Slice of Heaven

Before I start my essay, let it be known: I hate my name. No really, I do. Everything about it is so...plain. I might as well be named Jane. All I can think of is my mother sitting there in the hospital bed saying, "what name is most popular this year?" I can not go anywhere without looking around like an idiot at the sound of someone calling my name and it not being directed towards me. I share this name with countless other females (occasionally even men), from newborns to old ladies and every age in between.
Which name is the cause of my disgust?
Ashley.
Despite its less-than appealing name, Ashley Terrace in Ann Arbor Michigan is anything but. (Though I have to admit, living in Ashley Terrace on Ashley Street would make my common-name suffering worthwhile.) It is my dream place, just steps from Main Street in trendy Downtown Ann Arbor. (Plus, I'm sure there's a Starbucks nearby, the dorms sure can't beat that.)The front of the building is so classy, (I oohed and aahhed when I first saw it, and the inside was practically made for a queen. The Ashley Terrace apartments have so much more than a dorm can offer: wood and carpeted flooring, closet space (or space in general without a roommate breathing down your neck),  and a KITCHEN, a real kitchen (with beautiful granite counter tops, and tons of cabinets)! Not to mention a bathroom complete with a covered toilet seat ( with a lid! what a great feature), and without a stall door that probably doesn't lock. I can put my days of a shower caddy behind me, no fighting over the showers in this glorious slice of heaven. And no chance of metal fold-out chairs in this place! There's plenty of room for real, non-folding furniture. My guests can be comfortable knowing no one is going to burst through the doors at any moment (yes, this does happen), and people won't have to take turns entering my place, there's room for everyone! Also, my university (Eastern Michigan) is less than 15 minutes away, so commuting to class is not an issue! What more could a girl ask for? Oh yes, shopping! As we all know, it's all about location, location, location, and Downtown Ann Arbor has it all, shops and restaurants, clubs and malls, it's the perfect place to live for a young college student like me. I don't think I could dream up a better place!

by Ashley Wilson (awilso39@emich.edu)
Eastern Michigan University




http://www.vacancy.com/michigan/ann-arbor-apartments/ashley-terrace/

YouTube Project.

For my project, I will be working with Sam S. I got the idea for the video from an article I saw online that was in a newspaper in 1938 telling women how to act on a date. So we are going to do something with the article, putting some video clips and pictures together on windows movie maker. I think we are going along the lines of how things have changed with women's rights. We haven't got the entire idea yet, but we will be working on it tonight, (hopefully finishing it!) and it should turn out quite well, but it's all coming together.

Inspiration Generation Sweeping the Nation

A friend of mine posted this video on Facebook the other day, it really inspired me. Hearing people say that my generation is the worst ever, and things will just continue into a downward slope for generations to come, is quite a depressing thought. In a world with dwindling values and morals, statements like this are easy to believe, but as the video states, there is hope. The fact that YouTube can be used to turn that all around, inspiring a generation to turn around and be something great is such an amazing use of the Internet.

Good for You...Tube.

The two articles about YouTube presented points about the site that I agree with, but overall, it seems as if people are just looking for the bad aspects of it. Just because things that might have "slipped out" of a politician's mouth are more easily (and quickly) spread through the Internet by the use of YouTube, does not make it a bad thing. If anything, YouTube exposes the truth. If politicians are upset by something they said being misunderstood, or taken out of context, they shouldn't have said it in the first place. Also, if an apology, explanation, or retraction of a statement is necessary, that's not something that should be blamed on YouTube. Maybe the media of YouTube will get people thinking before they speak. Politicians take the risks of having their privacy made public; it happens all the times in campaigns, especially with slip-ups. Just as much positive publicity could end up coming out of the site for the candidates. Not all things politicians say will be turned into a scandal or controversy. Videos are shared to people swiftly and news may travel even quicker nowadays thanks to YouTube and sites like it, but they are also forgotten. Controversies may ensue for a while, but like any type of news, it will die down as more things come up. As long as things aren't slandered and taken completely taken out of context, a politician should be able to own up to what they say.

Though YouTube is known for its more comical videos, and of course people take advantage of lack of copyrights and upload "unprofessional content", it also brings people together. Like the "Numa Numa guy", Gary Brolsma, who created a whole, new, fun-loving community. Knowing that something can become a phenomenon felt across the globe is amazing. The fact that YouTube is user-generated is a main reason why people enjoy it so much. Being able to relate to people you've never met all across the world is a great part of YouTube. Seeing people act silly, or even inspirational, makes viewers see that's its okay to do it too. There are people that make rude comments, but that can happen any where. The creator of the video has the option to delete comments that are inappropriate or harsh. Viewers or commentators of videos can be either encouraging or mean, but still able to express their opinions, another important part of YouTube. Expressing one's individuality is getting easier to do through YouTube. Letting strangers into how you feel, or what you think through videos gives a sort of freedom that's hard to find anywhere else. The amount of people that could see and be changed by something you said or did is a power that's seldom found in life, even just a smile, a video could make a person's day. So many people have uploaded their videos, to have them spread like wildfire, becoming a new kind of celebrity, a YouTube one. Singers can be found through the site, being able to show the world their talent in hopes to one day be famous, knowing it could now happen. YouTube gives the world a whole new medium to be "discovered", something next to impossible to do before. If only getting their "fifteen minutes of fame", YouTube has opened new doors for ordinary people to become something more.

One thing that people seem to be in disagreement about is the fact that YouTube is making it much harder for the government to censor what the public sees. Before, censorship on television and in the media was just the way it was. On television shows in the '50s, romantic scenes between married couples were rare and oftentimes brief. Beds were filmed as being separate, one for the husband, one for the wife in the bedroom. Even toilets weren't allowed to be filmed. But in the present, children are seeing things on television that weren't even thought of in that era by such a young audience, and that type of media is more easily accessible now through YouTube and the Internet. Obviously, this proves that times have changed and with the expanse of technology, some things become easier, but not without a price. As long as parents monitor what their children view, YouTube shouldn't be held responsible. Children have access to so much more than in the past, things are shown on television (a more easily accessible media) that are just as bad, if not worse, than the Internet. Parents just need to step up and be parents. When the government tries to censor nowadays, something can be taken off the news stations and news websites, only to be found all over the web, most commonly found on YouTube. Some may say that lack of censorship is an outrageous thing, but I see nothing wrong with exposing the truth.

Website

The website I've chosen to do my paper on is alloy.com. I've seen the catalog for Alloy's clothes and other items, and the website is not what I expected at all. It has a teen-magazine feel, and seems like celebrity gossip and quizzes actually take the place of trying to sell its different clothes, shoes and accessories for young women. The site is good at grabbing attention of its intended group, young girls and women probably from their early teens to early twenties, but not focusing on its products. I initially thought the site would be completely about selling items, but its slogan says otherwise: "top teen site for fashion, celebrities, horoscopes, and quizzes". The option to shop is still offered on the site, just not prominent on the page.

Three Blogs

1.) ANTM Blog:

This blog is about the TV show, "America's Next Top Model" on the CW. It features information about the show, like episode recaps, news, and comments by the bloggers. Also, it shows the winners of a few of the seasons and some pictures. The community that reads them are the fans of the show, most likely teenage girls to women in their 20s.

http://community.livejournal.com/topmodel

2.)Blogging Project Runway:

Three contributors to the blog write about the people, episodes, and events happening on the show "Project Runway" on Lifetime . Fans of the show can read comments, look at video clips and pictures, and write their own opinions on posts.

http://bloggingprojectrunway.blogspot.com/

3.)The Movie Blog:

The title kind of says it all. The blog is all about movies; it features reviews, news, actors, clips, trailers, and upcoming movie releases. Anyone could really relate to it, though opinions may differ.

http://www.themovieblog.com/

Teen's Internet Socializing Not a Bad Thing

When I read the article, I didn't really agree with it. The whole "giving kids skills" is not necessarily true. It's different for every teen. Teens that IM and write things that are barely comprehensible online are just as likely to do so in the classroom. More and more, teens, especially younger ones, seem to think Internet talk and spelling is not wrong or bad to use in everyday writing. I remember in one of my classes in high school, people honestly didn't even know the difference from the words "two, to, and too" or "they're, their, and there", mistakes, intentional or not, I see all the time on Facebook and E-mail. The article states that "their participation is giving them the technological skills and literacy they need to succeed in the real world".Technological skills, maybe, but more often than not, literacy suffers. The part where the author put in that teens use the media to explore new romantic relationships was kind of a stretch. The Facebook wall posts described seemed silly, how would a meaningful relationship start from that conversation? The article seemed to prove the opposite of its topic, that Internet socializing makes teens "addicted "and careless about spelling and grammar. Only one example was used to show how it enhances knowledge of technology. I also agree with it helping teens maintain social relationships, but one statement; "Youth respect one another's authority online" , is not true, in my opinion. People are more likely to disrespect one another online than in person. Fights happen all the time over the Internet. It's easier to say things you wouldn't normally say to someone to their face.