What's with the Last Name of "Peterson"

One of the most fascinating stories in the news lately is that of Drew Peterson and his alleged involvement in the deaths of his third and fourth wives. He is intriguing; he truly believes that putting his story on TV will prove his innocence when most of the country as already labeled him GUILTY.

Peterson reminds me of some other men, namely Scott Peterson (what a coincidence there) & O.J. Simpson, who have been accused of killing their wives. Do we really believe that his third wife's cause of death was accidental drowning? Does he really seem that upset at the recent disappearance of his fourth wife? And can we stop here for a moment and ask why his forth wife is 20 years his junior? I think Drew Peterson is as guilty as sin. I've seen multiple interviews with the guy, and he lacks credibility. He can keep telling lies and he can keep avoiding the line of sight of the people who interview him, but he will get caught sooner or later. It's amusing to watch a guy who thinks he has everyone fooled when we all know he's sweating bullets and freaking out behind that blank face.

In the case of Scott Peterson, I actually believed that guy for a time. There was something about his eyes that caused me to trust him, and he looked so distraught over his wife's death. The logos, ethos, and pathos were all working together for me when I listened to Scott. It was gut-wrenching to find out the truth. I wanted it to be someone else, but I was gravely disappointed and realized I drastically misjudged his character.

We'll see what happens to good 'ol Drew. I hope they nail his ass to the wall...the evidence is mounting! To read more, click below.

Drew Peterson on the Today Show

Want a Caption?

Our class discussion last week focused on the relationship between words and images. Do photos really need a caption? Can pictures exist on their own? As a reader, do you feel the need to know what each image is all about? Some of us felt that captions were absolutely necessary. Others felt that words got in the way, tainting a particular photo.

Look at the examples provided and ask yourself whether or not a caption would be beneficial. These photos are some of the most famous in modern history and are ones we've all seen in one publication or another.

If a caption was added to either of these photos, would you feel more informed? Do you think these images beg for words? I believe each of these examples can stand alone. The only thing that may help is simply a "place & time" caption. Anything else would be extraneous. To see more famous images, visit: http://www.worldsfamousphotos.com.

Basketball is a Brotherhood?

Adidas has recently released a new line of print and television advertisements promoting basketball as a brotherhood. These spots feature players like Tracy McGrady, Gilbert Arenas, Tim Duncan, and Kevin Garnett. What do all of these guys have in common? Besides the fact that they are all prominent stars in the NBA, they are also all African Americans.

Watch a sample advertisement courtesy of You-Tube: Basketball is a Brotherhood.

Let's play a game of "What If." What if Callaway released a commercial starring only white golfers with the tagline of "Golf is for Country Clubbers." Or even better, "Golf is for the Private School Crowd." The NAACP would be up in arms faster than you could scream, "FORE!"

I am certainly not proposing that Callaway begin production on a lilly white commercial targeted at the upper crust of our population, but I would like Adidas to consider the message they are sending with their advertisements. On one hand, I can see where they may want to reach out to African American teenagers and youth who should view basketball as a refuge or a sport in which they can feel a sense of community. But on the other hand, this completely elimates those white kids who may be looking for the same sense of belonging.

Honestly, Ellen...Cry Me a River

It seems that Ellen DeGeneres is rather surprised at the reaction she received from the public and the media when she went on national TV last week and cried until her eyes swelled shut. Why did she think she could use her talk show as a platform for a weepy apology regarding a small dog and little kids without any repercussions? Of course the public is going to react! Are you kidding? The only thing that makes people more upset than a sad dog is a sad kid! Doesn't she know that? Clearly she underestimated her audience and their lack of sensibilities.

READ MORE HERE

Hey, I love dogs like it's my job, and I'm sure it was heartbreaking to hear that this dog had been taken away from a family. But couldn't Ellen have resolved this off-air? If she was really so sorry, couldn't she have just taken up her cause with the local SPCA. No. She had to use her position in the public eye to try and get an emotional response from her audience so the SPCA would look like the bad guy and, perhaps, cave to her demands.

The worst part about Ellen's approach is that it is sneaky, it's sly, and it's extremely transparent. Don't get up and say you are so sorry and you are absolutely innocent, and you would do anything to get your dog back. All she cares about is protecting her good name while trying to make herself look good.

I was an Ellen fan, but now she just seems as conniving as the rest...

Spreading the Good Word

On October 14th, Joel Osteen, the man behind Houston's Lakewood Church, was interviewed on CBS's 60 Minutes. On any given Sunday, over 7 million people worldwide tune in to his sermons to be inspired and motivated to make a change in their lives. Recently, prominent theologians have criticized Osteen's work and have said that he is deluding religion and is making a mockery of Christianity.

Below is a link to the interview:

60 Minutes Interview

After watching the full 11 plus minutes of this interview, I was struck by many things. First of all, the space in which Osteen preaches every week is an old basketball arena which he and his wife spent over $100 million to renovate. One hundred million dollars? Does this not seem a little excessive? I was blown away at what Osteen was willing to shell out for what he calls a life of health, wealth, and happiness. He teaches people to stay positive and to believe in the good Lord, for he will provide if you think happy thoughts. Misleading? I think so. Is he doing a disservice to his followers? He must be doing something right because the church raises over $43 million a year and gets an additional $30 million a year through the mail. But Osteen does draw the line somewhere. He never asks for money on TV. He waits to pass around huge silver buckets when the cameras are off...how Christian of him.

Think What You Want, Say What You Mean...Sometimes

The below link will take you to an intriguing article regarding our dear friend, Google.

http://www.news.com/2100-1023-963132.html

This country is obsessed with free speech and free thought, but at the same time, corporations, governmental agencies, and the like are trying to protect us from information that could be offensive or harmful. Why can't I make my own decisions? If I want to access a particular website or read a certain piece of literature, I should be allowed to do that. I certainly should not have to worry about info that is being swept under the carpet because someone else is supposedly looking out for my best interests. What a load that is.

Touche

In general, do Americans tend to whine and complain? I think so.

Do they shy away from taking action when asked to affect change? I think so.

Do we expect someone else to take care of our problems? I think so.

This poster illustrates the attitude of many in our country today. We are quick to judge and are quick to complain, but we are not quick to take action. Most people would rather sit back, enjoy a drink, watch TV, and complain about how we live in a quickly deteriorating society full of desperation and chaos.

What about doing something to change the current situation? Even if small actions are taken, people can be happier and can feel as if they are contributing members of society instead of dead weights expecting handouts.

Doucmentaries

Tracking the lives of people through words and images is a powerful way to document particular experiences. These photographs and written accounts are then shared with various audiences with the goal of evoking emotion.

The numerous slide shows posted on YouTube after the tragedy at Virginia Tech are an example of how a collection of images paired with music and words can bring the general public into the experience. I am a Virginia Tech alum and my brother is a current student, so the emotions ran high for me when I first viewed these compilations. I felt for the victims, their families, and the entire community who was shattered in a matter of moments. I still can't watch these slide shows without a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach.

SAMPLE SLIDE SHOW:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l94gMtnV3-Y&mode=related&search

The Blogging Experience

I was not a blogger prior to this class, nor did I read many other blogs. But now I find myself checking the posts of my classmates, and I've stumbled upon other blogs of personal interest while searching the web. I think I'm going to keep publishing on my blog after this class, so stay tuned!

The Garden Club

If you or anyone you know is in a Garden Club, I apologize in advance for what I am about to say.

Now that I got that out of the way, I feel comfortable ranting and raving about the intruders we had at our school yesterday. We are fortunate to have some beautiful spaces on campus for special events and often times, groups from around the area rent the space for their personal use. Well, the Hardy Garden Club were our guests yesterday, although they acted as if they owned the joint. They were holding an interpretive flower arranging contest inspired by classic books. One woman had four flower arrangements on display which depicted the story of Little Women. How do you arrange flowers to reflect a plot? Well these women did. I must admit the arrangements were gorgeous, but the women were unreal. I was walking around taking in the beauty of the flora when I was approached by a nun/librarian/scary old neighbor-looking woman. She said, "Excuse me, you can't be in here. We are judging right now. Do you work here?" Do I work here? I was getting more upset by the minute. Then she said, "If you are a teacher, you can come back around 1:30." Listen Old Maid, you are our guest, we are not yours. I just walked away because I knew I was going to get belligerent. I wanted to snap off a bloom from one of the arrangements, but I took the high road.

In summary, I'm not a huge fan of garden clubs. It seems to be a bunch of snobby women with nothing better to do than cut peonies, roses, and lilies.

Become Your Own Detective

It's amazing what you can find on the web. We've all heard that phrase enough times, but it's true! If you are looking for a home or if you are getting ready to sell, check out this website I recently found:


http://www.dat.state.md.us/sdatweb/real.html

This site allows you to look up real estate prices in Maryland. Type in the address of the property you are scoping, and you can see who currently owns it, how much they paid for it, and how much land they have. Or if you want to know what that pretentious, self-centered couple from down the street paid for their home, you can find that too!

Party in the Lab

I went to the graphics lab last night to do my dreaded iMovie, and it was like a Words & Images reunion. Our class poured into the room to take a reluctant seat at the computer with the knowledge they would be in front of it for at least 3-4 hours. I have to say, this iMovie experience was much better than the first. I figured out that the computer I used for my first iMovie had a different version of the program which caused me to cuss at it. Caroline used that same computer last night and had to switch machines just so she could change the timing of her clips. I know this software if free, but for shit's sake! Let's get some consistency here, please.

Two more weeks, just two more weeks. Lunch on Sunday anyone?

Catalogs

I walk into my apartment building after work and I check the mail. Half of the mail is credit card offers. The other half is CATALOGS! I get more catalogs than anyone else in the building...why is that?!?! I did not sign up for most of them, but I get J. Crew, Red Envelope, Storehouse Furniture, Domino (which I subscribe to, so it's excused), Reader's Digest (which was a gift, also excused), L.L. Bean, White House Black Market, Hecht's, Lands' End, Pottery Barn, Crate & Barrel...the list is endless. I flip through most of them as a way to relax after work, but I should really just toss them. But no, I put them in the magazine rack in my bedroom to collect dust and take up room!

Baked Ziti in a Toaster?

For the process show and tell, I brought in the manual for my toaster oven. I had no idea I could be confused when trying to operate a kitchen appliance with only two knobs to turn, but the manual taught me otherwise. The manual is split into the "operations" section and the "recipe" section. I can toast a piece of bread from light (setting 1) to dark (setting 10). I can broil a chicken breast or a flank steak. I can make mexican bean dip, sea bass, and who knew, BAKED ZITI in my toaster. It's an amazing piece of machinery. I highly recommend the it if you are ready to give your microwave or oven a break.

Suffering from Writer's Block, Lack of Creativity, Whatever You Want to Call It

MY BRAIN IS DEAD...D-E-A-D, DEAD. Thank God it's Friday! I think this brochure is officialy the worst piece I've turned in yet. I can't think of anything good to write, let alone "classify." And on top of all that, we have to work on our iMovie next week. Three more weeks, just three more weeks. That is what I keep telling myself. It still seems like an eternity, though. Time flies when you're having fun...enough said!

Logo Changes

It seems we all agree that UB missed the mark when they lauched their new logo, commercials, print media, etc. Much of what the university was hoping to achieve with the new look is unrealistic in my opinion. No one can rely soley on a marketing campaign or a new logo to change the face of an organization. Changes need to happen internally and those changes need to be made public. Potential students will not choose UB for it's logo, slogan, or commercials. They will select the school because of it's quality programs, it's flexible scheduling, and it's overall reputation. This reputation stems from how the university functions as well as the results (graduates) it produces. This reputation can be enhanced by a logo, but it cannot be created by one.

Classification Show & Tell

Calvert School puts out an annual magazine called "Reflections." We mail to about 4000 alumni, friends, parents, etc. In the back of this piece, we publish alumni notes which are sent in by our faithful supporters. These "notes" list accomplishments, births, recent trips, and other major "life happenings." We group these notes according to graduation year.

View Book Angst

Has anyone ever put together a view book for an organization...a non-profit, a small business, a school? I started the project for Calvert School over a year ago, and sad to say, it is still not complete as I sit here typing this blog.

There is so much to consider: What children should we include? How diverse should we appear? Is this diversity forced? How can we change the perception of the school without changing the traditions that make it strong? Should we use our school colors? Should we have inserts to explain our curriculum, our faculty, our admissions process? The list could go on for pages.

The proofs we've received look outstanding, in my opinion. But then the administration gets involved and they want to make a little change here and another change there. All of a sudden, the piece you thought was so beautiful is being torn to shreds. Back to the drawing board!

A Few Of My Favorite Things

The weather has been spectacular this week! Every morning I wake up to the bright sun, the birds chirping, and the sweet smell of cherry trees. Here are a few of my favorite things about Spring:

• Watching rec league softball and baseball games
• Eating crabs outside on the deck
• Going out on the boat
• Taking day trips to St. Michael's
• Getting snowballs (spearmint with marshmallow is my favorite!)
• Wearing flip-flops
• Getting new shoes (I do that every season!)
• Planning summer vacations
• Breathing fresh air
• Drinking outside
• Going fishing on chilly mornings
• Finishing this 6-credit class!!

Happy Spring, everyone!

Fun Blog

The blog I discovered is called "Overheard in New York." Check it out at http://www.overheardinnewyork.com/

People who hear bits and pieces of conversations post the banter on this site. The location of these comical exchanges is listed as well. Some of them are quite offensive and others are downright hilarious. Give it some time when you have a free moment.