Happy Birthday, Louvre Pyramid

This year marks the 20^th birthday of the famous pyramid at the Louvre museum in Paris, France. This giant glass structure has not only become a landmark for the museum, it is also a main entrance.

A report on NPR’s website marked this event.

Henri Loyrette, the president and director of the Louvre, is quoted, “When you ask the visitors, ‘Why are you coming to the Louvre?’ they give three answers: For the Mona Lisa, for the Venus de Milo, and for the pyramid”

Yet, according to the article, the pyramid was not always so warmly thought of. When its design was first proposed, many opposed the idea of “tampering” with the appearance of the landmark. And while some still complain that it is out of place, a modern structure amidst historic architecture, there are still more than 8 million people who come to the Louvre each year.

This article caught my attention because I had the opportunity to visit the Louvre four years ago. The overall trip to Europe, through Italy and France, was something I will remember always, and the finale in Paris, seeing the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, and the Louvre only added to the experience. I love coming across bits and pieces about places I’ve had the chance to visit; in the pictures in this article, I got to point out where I had been and I remember entering the museum through the beautiful pyramid.

Happy Birthday!

The Blind Side

I’m not usually one for pitching a movie to this extent, but I saw this movie last weekend and was blown away. For anyone who has seen this movie, I’m sure would feel the same and for anyone who hasn’t, I strongly urge you to see it. (It’s one of those rare movies that’s actually worth the theater ticket).

Based on the true story of Michael Oher, “Big Mike” was taken from his mother by social services early in his life and placed with family members. Bouncing between family members, Michael eventually became homeless and was taken in and provided for by a family whose strong matriarch pushed him to reach his dreams.

Once of the most striking aspects of the film is the contrast between Michael and children who grew up just like him and how he turned out compared to the others. Michael was exceptionally gifted at sports, but had he not been given the opportunities he was given, there most likely would not be a Michael Oher story.

I wonder how many more Michael Ohers are out there, who the world will probably never get to appreciate those individual’s talents and capabilities. The tangled web of domestic violence, drug and alcohol abuse, and child neglect is a difficult snare to climb out of. For this fortunate man, he had help from some very generous people and he climbed to success.

Digital Editing: How far is too far?

Our day to day lives are surrounded by two distinct exposures to human contact: people we see in “real life,” and people we see on television or in magazines. This presents two very different messages to us. On one hand, we see what we believe are real people around us, they look like a lot like the person we see in the mirror; yet, on the other hand, there’s the people on television and in magazines with flawless skin and slender waist lines. Thanks to digital editing, there is a constant disconnect between what we see in the mirror and what we see on a magazine cover.

Magazines and television are both meant to entertain, and in theory people like to see beautiful things; but at what point does the use of digital editing, such as in magazine images, go too far? At what point does digital editing cross the line between basic “cosmetic” touch ups to the sort of editing witnessed in the following video?

Whether we are aware of it or not, we form an emotional bond with the people that entertain us on television and in magazines; it can become difficult for some people when they realize that more often than not we cannot look exactly like a supermodel. What we consider to be “beautiful” is shaped by this exposure.

For some it may lead to a belief that if “that” is beautiful, and what he or she might see in the mirror doesn’t look like that, then he or she is not beautiful. With low self-esteem being an underlying cause for practically every mental-health disorder from depression to eating disorders, this becomes much more severe than some simple make-up re-touching.

The bottom line is this: we can’t look like the face on the magazine. Furthermore, we shouldn’t have to look that way, even if we could. Humanity is defined by its diversity, no two people (even identical twins) are exactly alike. Why should we all have to look one way, then? I find confidence, both in oneself and in one’s interaction with other people, to be far more beautiful than the dazzling magazines.

Toms: A Unique Company

I’ve only recently heard of the shoe company called Toms. They’re a relatively small company; their merchandise can be found solely at their website and they operate out of a single office location.

What is so unique about this company is how they clearly keep operating costs at a minimum. The reason this is unique is found in the mission of their company:

For every pair of shoes purchased, Toms donates a pair of shoes to a child in need.

This company offers consumers an opportunity to purchase a rather exclusive brand of shoe (its design not easy to miss) and help someone else out.

What’s their story?

“In 2006 an American traveler, Blake Mycoskie, befriended children in Argentina and found they had no shoes to protect their feet. Wanting to help, he created TOMS Shoes, a company that would match every pair of shoes purchased with a pair of new shoes given to a child in need. One for One. Blake returned to Argentina with a group of family, friends and staff later that year with 10,000 pairs of shoes made possible by caring TOMS customers.

Since our beginning, TOMS has given over 150,000 pairs of shoes to children in need through the One for One model. Because of your support, TOMS plans to give over 300,000 pairs of shoes to children in need around the world in 2009.

Our ongoing community events and Shoe Drop Tours allow TOMS supporters and enthusiasts to be part of our One for One movement. Join us.”

culter jamming!

I thought I would share some neat stuff from one of my other classes. We have been learning about culture jamming. I'm sure we all know what culture jamming is but I found some neat ones and here's some we looked at for that class. Culture jamming is a great way to portray a different side to an advertisement or idea. You can shed light on the truth and take away the advertisers intended message and show the real message behind it.

who is the vice president?

I have a embarrassing story maybe proving how little some of us in the younger generation really know. My dad recently called me very upset saying I have a question I have to ask you. He said who is the vice president? Since I was caught off guard I ask what the heck are you talking about. He said he was watching something on TV and the camera crew was somewhere stopping young people on the streets asking them who the vice president was and then asking them who Angelina Jolie is dating. He was furious because hardly anybody knew that Joe Biden was the vice president but everyone knew that Brad Pitt was dating Angelina Jolie. I was amused myself by this so I went home and ask my roommates the same question. After a long time of ummmmm I know this wait wait finally they both were like I have no clue. Also I forgot to mention of course when my dad asked me I was stumped at first and only remember who it was because in my mind I pictured those Obama Biden signs that were in everyone's' yard. Why is this happening to our generation? So many people have completely wrong and negative thoughts of our generation because of situations like this. Is it selective memory, because honestly we have all heard Biden's name many many times or is it true that majority of us don't care about anything or anybody but ourselves (since we are known as more of a "me" generation). I think this could be a case similar to the "idea teen" seen through MTV that rarely exists but the media chooses to create that image of us young people. What I wonder most is why it doesn't bother us that people think of our generation so negatively?

the best jobs to have in years to come?

I have a fear of being that person I know who graduated with their bachelors or maybe even masters and they can't find a job! This scares me, majority of us are going to graduate college in enormous debt. We are furthering our education in hopes of having opportunities that otherwise wouldn't be available. I couldn't imagine going through semester after semester seeing my dream getting closer and then when it finally arrives left wondering what to do after graduation. This economy scares me and the times these days seem to greatly change even over one year. It's like that video we watched in class, how it said we are preparing students for jobs that don't exist to fix problems that we don't know are problems yet. We really have trust put into our colleges and universities that they will give us the guidance and education we need to attain what it takes to make it to the next level after graduation. I looked up the outlook for careers in a few years here's what I found

I found a great site that lists all careers expected education, salary, outlook over the next ten years. Check it out

http://www.bls.gov/oco/