The news is something that we as Americans have grown accustomed to.  You turn on the tv or open up the newspaper, or just click on Google News and there it is, the news.  But I think that we, as Americans, take this liberty for granted.  After watching A Mighty Heart, which is based on the true-life story of conflict zone journalists Daniel Pearl, it occurred to me how much that I take for granted the journalists risking their lives every day.  It is hard to believe that every story about the war, every story that is in a conflict zone has a journalist behind it.  And these people are literally putting their lives on the line to get the news across.  I also couldn’t help but wonder why anyone would put themselves into that kind of hard.  I think it is because these people are dedicated to their job and I’m pretty sure that the reporters love what they are doing; they aren’t constantly worrying or fearing for their life.  I don’t think being a journalist in a conflict zone would be the right job for me, but I am grateful for the people who are.  Next time you turn on the tv or click onto Google News just take a moment to think about the journalist, risking their life, and be grateful.

It’s a bird, It’s a plane, NO! It’s an iPhone! 

In the year 2007 the iPhone made an appearance like no other phone before.  After America was made aware of this spectacular new phone in early January no one was the same.  Okay…I guess it wasn’t that dramatic, but the iPhone has definitely changed the way people think of a “mobile phone!” 

The iPhone made its debut on the market in late June.  Amazingly over 270,000 phones were sold in the first thirty hours alone.  But what makes this phone so spectacular?  Just to name a few of the iPhone’s capabilities: conference calling, caller id, visual voicemail, if you are playing music and the phone rings the music fades out and then comes back once the call is over.  The iPhone also serves as an iPod storing many songs and it also is capable of holding photos, podcast, videos, and t.v. shows.  The iPhone also has internet capabilities along with a digital camera as well as a touch screen, e-mail, as well as being capable of viewing many Microsoft programs.  The iPhone also is popular because of its touch screen for text messaging and much, much more.

After reading through several articles I’ve come to realize that the iPhone has had a few problems here and there, just like any other new electronic device, overall it is a spectacular advancement in both cell phones and mp3 players. 

For more information on the iPhone and all of it’s features check out the official website.

The only downfall, at least for me, is that the iPhone costs about $300-$400 so for now, I’ll just have to dream.  [Maybe if I had an iPhone it would do that for me…]

1) Do you think the iPhone is worth the cost?

2) Is the iPhone really worth all of the attention that it recieved?

Child soldiers, some as young as seven or eight, have been taken from their families throughout some third world countries.  This horrible crime most often occurs in Africa where rebels have arose.  The rebels rape the women, steal the young boys, and kill many of people in the town.  And what disturbs me the most is that things like these are happening right now, as we speak.

After watching the movie “Blood Diamond” my eyes were opened wide to the horrendous acts of violence that have been occurring in Africa over something as simple as a diamond.  Like usual, everything revolves around money.  It is hard for me to sit and think about the millions of people every day that are stuck in refugee camps, living in constant fear of what is coming next.  I can not even begin to think about what life would be like for anyone in these conditions.  “Blood Diamond” depicts child soldiers very well, and shows the atrocious situations that these children have to go through as well as the conditions people in these countries experience.  The kids are literally brainwashed into thinking that they need to kill people to help their country.  Full grown men have extremely detrimental effects from going to war, (post traumatic stress disorder), it is impossible to imagine the problems that these children have gone through, and still are.

“Blood Diamond” really shows how lucky each and every one of us is to have been born in America.  I know we worry about shootings and things like that, but I don’t think it even compares to worrying every single day of your life about what is coming next.  If only there was more we could do for these people.  I think the real problem is that American, as well as other countries, just decide to push it to the back of their minds because it is too difficult to think about.  Hopefully that will change someday soon.

Homesourcing is a fairly new concept in American culture.  And although it is not an overly dominant force right now, I have a feeling that in the not-too-distant future homesourcing may become extremely popular.

Homesourcing is when jobs that would have previously been done in an office are accomplished at the home of the employee.  With all of the computer technology available it is now becoming more and more possible (and feasible) to successfully work from home.  I really think that homesourcing is a good idea for some people and an easy way to balance home time and work.

For many people it is difficult to find a balance between being home and having a job they enjoy.  In general, people involved with homesourcing spend less money on gas, and sell more of the product they are vending.  Homesourcing also cuts down on office prices and heating expenses for employers. 

Overall I do believe that homesourcing has many benefits, but there are also many disadvantages.  I think it would be especially difficult to do this with children because it would be hard to find the line between work and family.  Also there would be a detrimental social aspect because you would be home alone without any other adults to talk with.  Homesourcing definitely has strong prospects for the future but I would never want to have a job where I was home all the time.  I am perfectly okay with the idea of homesourcing, but it most definitely is not the job for me! 

It seems to me that the world has an odd fascination with over-the-top animal lovers such as Timothy Treadwell and Steve Irwin.  After viewing the movie “Grizzly Man” I couldn’t help but wonder why people, American’s especially, seem to love everything about these people.  I have a few ideas.

I think that many people feel a connection with these devote animal lovers like Treadwell because they wish to be like them.  People like Treadwell are not afraid to show their emotions and take life-changing risks that the average 9-5 worker may be lacking in their life.  Animal lovers like Treadwell seem to live an extraordinary life which is something that many people wish or hope for.  They also are out in the world making a difference and sharing their love of animals and knowledge which is a very admirable thing to do.

Overall I think animal activists like Treadwill and Irwin are something people enjoy to watch and learn from because they are just over-the-top with everything they do.  Even though some may view them as “crazy” most anyone could tell that they are doing what they love and are getting the most possible out of the one life they have to live. 

They are something that we may often take for granted, but they mean so much more than you can imagine.  The doors leading to Campbellsport High School, an entryway to life.

The doors leading into the high school have served as an entryway into high school, adulthood, and even life.  Everyday people enter and exit the doors and spend a lot of time with friends near and around the them. 

There are many special features that lead to the interesting atmosphere around the high school doors.  Freshman entering on their first day of school, couples headed to a their junior prom, walking out on the last day of school,  and even leaving on graduation day. 

As for interesting facts there is sometimes paint on the doors, and occasionally a poster supporting a certain group.  Some days you can feel heat when you walk in, and other days you can feel the cool air.  Once and a while you get an interesting smell also.

People share memories when entering school and the occasional tripping over the carpet by the door is somewhat common.  Many people enter the doors on their way to sporting events or other activities.  The doors leading to the high school lead to many lifelong memories.

I think when filming it is important to capture the doors in the morning when everyone is getting to school or at the end of the day when everyone is leaving because that is when there is the most traffic.

Some significant events that have happened while I have gone to school here include: entering the doors on my first day at CHS, going to dances, attending sports during the summer, and much more.  The doors are significant not only for entering school but as an entryway towards life.

On October 7, 2007 Tyler Peterson, an off-deputy sheriff’s deputy, entered a home where an ex-girlfriend was having pizza and celebrating homecoming, he then opened fire on the seven people at the party.  In less than twelve hours seven people were dead, one of which was the shooter, and one person was in critical condition at the hospital. 

After sifting through numerous articles about this conflict I came across one particular article that really put everything into perspective for me.  This article  makes it clear of what everyone should be thinking about during a time such as this.  Even though it is easy to blame people and point fingers I believe that the most important thing to be thinking about is the lives that have been lost.

I have had a hard time thinking about how to deal with a situation like the one in Crandon.  The first emotion that comes to mind is sadness, I feel sad for the families, friends, and the entire community affected by this one horrible act.  I feel mad as well.  I am mad that someone could be so angry and confused that they could actually kill anyone, including themselves.  Overall I think that the decision that Tyler Peterson made to kill himself was selfish.  I just can’t believe that he would leave his world behind, just to escape punishment for what he did.  It was selfish to leave behind his family with all of the questions as to why he would ever commit such a crime.  But for now I am just trying to deal with being sad because seven people who should still be here are not, and for that I can only hope that the families, friends, and community can find peace in each other.

             The ever widening “happiness” gap between women and men has been appearing in the news recently.  Articles like “He’s Happy, She’s Less So” explain in detail the gap of happiness between men and women.  They show statistics that reveal women are considerably less happy than men. In this blog, written by Stevin Levitt, he explains how women have become less and less happy.  He says that women have taken on a role similar to men, because they work full-time jobs now as well as being mothers and wives.  Many sources accredit this happiness decrease to women’s role changing over the past 20-30 years. 

I also have a few ideas as to why women are less satisfied with their lives. Women are now taking on more than ever before. They work an eight hour day and then come home, take care of the children, and clean the house as well.  Many girls grow up picturing their ideal lifestyle.  They will have the perfect husband, job, family and life and these women become easily frustrated and disappointed when they don’t get exactly what they planned.  Aside from all this, many women also are much more vocal about their feelings now compared to 20 years ago and are far more open about their feelings of happiness. 

Overall I think that a woman’s role has definitely changed over the past few years.  And although women are taking on more and more they need to take time, relax, and just enjoy what they have in life.  Instead of worrying about how satisfied with their lives they are women need to go out and do what makes them happy.

On May 3, 2007 Gerry and Katie McCann left their three children asleep in their Portugal hotel room while they went to eat dinner with some friends less than 120 meters away.  When they returned to their hotel room to check on the three kids they were horrified to see that their three-year-old daughter Madeleine was missing.  It has been four months since all of this occurred and Madeleine is still gone.  Despite police investigation and a nearly six million-dollar reward, answers as to what happened to young Maddy are still unknown.

Somehow this case has evolved into a multi-national media phenomenon.  Many papers have compared it to the Jon Benet-Ramsey case simply because of the amount of media attention that is surrounding it.  Endorsements from mega-stars such as J.K. Rowling, and David Beckam haven’t persuaded anyone to reveal information leading to the return of Madeleine McCann.  The parents have created a website, Bring Madeleine home, where they post blogs about what is happening in the case of their daughter and their personal thoughts and opinions.

Although many people have criticized the parents for leaving their young children behind, I would have to defend the parents in this situation.  Although it is never right to leave young kids alone I can see how the parents could’ve made a mistake.  They were on vacation in a supposedly safe place, they were eating in the same building that the children were in, and were checking on the kids every half-hour.  Personally, I find it sad that parents can’t even eat dinner without worrying for their children’s safe being. 

It has recently surfaced that the police in Portugal have named Katie and Gerry McCann as official suspects of this case.  Could it be possible that the police have struck a dead end and don’t know what else to do in order to put this case behind them?  Are they being pressured to get rid of unwanted media attention that is affecting their economy?  I believe that whoever did abduct Madeleine McCann is still on the loose and police are wasting their time by accusing the parents.  False accusations aside, Madeleine McCann is still missing and all I can really hope for is that she is returned to her parents soon.

Recently microwave popcorn has been getting lots of unwanted attention for containing diacetyl in the butter flavoring.  Diacetyl has been brought to our attention before when factory workers in popcorn factories came down with the disease assumed to be caused by diacetyl called Bronchiolitis Obliterans, or “popcorn lung.”  If you read into this article, from msnbc, you will see that until very recently, the disease has only affected factory workers.  After years of settling lawsuits and trying to keep this rare disease quiet there is a confirmed case of a consumer getting popcorn lung.  After hearing about this story I started wondering why everyone wasn’t running down the streets, throwing away all of their unwanted microwave popcorn!  After researching the topic I realized that as long as you aren’t eating two or three bags of popcorn every day you will probably be okay.  The man in this case said that for ten years he had been eating two or three bags each day, and he said that he always liked to open the bag up and smell it, which is where the diacetyl comes into affect.  Diacetyl, which is shows up in cheese and fruits naturally, is used in the butter flavoring and is the suspected cause of popcorn lung.  Many manufacturers are now making promises to replace this additive with something with less potential in causing any harm.  Although some people are making a big deal about microwave popcorn, I really don’t believe that the average consumer is in any immediate danger whatsoever!  As for me… well I do have a craving for some microwave popcorn.