Hollywood weights in on fat people

"Forget about all those scary-skinny people stars - fat is making a comeback in Hollywood."

According to the article on MSNBC, reality and television shows are featuring overweight contestants and stars on the big screens. Shows such as NBC's "The Biggest Loser", "Celebrity Fit Club", and "Too Fat for Fifteen: Fighting Back" has succeeded in earning respectable ratings and viewings. Although the most important thing to note about these television shows is the increased amount of people caring about weight loss.

In this article, there are two issues that can be pointed out. One is the issue on overweight people in America. The second issue is about how people in the entertainment industry are succumbing to the thin image.

To address the first issue, TV producers have created reality TV shows such as "The Biggest Loser" that help regular people to become contestants in a losing weight contest. The television show is broadcasted and has received a respectable amount of viewers. The amount of attentive viewers is positive in that it shows the interest of people in relation to the concept of losing weight. In addition, many other reality shows featuring weight loss has followed up on "The Biggest Loser", thus becoming popular among TV viewers.In America, where overweight is an issue, it is encouraging for shows such as "The Biggest Loser" to be broadcasted because it shows people who have set their minds on losing weight and how they reflect on how they had lived their life in the past.

To address the second issue, it is true that Hollywood is wonderful in producing the skinny and thin image. On televisions, on advertisements, on magazines, and on billboards, a skinny woman is almost always seen in comparison to an overweight woman. In the article, it says "In Hollywood, thin always will be in." There is no doubt about this statement because it is true that thin people in Hollywood are preferred. Although, in relation to the first issue, a widespread of losing weight reality television shows is appearing. These television shows are garnering attention and is allowing viewers to understand how realistic being overweight can be.

Roth from "Biggest Loser" says, "I had people say that fat people aren't attractive and that nobody wants to see fat people on television," he said. "I said, 'Well, do you know anyone who is fat?' 'Oh yeah,' they said, 'my mother is, my sister and brother is.' So, I told them that if everyone in this room knows someone who's in that situation, isn't that your audience?" Roth mentions a very good point. These reality shows that focus on weight loss have such a respectable amount of viewers because this show is for the overweight people in America. They are the audiences because there are a lot of overweight people that should be concern about their health. Unlike other shows that feature skinny people, these contestants are real, every day people that are overweight and want to lose weight. Producers of these shows want to show a realistic side.

According to Mark Roberts, who executive produces "Mike & Molly" says, "I wanted to do something with real people," he said. "People in most sitcoms live very unrealistic lives. Back in the days of Norman Lear, you had real people on television. We're hoping that real people with real issues are going to come back in style."

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Source:

Picture also take from:

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/39210622/ns/today-entertainment/

Price of gas down nearly a penny in last 2 weeks

Gas is important because gas is used to fuel our cars. With the rising amount of gas prices in the past years, people are spending an excess amount of their income to put gas in their car. On September 10, "the average price for regular gasoline in the United States was $2.6899 per gallon. The prices dropped down almost a penny compared with two weeks earlier, according to the nationwide Lundberg survey."

What occurred on September 10 was the oil price drop. What is significant about what happened on the day, was that the drop in oil price was less than expected. Although, that is not the main concern of the article. The article mentions that there was an oil pipeline leakage that triggered a crude oil shortage. This resulted in Enbridge to shut down the largest of its pipelines due to a leak that resulted in a supply on the main transit route in Canada. The resulted in gas prices to have risen near the Gulf Coast. Although in the higher parts of the Midwest, gas prices have dropped.

The big concern is the gas price drop in specific areas, but also the gasp price rises in other areas. Gas is after all, significant to everyone who owns a car. Gas is definitely not cheap. It is costly and even the slightest gas price drop or rise will ultimately take money out of someone's pocket. Nowadays, big bucks are being carried around in wallets in order to pay for expensive gas prices and gas is not something everyone can afford. Therefore the slightest drop or rise will have an affect on oil consumers.

Additional, the cause of the rise and drop in gas prices is the oil leakage. This is definitely not the first time I have read an article about oil spill. Oil spillage around the Gulf of Mexico or in Kuwaitt is a huge problem that effects many areas environmentally. The deadly oil is killing thousands of marine life and destroying the fishing industry as well. The horror of the oil spillage is devastating because we are the cause of the oil spills and they can be prevented. If we were to measure how big of an environment issue this proves to be, we can conjure up the image of how large oil spills have covered waters on earth. The picture is above and it is frightful. I hope that the places where oil spills have occurred will be cleaned out and the marine life saved. There are just too many disasters that have come from the oil spills to be something that can be simply ignored. Therefore, even if there is a rise and fall in oil prices, one has to consider the reason why. Is it because there is another oil leakage? How could we prevent this from happening over and over again?

Source:

MSNBC.com

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39135953/ns/business-oil_and_energy/

Plagiarism Lines Blur For Students in Digital Age

Vivian Cheng

AP English

06 September 2010

Weekly Blog #1

Plagiarism is a term I've first come to heard when I reached the last year of my Elementary years in Grade Seven. I remember vividly like it was yesterday. It was near out Elementary graduation day and our entire grade was in the school's computer lab. I remember this image of our teacher standing in front of the lab, gripping his stacks of paper. He voiced his words in his scolding, stern way, since we were only twelve-year-olds that time-only children. He spoke the word 'plagiarism' and asked our twelve-year-old selves meant. Maybe we were all too focused on the lure of the computer screens in front of us, or maybe we really weren't sure of the term. Nobody spoke, so the teacher told us what it was. I remember him giving him examples. It was too long ago, therefore I am unable to remember his words word for word, but my biggest impression of the word was when he told us how serious it was. He informed us that especially since we would be going to Grade 8 next year, our first year of High School in Canada, we would need to know the term 'plagiarism' because it was 'serious business'. Well, I do certainly believe it is serious business because it could become as serious as breaking the law.

According to passage from New York Times, at Rhode Island College, a freshman had copied and pasted word by word from Wikipedia and did not source this knowledge in his assignment (New York Times). Personally, I know that this is something that is wrong. If I were twelve years old now and that teacher of I mentioned earlier had asked me why I think the freshman's actions were wrong, I would have answered, "It's wrong because he only copied and pasted! He probably only spent two minutes on his assignment! I spent half an hour on mine!" The teacher would have maybe laughed a little at my childish response, but he surely would have reprimanded me on my childlike ignorance as well. Because today I am aware of that is considered stealing, when you don't cite somebody's words and claim them as your own. There are dire consequences that follow those actions, such as a failed paper, a slash to your own dignity, and most likely a disappointed advisor.

When plagiarism occurred, it was dealt with. In a college, where if a student performed plagiarism, he or she would be admonished or scolded as if he or she had stolen from Mom's cookie jar (The New York Times). Although, in the article, there is a bigger concern. Writing tutors and official representation for disciple suggest that many students simply do not grasp that using words they do not write is a serious matter (The New York Times). Going back to my reference on Mom's cookie jars, it is just like how a kid is scolded for stealing from the cookie jar, but in the kid's mind, he or she is only aware that if he or she were to do it again, Mom would give another earful. To the kid, the cookies tastes good, and only Mom and the word 'stealing' act as a barrier keeping the kid away from the cookies. As kids, they don't really understand why except that it's bad and that they'll get in trouble. Somehow, I feel like I can apply this to how young people today feel about plagiarism. They aren't able to understand the seriousness. Therefore they aren't able to reflect upon their actions.

"This generation has always existed in a world where media and intellectual property don't have the same gravity. When you're sitting at your computer, it's the same machine you've downloaded music with, possibly illegally, the same machine you streamed videos for free that showed on HBO last night." said Ms. Brookover (The New York Times). I don't doubt Ms. Brookover's words in the slightest. It is definitely true how our generation today is completely exposed to intellectual property. The easy access to knowledge is only a click away. Therefore I believe that learning how to properly cite sources is essential. Even if our generation is not used to it because knowledge is so accessible, it is something that should be regularly practiced. After all, like the words of an Indiana College student said towards relaxing plagiarism standards "does not foster creativity, but foster laziness" (The New York Times).

To wrap things up, I just want to end on the note that if students were properly taught how to cite sources in high school, they will be less tempted to plagiarize in college. Because if it is engrained into their system, then it would become a habit. It would be just like how I am used to writing my date and name on the top right corner on the pages in my notebook. Regularity with citation can be achieved, but it has to be taught.

References

Sites

"Plagiarism Lines Blur for Students in Digital Age" The New York Times,
Aug 01, 2010. Web. Sept 06, 2010.

Link Here

Images

Bart Simpsons Image

*The original creator of the image could not be found, but the picture

was found from this link.

HW Schedule

Monday: 8:30pm-11:00pm

Tuesday: 8:3opm-11:00pm

Wednesday: 8:30pm-11:00pm

Thursday: 8:30pm-11:00pm

Friday: none

Saturday: 8:00pm-11:00pm

Sunday: 8:00pm-11:00pm

This really varies because I like to take random naps and also depending on the amount of homework or whether or not there are tests. If there is a test the next day, I will most likely stay up late.

Suggestions?

How Was Nuclear War Avoided?

       There was almost a war that took place after the Cuban Missile Crisis, but what seemed like an inevitable war was cleanly avoided. Under the leadership of the President of the United States, John F. Kennedy and with confrontation with Chairman Khrushchev from the USSR met to discuss the offensive weapons situated in Cuba. With the threat of these missiles that had missile ranges that targeted the States, there was fear of a breakout of a nuclear war. Therefore, how was this avoided? Why weren't the missiles in Cuba launched?

     It is almost effortless to start a war in a situation such as this. The only way that this did not result in a calamity is because of both sides reluctance to start a nuclear war. To avoid this at all cost, President Kennedy first came up with the quarantine idea that would form a sort of blockade on the ships heading to

ward Cuba that could possibly carry materials for the illegal operations going on in Cuba during the 1960s. Following up to this, letters were sent between Khrushchev and Kennedy as a further negotiation to discuss peacefully rather than setting missile launchers at each other. 

    They eventually did come to a compromise, a bargain. They did not resort to quid pro quo, as in removal of missiles in Cuba in exchange for the removal of missiles in Turkey. Instead, the two powers settled on the American's open promise that no invasions will ever be made at Cuba. In exchange to this, Cubans would willingly undergo professional and proper inspection of their weapons situated in Cubans by the Americans. These terms of settlements made, war was avoided. 

    What I think helped the most was both country's desire to avoid war. After all, it was the last thing both super powers wanted. Missiles in Cubans were placed in Cuba to ensure security, but yet it still provided a threat towards the United States. If President Kennedy had not shown empathy and if both leaders had not known to place themselves in each other's shoes, this understanding of wanting to protect one's country would not have been confirmed. 

Atomic Bomb

Two atomic bombs was dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki by the Americans on September 6th, 1945 and September 8th, 1945. The drop of the bombs brought the United State's victory over Japan  seven days later on September 15th, 1945. 

          The fatal decision on whether to drop the bomb over a Japanese city was made by the next president after Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry S. Truman. In Truman's diary, the tone of his voiced showed the terror of what the bomb was capable of. It was a bomb very capable of destroying many lives, as it did, stealing the lives of the citizens of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Indeed, it was a choice made by one person on whether to drop the bomb and if it was the right course of action to take. 

          Harry S. Truman made the decision to drop the bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, he knew of the consequences and he was aware of the pros and cons. The biggest reason why the States and other countries including Great Britain, Canada, and Germany was that they wanted Japan to surrender and to scare the USSR. USA did not want to "waste" the atomic bombs in a demonstration and hence dropped it in the unsuspecting cities in Japan. Not only did it cause Japan to surrender, the US was winning the war.

          Of course, when the bomb was dropped, high death casualties was on the rise. Since "Little Boy" and "Fat Man" was dropped on the bigger and more prosperous city in Japan, other cities in Japan had already been destroyed. The number of cities destroyed had reached sixty. In the end, Japan was only a part of a political war between the US and the USSR. As a justification of 2 billion people, the decision of dropping the deadly atomic bombs was made. 

          I believe that it was an unwise decision to drop the bomb. It may have brought victory to the Americans, but too many lives had been taken away and destroyed two very big cities. There is also the fact that the Americans did not give enough time for the Japanese to surrender before dropping the bomb. In this case, the bomb dropping and people dying could have been avoided because the Japanese would have considered the decision of surrendering had there been more time for a conditional surrender. 

            Another reason why I think that the bomb dropping decision made by Harry S. Truman was an unwise one is because of the unclear instructions that was given out. From Truman's diary excerpt, it could be clearly read that he had ordered the bomb to be dropped on military selection only, and not civilians including women and children. If the bomb had to be dropped, it should have only been aimed at the large selection of Japanese army instead of destroying the entire two cities, Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Therefore, this unclear order given out from Truman got lost and in turn, became- in my opinion- an unwise decision and two disastrous bombs were dropped and the American's celebrated their victory over the Japanese.

The Creation of Benjamin Button

Benjamin TED Talk     

     In movies when it came to characters aging, special effects were limited. Instead of using complete computer generated special effects, movie producers hired different actors to play the different ages of one character. Although, in the newest movie starring Brad Pitt, movie productions had a whole new challenge they wanted to tackle. Their challenge? How to make the main character, Benjamin Button age while still looking like Brad. That, had never been accomplished in the movie industry. 

      If it was something that the movie industry had never accomplished, then they would have to think outside the box. They could not just simply place Brad's head on another actor's body. No, they had to alter his face so that layers of wrinkles are shown, droopy eyelids, and a crinkly forehead of an eighty-four year old Benjamin Button would appear on forty-three year old actor Brad Pitt. This was an experiment, without knowing if the outcome would be favourable or not. 

      They had to face their problem, they had to pull together something for the movie board, to show them that yes, they would be able to get the special effects down, and capable of creating a character that goes through his entire life in the movie. Their hypothesis? 'We've got a problem.' How could eighty or so of the movie crew finish shooting half of the movie without using all of Brad Pitt instead of just only his facial features? Their only way out... was to bring everyone together and have numerous meetings... thinking outside the box... They had to break down the steps, analyze, gather data and go beyond anyone's expectations.

     What these people could not find within the movie industry, they searched for possible answers elsewhere. Where could to find technology they could use to help age Benjamin Button? They had to gather materials and create an analysis and constantly experiment. They had a breakthrough though, when they completely remade and upgraded a motion

 capture device for the face. The device could capture hundreds of little movements a human face was capable of making. They used this handy technology and placed in on Brad to capture the expressions Benjamin Button would make in the movie. Successful experimenting and analyzing? Yes.

     With this advancement, the people behind the movie could take this technology and go somewhere with it. They could now use four actors of different stature and build, looking nothing like Brad and make them appear like Brad as he aged. Therefore, this was the basics of what they were looking for. This was the building block, the very structure of what t

hey needed to advance further into the challenges they faced. Next, more experimenting and analyzing. Lighting? Camera angle? And of course, excellent acting skills.

     Their prospect of whether to go with production of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button had been floating around with executive producers wondering if such a technological equipped with mounds of special effects based project would be possible. They had their little what ifs.. they admitted they had a problem, they drew a hypothesis, they gathered their materials and they experimented, and analyzed. A group of people, with the hopes to bring motion capture of a novel to an on-screen movie reached a conclusion and successfully brought The Curious Case of Benjamin Button to the top of the box office, with 13 Academy Award nominations including Best Pictures.