ebay is the new ethan allen

The lesson here is you don't always get what you pay for when buying online. Still, online shopping is taking over as a favorable means of purchasing consumer products, which poses, or will eventually pose, problems for retailers. Not only do stores have to compete with other stores selling the same or similar products, but they must also compete with third party auction websites that sell everything.

Craigslist, eBay, and Amazon make it impossible to feel like you are getting a good deal on any product you buy in a store. Because despite buying the cheapest sweater, computer, or cereal on sale, it is likely that someone is selling it at an even lower price online.

You can find and sell everything on Craigslist, from furniture and clothing to even a house or high class hooker. Since you can buy and sell such a wide variety of items through these sites, some people's livelihood could be compromised. If you can successfully sell your house on Craigslist, then what's the point in paying a realtor? The ability to make money off of your old stuff means people will be donating less, too. This I wish would not happen because there are so many organization who need donated materials, but at the same time I know everyone needs to make a buck.

But seriously, some people are just starting to get stingy with the things they try to make money off of. Like the guy Jimmy Kimmel visits who puts a $5 shirt up on Craigslist; only the beginning is really relevant to the subject, but the rest is irresistably funny.

sexting?!?

Texting has revolutionized the way people communicate in general, but especially in dating and relationships. When used appropriately, texting can help you communicate better because you can send a quick text to check in or update your bf or gf throughout the day. However, more often than not, texting becomes the means of viscous, drawn out fights. It's easier to say something cruel that you don't really mean via text rather than over the phone. The lack of personability in texting seems to give people the courage to say (or write) things they would not normally be inclined to say.



Perfect example. Texting makes it easy to prolong a break up; sending a text to your ex isn't quite as ballsy as actually calling so it gives just the right amount of mixed messages to leave everyone confused. It is definitely not as big of a gesture as calling or even emailing really, so the risk of rejection isn't as high. Still, the easy accessibility of texting means the lines of communication stay open for much longer, and this relatively new gray area in a relationship makes dealing with a break up that much harder.

People who are creating even bigger problems with texting are America's youth. How many articles do I have to come across, ABCNews, about teens sending "lude" photos of themselves to classmates via cell phone? Apparently, this new fad is called "sexting," and kids in this country are making headlines with it. This gets brought into the news and courtrooms when people try to argue that such images are child pornography.

In one article entitled "Federal Judge Blocks Charges in Pa. 'Sexting' Case" written by Michael Rubinkam, he explains the outcome of one (of many) cases in stating, "A federal judge on Monday temporarily blocked a prosecutor from filing child pornography charges against three northeastern Pennsylvania teenagers who appeared in racy photos that turned up on classmates' cell phones." They couldn't press charges because the photos were not quite racy enough to qualify as pornography; Witold Walczack, legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania was grateful for the decision but said, "This country needs to have a discussion about whether prosecuting minors as child pornographers for merely being impulsive and naive is the appropriate way to address the serious consequences that can result."

I think I agree with Walczack in that prosecuting those kids for something many others have gotten away with would have been pretty harsh. I think this country needs to have a discussion about why minors think it is necessary or appropriate to send nakey pics of themselves via text. However, it is kind of disgusting that in addition to adults exploiting child pornography, we now have to worry about the children doing it themselves.

F*** my facebook!!!

Clearly people are outraged with the changes of the Facebook layout. This just reinforces my belief that people do not like change as much as they say they do. People like what is familiar because they understand it, and it is familiar! This is called the Mere Exposure Effect, which basically states that people claim to like change because it promotes progress, but in reality they like what they are used to. (You can't help but wonder how people will really respond once Obama stops talking about change and actually changes something.)

What I really like on this video comes at about the last minute or so when the point is made that people ban together to bitch about how much Facebook sucks-on Facebook. People have made several groups against the new site layout but wouldn't think about deactivating their own account. This also reinforces my belief that people generally talk a lot but rarely back it up. If the online community really wanted to show how bad it sucked, they would all ban together and stop using the site. I know stop Facebook, that would be an epic day. Nevertheless, the clips of real people going crazy/getting mad/becoming clinically depressed are hilarious; it really does a lot to make the world's youth look as ignorant to the REAL issues as older people think we are. Good job guys.

holy shit is the ad world like this?!?

Now that I've officially declared my major, I am just praying the advertising world isn't exactly like this.



I'm all for sarcasm and bitching about work, but when even Charlie Brown can't make you look good- there's trouble.

This spot was done humorously as an intro to the Addy awards. It's funny because it was done as a spoof of a spot for Monster.com (something you would know if you are familiar with intertextuality-horizontal intertextuality in fact.)





Both spots are hilarious because everyone can relate to at least one, if not both. Beyond the humor is a more nostalgic, sad message about what we envision our lives to be and what they end up as in reality. Clearly nobody hopes for a future in filing, but more often than not life gets in the way of dreams as we get older. Kids pick out professions based on the kind of cool uniform or attire you get to wear to work, and -surprisingly- the kind of work they want to do. It never fails, as we grow up and approach the "real world" we settle for a path that is not necessarily easy, but accessible or doable, or one that makes money (especially in this economy.)

I think it would be funny to see more of these kinds of ads for specific professions, just to get a taste of how bad everyone else's job sucks. Then at least you don't feel so bad. I've already started on a subject I will encounter in my life, God willing I can get a job when I graduate: being a woman in the workforce...here goes,

I wanna be a woman in the work force.

I wanna look forward to the threat of sexual harassment on a daily basis.

I wanna get passed up time and again for promotions and end up working the same middle management position until job cuts lead to my resignation.

I wanna wear sneakers everyday on the train and slap on my pumps on the way in the door.

I wanna assert my authority and get called a bitch, while my male partners can act the same and be called powerful.

I wanna walk that line of being the office slob or the office slut, just based upon the cut of my suit and the color of my hair.

I wanna feel the insecurity of walking alone in a parking garage at night.

I wanna get 2 1/2 weeks of maternity leave, only to come back and have been replaced.

I wanna have a black president, an Asian boss, and still get paid less than my male co-workers- now that's equality America.

no man is an island

First off, I am no filmmaker or film student; I can barely work a computer, but after only minutes of searching on Youtube for something inspirational and profound I found it. I never understood the lure of making films, even small ones, because the entire process seems so unfathomably daunting I try not to even think about it. After watching this short clip though, I think it is exactly what the world needs more of: art and advocacy-together. Like I said, I couldn't make one legit comment on the technical filming, but clearly this one was good because it was the Tropfest NY winner in 2008 (which is apparently the world's largest short film festival...who knew?!?).

It's true that mankind is no island; no one would be happy in a life of desperation and loneliness. So, why are we letting people live that way? I think some non-profit corporation should get a hold of this film, legally of course, and then compress it into a spot for TV. People need to see more of this kind of work that gives a call to action. A lot of people donate money, and we think that makes us good people, that we are doing our part; however, those could be the same people hustling by the homeless in this film. You see in the video that people don't even glance at, or give consideration to the needy people they pass. I'm not saying we should feel guilty for not giving every homeless person a couple dollars because let's face it, some people just like to manipulate and take advantage of the system.

Still, there is nothing more powerful than seeing the truth, and the truth is we walk right by our world's problems everyday. The truth is that 1.1 billion people live on less than $1 a day. The truth is that people are poor around the world, but it is also the truth that countries have their own agendas. What I mean is that in 1974, the Bengal famine was clearly well known as a problem around the world; the Australian government donated $65, 000, 000 to help the cause...sure this is nice of them. However, they also spent about twelve times that amount building the Sydney Opera House. Interesting, very interesting. Actually, it is not so much interesting as it is disheartening.

The governments are the ones who are ultimately in control of what money goes where; they are the big players in shelling out big dollars to make a dent in a huge world problem. But it is the "little" guys, like brilliant filmmakers, who recognize and capture the problem-on film in perfectly clear quality. We are the ones with the perspective to realize when things are wrong in the world; I mean we whitness it everyday.

Still, we are the ones who can actually do something about human suffering; no matter how caught up in our own lives we get, we can always empathize with the human condition. No one deserves to live a life of solitude, it's just too sad to even think about, but people live that way- they live that way everyday around the world. I think there is hope though. We have the power, especially in advertising (the kind done ethically) to bring problems to the attention of the masses, and ignite some sort of fire under humanity's ass. It doesn't all have to be about selling and products and slogans. Advertising is so much about relating to the public, and because no man is an island (or mankind is no island in this case), it is our responsiblity to do what we can with the power we have...and when you determine the media, internet, and everything visual we encounter, that's a lot of power.



This is a picture of the "tent cities" popping up within the past eighteen months or so around America. In an article about these "shanty towns" on current.com, there are "a dozen or so other cities across the nation" dealing with this problem. The article said, "Fresno is dealing with an unhappy déjà vu: the arrival of modern-day Hoovervilles, illegal encampments of homeless people that are reminiscent, on a far smaller scale, of Depression-era shantytowns."

The good news is Obama made the comment about this issue stating, "it was 'not acceptable for children and families to be without a roof over their heads in a country as wealthy as ours.' " As for whether or not the government will actually see success, let alone take action, only time will tell.

Uh Oh, more drama with Obama!

hah. The title of this video is funny, but what's actually going on with AIG is not even the slightest bit funny. Everyone knows the insurance giant doled out millions in bonuses after the government bailed them out. Not only is this obviously unethical, but it has been taking the U.S. government longer than preferable to figure out a constitutionally acceptable way to take that money back (since it's our taxpayer money). The clips mocks the inefficient processes and procedures of the new treasury cabinet, who wouldn't be in such a tough position if true capitalism had let those big institutions fail like they should have. I think it is absolutely unbelievable that a corporation so publicly recognizable tried to get away with this after the government stepped in and saved their ass.

What was also unnerving were the comments Obama made in his conference regarding how long it took him to respond publicly to the situation. An irritated Obama makes the statement that it took him so long to make a statement because he "likes to know what he's talking about before he speaks." He gets a little defensive in this CNN clip.



Okay, I understand not wanting to sound like an idiot in front of the American public. I mean, look at Bush, the guy says strategery once and never lived it down, poor guy. Now at least those who blamed Bush for the economic crisis can now see that the economy is a CYCLE and no person can single-handedly affect that cycle. Anyway, I disgress, but I don't think it should have taken Obama more than a couple hours to have his cabinet brief him on what is happening and make a statement that the government acknowledges that what AIG did was wrong. Come on, anyone can hear that story and know it's completely unethical, especially in business. So I don't buy in to him liking to know what he's talking about; isn't a president supposed to be able to respond quickly in a time of crisis? Yes they are.

On a larger scale, I hope ethics don't continue to suffer as much they seem to be lately. With all the scandalous news about fraud, bribery, and prostitutes, one can't help but think the moral code of America has gone down the shitter. I guess now is no different than anytime in history though, and one thing is for sure, if you want to hear a sad story just flip on the news.

coloring

pencil shavings from a pencil sharpener. sharpen your mind. create your own coloring book. a coloring book with no lines, no boundaries, and no color-by-number. creativity is coloring. it's not so much about the artist talent or the shading of your still life replica; it's about the release, the expansion, and ultimately the relief for getting it out. a big exhale. a big sigh. for a second your body is empty, and maybe your thoughts can pause. the constant scratching of pencil on paper is methodic and lulling. then you have to inhale again and begin your next picture. you can sit and admire the work you created, but you know there is always more to be done. still, it feels good to something completed, and if nothing else, it is something that has meaning for you. you can see the flaws, the things you wished you had done better. ignore them. deny judgement. it's hard, really really hard; we are often our worst critic. it is likely no one will see your errors, but if they still don't like it, screw them.

5 animals we can't live without

photo from: Julia Malakie/APTiger Swallowtail butterflies at The Butterfly Place in Mass.

"We’re always hearing about the animals we need to save, but have you ever wondered why? While we certainly don’t want to be responsible for destroying any species, it turns out that in some cases, if we do allow animal populations to suffer, we’ll also be hurting ourselves. Here are five animals that humans can’t live without." That comes from an article on findingdulcinea.com, and it reveals these five mystery animals we need to keep around.

Besides the usual domestication of pets, and the whole slaughtering for food deal, animals are integral part of our world, both physically and culturally. However, with the on-going issue of endangered species, it seems like the animals associated with our culture are fairing much better than the actual animals we want to protect. For example, animals make great characters for movies, TV shows, and books;additionally, there are a select few that have become an integral part of holidays (ie: Easter bunny, Christmas reindeer, and the obvious Thanksgiving turkey.

Additionally, they make great advertising tools, but this can sometimes get exploited. Everyone knows about the Geico gecko and the Chick-fil-a cows. While these are acceptable incorporations, there are some companies that need to chill on the characters- I'm talking about you Kelloggs. Every cereal these people come up with seems like it has an obnoxious animal to help sell it to world's youth. There's Tony the Tiger for Frosted Flakes, Sam the Fruit Loops tucan, and that terrible Honey Smacks frog.

Every once in a while animals even break into technology and machinery. The rare ones get chosen as a car name (Jaguar), and even Mac picked up the leopard as part of its software operating system, the Mac OS-X Leopard. I don't think it is far fetched to say society relates better to the jaguar with an engine than the rare ones in the wild. There are always going to be people fighting to save the whales and pandas, but there are five animals-often overlooked-that we literally can't live without.

It also says something about our culture that younger generations are becoming more and more acquainted with learning about animals via the internet or claymation movies. I think it is sad to think that eventually children might not have the opportunity to see a live panda or bald eagle, but younger generations are also becoming more and more content to live their lives through a computer monitor.

In any regard, here are the five animals we need to survive, they all make sense but you wouldn't necessarily think of these five as the essential survival tools!

1. bees- essential to the food supply because they are responsible for 80% of insect pollination
2. bats- they eat insects, pollinate crops, and fertilize crops
3. butterflies- they can forecast the future of climate change
4. fish- they can actually combat climate change
5. worms- compost trash we throw out




Hard to believe we need the one on the right more.

An Ode to Car Decals

We can all see your plates, and your make and model too.

So is it really necessary to know your alma mater and political stance? Eww.

Everyone has opinions, so voice them as you please,

but I really don't want to have to read them as I ignite with my keys.

The bumper sticker is no longer a pop culture trend.

Despite what the other soccer moms may say,

neither is posting a giant decal with the name of your kid and every damn sport they play.

Congrats on raising such a great honors student,

but really, telling the world is not exactly prudent.

All I'm saying is I don't really need to know your daughter is in gymnastics and plays trombone.

So if you drive a nice car but trashed it with decals, leave it parked at home.

Really...a monogrammed car decal? It's a car, not stationery. This is the kind of stuff I'm talking about.