"Media Stalk Their Tiger"

Wray, James. "Media Stalk Their Tiger." 29 November, 2009. http://www.monstersandcritics.com/blogs/theworldinpictures/2009/11/29/media-stalk-their-tiger/. 29 November 2009.

This article's most poignant point is made in a picture of the media storm that has gathered outside Tiger Woods' home. He was involved in a car accident at around 3:30 in the morning shortly after leaving his house. It was a fairly bad accident, but Woods only received facial lacerations. He was apparently slipping in and out of consciousness when his wife rushed to the scene and broke the back window of his car and pulled him out.

Sometimes the media absolutely makes me sick. This is definitely one such occasion. Tiger woods got in a car wreck, which was probably the low point of his month, if not year. I'm sure he wanted the incident to simply be done with the next day, as it would have been for the other 99.999% of Americans. However, solely because he is a star, hurtful allegations are being made of the accident. Rumors that he was running away from his wife after she discovered he was having an affair have popped up, as well as whisperings of alcohol involvement although it was ruled out immediately after the accident. I think it's sad and frankly depressing that we have nothing better to watch on our news. I for one am sick of hearing about other people's problems and seeing celebrities barraged by the media after every wrong move they make. Let Tiger live his life in peace! Go America.

Feminism: Past, Present, or Both?

Levy, Ariel. "Lift and Separate." 16 November 2009.http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/books/2009/11/16/091116crbo_books_levy. 15 November 2009. 

Levy's article brings some interesting questions about feminism to light. She says that bra-burning, infamous in its time, never actually happened. In fact, it all originates from a Miss America pageant when protesters threw items they felt hindered women on to the stage. Among these were a Playboy magazine, high heels, corsets, and girdles. A writer later compared this to the way things are flung in a burning trash can, and bra-burning was born. This idea of feminism, Levy says, has created a bad vibe toward feminism for quite some time. 

I think feminism has good roots, don't get me wrong, but things go both ways. In the Alpine School District, there is a policy where they have to have at least one woman considered for each job position to avoid "discrimination." To me, that sounds like discrimination against men. When women are being treated specially seems like the opposite of what feminism is supposed to accomplish. Feminism means that women should be treated equally with men. I think that is an excellent thing, because women are every bit as valuable as men. When it crosses the line to actively favoring women for job positions, however, feminism has gone too far. 

The Facebook Phenomenon

Cassidy, John. "Me Media." 15 May 2006. http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2006/05/15/060515fa_fact_cassidy?current. 1 November 2009.

This article explains, in fairly deep detail, the creation and aspects of Facebook and the so called "me media". Facebook was created by a Harvard student, Mark Zuckerberg, who wanted to create a way for Harvard's students to stay in touch better while attending school, and after graduation. Other sites already allowed everyone access to anyone's information, such as Myspace, but Zuckerberg wanted his site to be more private and useful. He created a simplistic website that started out with 150 members on its first night of existence, and had thousands the next day.

Facebook is more than just a website: it's a way of life. Avid Facebook users post pictures, status updates, what parties they're attending, and who they're dating daily if not hourly. This website is to let other people know about you, but what makes it so special is that not everyone can see your profile. With the option of only letting your "friends" see your profile, problems like online rape and creepy stalkers are all but eliminated. I never had the temptation to even use Myspace, because it seemed to impersonal. Facebook, on the other hand, had a network specifically called "Timpview High School," which was set up for current and past students to stay in touch with each other. With groups like "You Know You're From Provo When...," and, "Timpview Spirit Fridays," you can go online and reminisce or find out what you're supposed to wear to show school spirit. Facebook is an incredible way to see what your friends are up to and find out about things around town. While some people may think it's just a waste of time, I, along with millions of teenagers through senior citizens, beg to differ.