can dance their asses off too," she often exclaims. Indeed, they can.