So long, farewell, adeiu adeiu adeiu ...

Dear Self,
Upon leaving this class you will look at the world much differently. You will be better prepared for uncomfortable situations and you will also have a better understanding of other individuals (put that sociological imagination to use!). You are well aware that you are a white, middle-class, male, and so automatically people are going to assume you have been handed everything. You know that your values and views can be challenged, but in the end it is up to you to make the final decision. It is important to continue participating in philanthropic activities and working with those who are less fortunate. It is also important to be more critical of the media, and not to take it to heart. You are also aware that you can choose to change the station on the television, surf the web at your own free will and also read whatever you would like. Oh and last but not least, you are extremely happy to be done with college! So from the words of the children in the Sound of Music- So long, farewell, adeiu, adeiu adeiu...

-CJ

public opinion

I would say that ‘Public Opinion’ by Walter Lippmann is a very difficult read, but one that has a clear objective. Lippmann feels that consumers of media are controlled by a small group of elite people. This small group could be referred to as ‘gatekeepers’ because they control the medium. Lippmann attacks democracy and has a negative outlook on messages that are being received through media. He feels that democracy cannot exist, because this small group is controlling the consumers and that consumers have no choice of the messages they receive. This is where I think Lippmann is wrong.

If Lippmann’s theory was true then democracy would have fallen by now. I also think that Lippmann would have a hard time explaining the internet. Consumers of media can find anything they want on the internet and there is no group that is controlling those messages. With news channels and newspapers using the web to broadcast news on their sites, people can pick and choice what they want to take in. Also sites like Youtube.com allow consumers to create their own videos. People are able to search the web and find exactly what they are looking for with little or no difficulty. Consumers become gatekeepers.

I think back to Pecola and her fascination with Shirley Temple. She drove herself mad because the gatekeepers fed into her own insecurities. Pecola felt that she was not beautiful, but rather beauty looked more like Shirley Temple. People create pictures in their head from media, as we learned in class, and take the message to be fact. Lippmann felt that democracy wouldn’t work because the average citizen was not informed enough to make certain decisions. Overall, Lippmann makes sense, but he is pessimistic. If he were to consider today’s society, he may change his views a little bit.

money, fame and nice rides...hyperreality

After reading the Baudrillard article I started to think about images that I have in my head. Where did I come up with them? Why do I value certain things and other things not so much? I feel that I do gather some of my values from media and other values from my family, my upbringing, and my dramatic life thus far. However, it was not until I read a quote from the article that made me realize how reality can be manipulated. The article reads:

“Wherein previous periods, the news would present the facts and leave the viewer/reader to come to their own conclusion, nowadays the facts, which are chosen to be shown, are carefully selected and manipulated so as to create a story.” (http://journal.ilovephilosophy.com)

I would have to agree that a great deal of my knowledge comes from the messages that I have received through a particular gatekeeper. In the case of the article Baudrillard is referring to media, such as television or newspapers, but I thought it is also related to teachers, parents and other role models. All of these people are gatekeepers and they too have the ability to chose which facts (or even which part of facts) they are going to present to their audience(s).
Even though political/ personal values are not always appropriate for a class, I have noticed that some of the professors at Westminster let their values creep into the classroom by the information that is presented. I remember one particular class I left so irritated because only one side of a debate was covered and the other side was never addressed. Without having any other knowledge than what was presented in class, some students may have accepted that information as the complete story.
Media does a great job at only telling one side of a story and covering what is best to get the biggest paycheck. That is how images can be created in our heads and stereotypes can be carried forward. I know that many people live sheltered lives and take what they see on television as reality, but in actuality it is just an “illusion”, as Baudrillard might suggest.
I considered the television shows that I watch. I know that in real life cancer isn’t cured in one episode of House or that it isn’t normal for an 18 year old to drive a shiny new BMW convertible. I laughed after thinking of this because I am always complaining that I need a new car because my “old” 2002 model is out of date and not sporty enough, but it is only Lauren and her friends from Laguna Beach that live that lifestyle.
The next thought that I had was the massacre at Virginia Tech. I do not know any of these students, but I felt a connection to them. I felt horrible and I just kept watching the news to see if there was any more information presented. I found myself extremely depressed after watching this footage.
I was checking my email earlier today and found a message from Babs Quincy the school counselor. She gave a list of suggestions to help cope with all the new information. Number four on the list suggests that students should, “limit the amount of time that you watch details about the tragedy on TV”. I thought it was interesting and related to our class because students may find themselves more and more confused by the images they are watching on the television. It is probably just best to wait and let the real detail emerge.


The Baudrillard article closes with this a key statement:

“The belief of ordinary people in tremendously exaggerated stories rather than in their reality, and the way these narratives/stories/images are used, is the arena of hyperreality for Baudrillard.” (http://journal.ilovephilosophy.com)

This statement sums up the whole idea of hyperreality and that situations are exaggerated to create better stories. As we learned in class today, it is easier to get these exaggerated stories with the use of radio (and now television/internet) that creates easy access to a story for a much larger audience. I feel that it is important that people become aware the information they are digesting and maybe even second guess some of the “facts”.

*note the class that I discuss in the blog is not one associated with our cluster...just for clarification purposes :) *

Poetic Justice

I feel very confident that our project is coming together nicely. We have had a few different meetings with Joselyn and we have also filmed a poetry slam. Our interview went well, but the only thing that I am worried about is how the actual footage turned out. I know that we moved the camera around while filming and it may not look too smooth.

The project has been a learning experience and I am really enjoying making this documentary. Joselyn even said that she is excited about our project and that it would be enough to inspire her for a new poem. I think that she feels comfortable enough to talk with us and she is not holding anything back. “Poetic Justice” should be a hit!

American Idol

The only show that I watch on a regular basis is American Idol. “American Idol” is a friendly competition that people enjoy watching. The proof is in the ratings. “American Idol” is so popular that it is number one and number two on the Nielson Charts because it airs on two separate nights. This past Tuesday approximately 29 million viewers tuned in to see the performances. The next day on Wednesday it dropped down to 27 million viewers. I guess Gwen just wasn’t keeping the Idol fans on the edge of their seats.

The show is so popular that the other shows in similar timeslots would not even compare; we have “Gilmore Girls” and “Dateline”, but “American Idol” still towers above them both. I feel that if Idol moved to a different slot it would do well wherever it went. The only possible time that ratings might fall would be if it were in the afternoon which would never happen.

Life as House (2001)

Straight-forward, enjoyable and emotional- that is the best way to describe “Life as a House”. “Life as a House” is a great movie to watch and not have to worry about sifting through confusing details. Hayden Christensen plays the part of a gothic teenage boy who is angry at the world, especially his parents who divorced ten years prior. He plans on going to a cabin for the summer with his friends to drink, do drugs and forget about life, but his plans come to a quick halt. His father, George (Kevin Kline), demands that Sam (Christensen) come to live with him and help him build a house. George feels that he and his son will grow closer by this experience and hopefully Sam will get out of his depressive mood and quit doing drugs.
At first Sam plans on leaving his father’s house after only one day. He decides to stay after Alyssa, the girl next door, comes of to talk to him. Little did Sam know, but this would be a very memorable summer in more than one way. As the summer continued Sam and his father grew closer and Sam also began to find happiness and a reason for living through his new relationship with Alyssa.
Just as things seemed to be going great, Sam’s father came clean with his motives. George only had a few months to live and he wanted to build a relationship and a house with his son during their last few months together.
Sam takes the news baldy and refuses to talk to his father for a few days. Alyssa tells Sam that he should spend what little time he has left with his father. Through the use of camera close-ups and music viewers can feel what the characters are going through.
A few more tangles in the plot help to fuel the emotion. A mother and father reunite and a tragedy from the past is brought forward. Viewers find themselves on the edge of their seats after the movie starts rolling. It has a slow start, but a great payoff at the end. It is hard to keep emotions hidden during this film. “Life as a House” can come to mean many things.

"Crash" ... this one you'll remember

If you’re looking for an intense storyline and a harsh look at reality then “Crash” is the movie for you. While watching this picture you have to remain objective and watch how the story unfolds and each character acts or reacts to each individual situation. Through twists and turns viewers see how each of the characters in the movie are connected, but most of them aren’t even aware of the others existence or personal life. A statement from the official website for “Crash” best describes it: “They all live in Los Angeles. And in the next 36 hours, they will collide…” (www.crashfilm.com)

What is most interesting about the film is the reality of it all. As viewers are enticed from one scene to the next they soon realize that everyone has prejudice thoughts and which sometimes can even lead to discriminatory actions. One of the main characters, Jean (Sandra Bullock), is irate after she and her husband were carjacked. She yells at her husband, Rick (Brendan Fraser), not only about being carjacked by black men, but also that there is a Hispanic man, Daniel (Michael Pena), changing the locks in their home. She demands that they have someone else change them in the morning because this man will probably sell the keys.
The plot only thickens because more characters are introduced after the men who hijacked Jean’s car accidentally run over a “China man”. They drop him off to the hospital and leave so they can sell the Lincoln to a chop shop. The Asian man’s wife is on the way to the hospital when she herself gets into a car accident and finds herself in an arguing match with a woman who makes fun of her speaking skills.

Since the police are on the lookout for a stolen Lincoln vehicle they pull over a black man and his wife who are driving a vehicle fitting the description. The officers see that the driver and his wife are black, and since he was in power and being racist he decided to give them a hard time. Officer Ryan (Matt Dillon) ends up touching the woman, Christine (Thandie Newton), inappropriately while her husband is forced to watch.

This would not be the last encounter he would have with her. Later in the movie Officer Ryan must pull Christine from a fiery car accident to save her life. The plot continues to thicken, but the main message is clear: racism is everywhere. Whether a person is in a majority group or minority group, stereotypes perpetuate racism. Everyone continues to hold views of one another, until they “crash” into one another and are faced with reality.

Overall the movie is excellent. It is very insightful and will wake people up to every day situations around them. The film can be a bit confusing if you do not have time to sit and watch the storyline play out. There are many more characters and pieces to the puzzle for this movie and it is worth the time to watch it and figure it out for yourself. I would most definitely give this movie an “A” and recommend it for viewers who aren’t afraid to awaken to reality.

Philo T.

Philo T. Farnsworth was the man noted for the invention of television, but I would go as far as to say that most people would never know it. People wouldn’t even be able to find this information easily in a books or archives. A documentary, “Big Dream, Small Screen”, tells the tale of man who discovered television. The documentary tells how television was stolen from Farnsworth by a huge corporation- RCA. RCA couldn’t handle the thought of paying royalties to some small town nobody, but instead they were willing to beg, borrow or steal (as the story goes) in order to guarantee their claim to fame with television. With that mentality and drive an RCA official, David Sarnoff and Russian scientist, Vladimir Zworykin raced to build a television before Farnsworth. The battle between RCA and Farnsworth would go on for years. Farnsworth finished and showed viewers his creation, but RCA wouldn’t stop. They wanted to be acknowledged for producing the television.
Through long court battles and appeals, Farnsworth finally won the rights. His health had declined over the many years of fighting and RCA never gave him a break. He was the little man fighting the big corporation. Even though he had a patent RCA still fought for power. Farnsworth would only have victory for a short amount of time because soon after his big win the government put a ban on commercial television. It was a time of war and the television was used for the military. Farnsworth’s patent would soon run out and the rights for television production would become public. There is a memorial for Farnsworth in his home state, Utah.
Throughout the documentary many different people speak or are quoted about this misfortune. Philo T. Farnsworth was robbed of his great creation and would never truly reap the benefits of its success. The documentary does a great job of informing viewers of the ups and downs of the case. It is also very thorough in explaining the details of the steps of the television. Without “Big Dream, Small Screen” people may never about this young farmer who created television. It sounds outlandish that a young farm boy would beat a Russian scientist to the discovery of television, but through the great detail of the story it is evident. Hopefully people will be able to gain insight of the history of television by watching this educational documentary.

The Bluest Eye

Toni Morrison’s’ “The Bluest Eye” is written about black families living in poverty. The two main characters, Pecola and Claudia are preteens who share different views of their African American culture. Claudia is more secure and satisfied with being African American. Pecola, however, wants nothing more than to look like her idol, Shirley Temple.
The girls struggle through life with completely different families. Claudia comes from a loving home whereas Pecola comes from a family that is rather dysfunctional. Her father is an alcoholic that is unreliable and forceful; her mother is hard working but shows more love for her boss’s white child. Pecola never received love, she only got the repeated message that she was ugly. Claudia hated that black people, like Pecola, wanted to be white. She refused to play with a white baby doll and she ripped it apart to find out why everyone loves it. She doesn’t find anything different on the inside.
Claudia and Pecola represent more than just two children living hard lives. The message is showing the hardships of these African American families and also how obsessing over something you cant have can drive a person mad. People need to be secure with themselves and understand that differences in people make them unique. Pecola drives herself mad because she wants to have the ‘bluest eyes’.
Toni Morrison does a thorough job explaining the difficulties these characters faced, but the narration got to be a bit confusing. At times it is not clear of who is speaking or even what they are trying to say. The book is geared more towards African American women and their understanding of the happenings in the girls’ lives. The book can teach a lesson to all people who are willing to keep an open mind.

documentary

I feel that a documentary is a production that is intended for educational purposes. It can be used for classroom purposes, but it may lend its knowledge to anyone who wants to learn more on a specific topic. We have seen many different clips in class that have forced us to look at a topic more in-depth and create our own point of view on the subject. Basically any type of segment that is geared towards making people gain knowledge on a subject could be considered a documentary; reality shows, news stories, and the like can inform individuals on a subject they might not have previously been aware of or known much about. When looking at how documentaries have changed over time, you can see a clear difference with the media that is available for a particular time period.
When we watched “A Class Divided” we were watching a news special on an event that happened in the 1960’s. It has been a useful tool for everyone to learn about discrimination. That clip differs from some things that are available today. We have new ways to get media and watch a documentary. Internet sites, such as youtube.com, now allow people to watch and post documentaries. We now have a larger selection to choose from and a chance to add our comments. We in a sense become our own gatekeepers. People can choose to watch documentaries on television or on the internet and also what documentaries they want to watch. There is pretty much something for everyone. I had never really worked with youtube.com, so I was not completely sure of what all was out there, but if I found that if I need to search for a topic this site makes it much easier to find a documentary. I went to youtube.com and simply typed in “documentary” and found pages of documentaries from strange things such as, how to eat sushi all the way to more serious things like child abuse.
When I think of a documentary I think of a show that is focused on exposing something or educating people on a topic. It is very impressive when experts are used to reinforce this information and make it more credible. Upon watching some of the documentaries I was shocked to see some of the people who produced them. One guy sounded like he dropped out of school in the eighth grade, while others were produced by more credible sources such as PBS. I also find that feelings can be evoked by music in certain circumstances. If the documentary is on something that is sad, a slow song would add to the effect and make people feel how they people feel in the production. I personally do not find it mandatory to have a narrator, but it is helpful.
Documentaries could be produced by anyone, but it is up to the viewer to choose what they want to watch and if it is credible or not. I read on a website (http://www.indiewire.com/onthescene/onthescene_040702docs.html) that Morgan Spurlock used a definition from Webster’s dictionary while describing a documentary as, “A work, such as a film or television program, presenting political, social, or historical subject matter in a factual and informative manner and often consisting of actual news films or interviews accompanied by narration.” I feel that this definition is quite clear and concise as to what a documentary could fall under.

30 days

The second season of an FX hit “30 Days” has proved to be rather controversial. With issues on, Immigration, Religion, and Jail the show may leave some viewers feeling a bit heated. According the FX website, the executive producer, Morgan Spurlock, is known for the production of his own movie, “Super Size Me”, where he documents his daily eating habits at a fast food restaurant chain. Spurlock captured the essence of reality television by allowing his life to be filmed without any outside interference.
The hit show “30 Days” continues his success by looking at more charged issues and allowing viewers to experience life from a different point of view. A person from a different culture or background is put in a setting for 30 days that they are not familiar with and they have no control as to what happens to them. The show documents the 30 days to see what changes, if any are made by this enriching experience.
A recent episode on Immigration allowed a self appointed Minuteman, “Frank”, to move into a home with a family of illegal immigrants. Frank was born in another country, but migrated with his family legally. He feels that it is his duty to pick up the governments slack and enforce the immigration laws. His new family for the next 30 days feels that they should be granted citizenship and immigration should be accepted in the United States.
The opening scene is a view of the Statue of Liberty while her message, “The New Colossus”, is narrated in the background, "Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!" This is a message that seems to go against the laws of the country. The illegal family, Paty, Rigo, and their children are confused as to why they cannot be part of this country; they are tired, poor, yearning to breathe free and pretty much homeless. Frank feels that they would be welcomed if they immigrated legally. What he does not yet realize is how hard legal immigration is for a poverty stricken family coming from nothing to a land of opportunity. The want, the need and the desire to be an American is overwhelming. The challenge of the film is for Frank to overcome his preconceived stereotypes, but it may prove to be harder some think. Author Walter Lippman discusses that people tend to associate with those that are most like them and make treaties and laws that benefit them, but what they do not know is how these laws will affect those who are not like them. The documentary forces Frank to experience a different culture and makes him examine his beliefs about the laws of the country that he calls home.
The documentary covers many different angles and is brilliantly filmed, which gets two thumbs up review from me. The producers do an excellent job at allowing both sides to be shown without focusing more on one side or another. The main gatekeeper for this show is the viewer. It is up to the viewers to watch the documentary that is pitted up against other hour long shows at this hour. The agenda setting is done by the schedule of the show in many different ways, such as the time it is aired, and also what the producers want the viewers to see from each episode in the way that it is filmed and edited. The filmmakers only have an hour to get across the information they want their viewers to see, feel and interpret. Controversial topics allow viewers to form their own opinions through the agenda of the producers. The documentary will keep viewers on the edge of their seats if they feel particularly strong about a certain subject. I would definitely recommend anyone to challenge themselves by watching this program for an hour, or even better yet: live the life of someone else for “30 days”.

Blog B

As I was reading the Lippman chapter about Stereotypes as Defense, I found myself making a connection to an event that happened earlier that day. I had to run into a store in New Castle and my friends decided just to wait for me in the car. While I was gone a black man pulled up and parked next to my car. He kept starring at my friends and they got nervous and locked the doors. He then got out of his car and knocked on the window of my car, which made my friends feel extremely nervous at this point. The put the window down just a tiny bit and asked him what he wanted. He said, “do you guys go to Mohawk?” and after they assured him they did not he got back into his car and left.
When I got back into the car they told me the situation and thought it probably had something to do with a drug deal and that was the code question. I myself thought nothing of their comment, but later as I was reading I began to think about the situation and what was said. Lippman explains that if people have a pre-conceived image in their head of a certain type of person then they can interpret a situation to reinforce that idea. Just as my friends might have used this situation to reinforce the image of drug dealer or even a black man, Lippman explains, “If what we are looking at corresponds successfully with what we anticipated, the stereotype is reinforced for the future, as it is in a man who knows in advance that the Japanese are cunning and has the bad luck to run across two dishonest Japanese”(Lippman p. 55). Luckily enough I have had other experiences with black people and I do not use this situation to reinforce that stereotype, but there are some people the may not feel the same way. Say for an example that situation occurred to a student who was from a town with an all white population. That situation might have reinforced a stereotype they had. So to me a stereotype would be a conception that a person has or an image that they carry with them until they learn otherwise. That is why taking a multicultural education class, or a minority/majority class could benefit people by ridding them of these misconceptions.

Blog A

The media that I use most is the internet. Rumor has it that Al Gore was the person behind the creation of internet. However, I feel that it is simply just that- a rumor. While reading Chapter 2 of Hanson, I found that AOL bought Time Warner. Time Warner came from the owners of Time magazine and Warner Communications, “which had grown out of the Warner Brothers movie studio”(Hanson pg 42). Luckily for AOL, Time Warner owned some cable stations too! The next thing you know the internet is available through cable, which is much faster than dial up; the screeching sounds are a thing of the past.
Going even deeper into the past of the internet, I read that it was mainly used for communication for the military and some business offices. They truly knew the benefits of communication through the internet and finally decided to share it with the rest of the world. Each and everyday the internet is changing. New websites have been known to cause a change in people’s leisure activities. Before some people may have spent their time surfing chat rooms, blogspots, or online journals, but with the birth of Myspace and Facebook the need for some of those sites has dwindled.
Time magazine has made the person of the year, “you”, because people are spending most of their time doing things for themselves. I would say the internet is mainly run by its consumers. It is up to consumers to find websites they are interested in, and continue using them. Companies have found way to add “spam” to our email, or have pesky “pop-ups” while we are surfing the net, but there are programs manufactured to cut back on that interference. The internet has changed society and allowed the world to become global.

3rd post

The first idea that comes to mind when I think of stereotypes in the media would have to be the caveman commercial. The commercial is meant to be funny, but it does prove a point. People get stereotypes from the media. People take the image that they see on television and apply it to reality. People are guily of creating all kinds of beliefs off of one medium.
Reality is limited because people may be thrown off by media. They may feel that they know all that they need to know about a subject, or a person because they saw it on televison or read about it on the internet. People are limiting themselves and not getting a first hand experience. Television shows often portray minorities as trouble makers or some sort of criminal. Some people may be afraid of African Americans because of what they learned about them on t.v.
By engaging in more media you can further your beliefs in more than one way. You may learn that what you learned from one form of media, may not be the same on a different type. Take television for an example, you may watch Law and Order SVU and think that African Americans are a bunch of criminals, but then you change station and watch the Crosby show and see a family just like yours. Or you may never change the channel and just simply see minorities as criminals and refuse to believe anything different.
It is up to you to interpret media and remain open to different experiences. If we decide to let other people, such as news reporters or even celebrities give us our knowledge on things, we wont ever know first hand what we would think for ourselves.

favorite media missing.

I would have to say that the internet is my favorite type of media. I hardly ever turn my computer off, because I like to have access to the internet whenever I want and whenever I want. I much prefer to email, rather than making a phone call or physically writing a letter. I find that I am able to keep in touch with my friends better and that I actually find different websites, such as myspace or facebook useful.
The first and most important thing about the internet is that it is efficient. I can mulitask while I sit at my computer. I am able to do my homework, talk to my friends and write emails for different orginzations that im involved with. Different websites that I visit on a daily basis are facebook, myspace and the westminster homepage for the calendar or to check my email.
If I was not able to access the internet I would feel a little annoyed. As I mentioned before, the internet is very efficient and it allows me to do more than one activity at once. Without the internet I would have to spend the time writing out letters (and taking them to the post office), finding other ways to contact my friends and do quick research. I think that many people experience the loss of internet while on vacation (especially if they are camping or visiting a place that is not wired for the internet). It is a strange feeling. I always feel disconnected from the world. I usually get the daily news from the internet as well, so I feel like i am out of the loop.
It would not be impossible to live without the internet, because clearly people survived before the internet was invented by Al Gore. I would have to find alternate means of going about my daily routine. I would probably not know what is going on with friends from high school, because I would not bother keeping in contact without using webpages such as Myspace of Facebook.

Media Checklist

1.) How often do you use the telephone? Who do you call most often?
-I usually use my cell phone when I need to get in contact with my friends, which is somewhere between 10-20 phone calls a day. While I am at school, I will call home occasionally to see how my family is doing. My friends are who I talk to the most.
2.) When's the last time you listened to a speech or public speaker where you were physically in the audience (not required for class)? What was it and why?
-A few weeks ago I went to church, but that is probably the only time I've listend to a speaker on a completely voluntary basis.
3.) How often do you use IM? Name two people on your buddy list or people you frequently chat with.
-I usually keep an away message up while signed onto IM, but I hardly ever talk with anyone. If I do talk to people it is either Jim or Brittany.
4.) How often do you use email?
-I use it on a daily basis. I have to email profs, friends, classmates and also different performing artists or their agents when I'm dealing with programming stuff for CPC.
5.) When's the last time you paid for music to listen to? What was it? CD? iTunes? concert?
-I probably havent paid for any music for over a year. I rarely buy CD's or go to concerts. I dont download music either; I mainly just listen to the radio or CD's that people bring/leave in my car.
6.) What's the most recent thing you've watched on TV? Why?
-I watched NEXT on MTV for the past hour. Someone else had MTV on while I was at work, so I watched it rather than doing homework.
7.) When's the last time you recorded a movie or televison program? What was it?
-My friend used my TV/VCR to record American Idol the other night because she had formal recruitment and had to miss the show.
8.) Name the most recent movie you watched for fun at the theater? DVD?
-I went to see a lot of movies over break, but the most recent one is "Pursuit of Happyness" with Will Smith. The last DVD I watched was called "Pulse".
9.) Name the type of radio station you last listened to & why?
-I last listened to digital 88.9 because it plays on all of the speakers in MCC.
10.) Name the most recent book you read for YOU (not a class)? Why?
-I dont think I have ever picked up a book for my own reading pleasure. I always fall asleep when I have reading assignments for class, so I dont bother reading when its not required.
11.) When was the last time you read a newspaper? Name it? Why were you reading it?
-I read the Sharon Harold today. I was looking for a new apt. for next year, but I had no success. 12.) Same question #5, but apply it to a magazine.
-I have never purchased a magazine, but I always read magazines that are laying around my apt. from my friend, Brittany. She always buys them and leaves them for me to read.
13.) When's the last time you wrote a letter and sent it?
-When I was a freshman in college, I mailed a letter to a friend who lives far away.
14.) Name a web site you frequent or have bookmarked on your browser? When's the last time you visited? Why?
-Myspace is currently pulled up on my computer. I like to talk to friends and update my page frequently.
15.) Do you have a "Myspace" or "Facebook" or blog? Why?
-I have both Myspace and Facebook, but not a blog. I like to keep in touch with my friends and look at pictures of my friends on both sites. I do not become friends with anyone I do not know, because I find most people creepy.