Curiosity, as the writing world knows it

As far back as I can remember I was never satisfied with just knowing minimal information; I always wanted more. Even now my drive for knowledge allows me to dream of a day where I can travel to the corners of the Earth; I have a love for seeking out unique experiences and venturing into the unknown. Curiosity is the reason why I believe there are great writers today. If writers did not start out life with a thirst to know more, I feel that nothing would become discovered. Curiosity is my starting point and allows me to freely express myself. By having a drive to know more, I am able to become more knowledgeable on my topic, and because curiosity is important to me authenticity is revealed in my work. With curiosity as my road map I am able to write pieces with the goals of getting true information out to the public, work that is entertaining, and pieces that encourage readers to know more about their world.

Even in the time of Jesus the world was driven by curiosity. During that time people always wanted to know more about this man that claimed to be God. If people weren’t curious about this man then thousands wouldn’t have gathered to hear him speak. They wouldn’t have followed him through cities to watch him perform miracles. An example of this is in Luke 17 where people came from all over the Middle East to hear Jesus teach, hoping and believing that he would heal their sins. In those days the only real form of transportation people had was to walk. How far was it that people were willing to walk to hear Jesus? They came from so far to listen to a man they have never heard or met. Curiosity plays out a huge role in wanting to search for truth. When these people curiously came seeking they got what they were looking for and more. Part of curiosity is asking questions and to this day Christians and non-Christians are still seeking to know more about the Son of God. Another aspect of curiosity found in the Bible is when Jesus is asking for faith from the people by not always answering their questions. In examples of curiosity found in the bible the disciples are asking questions wanting to know more. In those cases Jesus’ response for the most part is asking for faith from the disciples and not necessarily answering their questions. By people having curiosity to know more about Jesus the truth continues to be revealed.

More often then not journalists are not only finding the truth in stories but they are becoming voices for many. There are journalists in the world willing to risk their lives to dig deeper for issues that matter to them. An example of this is the story about journalist and human rights defender Ali Iman Sharmarke who was murdered on August 11th in Somalis. He was a man that was driven by curiosity and believed in being a voice. A friend of Sharmarke states, “He was committed to getting the truth out. He came back from Canada to promote democracy and give Somalis a voice. Today, he paid the ultimate price.” Through instances like this many can be turned away but I find an amazing respect for journalist like Shamarke. I value getting the truth and I also value authenticity in my own work very much. When I see it in others work I am also encouraged. A journalist that has always encouraged me to be more authentic is Al Giordano. Al Giordano is a veteran newspaper reporter, radio and television host, and Internet journalism pioneer who founded Narco News in 2000 and its School of Authentic Journalism in 2002. I feel that it is no mistake that he is the one that founded the school of Authentic Journalism.


Something that is important to me is being able to write pieces that are entertaining. In doing that I also value being able to pin point my own voice and personality in my work. I like to think that I give my work my own flavor and I respect journalists that do the same. I’m not really into celebrity gossip but these days it looks as if that is what sells and is labeled as entertaining. The great challenge of writing something that is entertaining is finding a great angle and interesting topic. I like to look for the details in stories that many may overlook. The best is when you find that detail and it also remains important and interesting for the story. One of my favorite shows that is amazing at finding a great angle is 60 minutes. I have always been entertained by that show and I feel as though they find the best angles in stories and turn them into groundbreaking news. Some of the stories that come to mind are "The CIA's Cocaine", which is the story that uncovered CIA involvement in drug smuggling; the "Friendly Fire", the report on friendly firing in the Gulf War; and one of the stories I liked best was the "Duke Rape Suspects Speak Out", which is some of the first interviews with the suspects in the 2006 Duke University Lacrosse team scandal.

Being able to report stories like the ones listed for 60 Minutes is really about knowing your subject. Doing my homework for a story is very important to me because I like being knowledgeable on my subject. Doing the research is not always the fun part but once having it done and then finally starting your story allows you to know what you’re reporting on and how to write the story. I also find that when I write articles that I am knowledgeable on I gain more respect from my readers. Some one that I do not always agree with but have a lot of respect for because he knows his subjects is Chris Matthews. Chris Matthews hosts the show “Hardball with Chris Matthews,” where he mainly expresses his opinions on a wide range of topics mainly dealing with politics. The best part of his show though is how he presents his topics. The show consists of a panel of guests and Matthews brings out every thing he knows about his subject and then presents his argument usually stumping his guests. When it comes to politics I actually don’t know that much but I still love watching him as he is firing away all of his knowledge.

Every one that I have talked about in this paper does have some status standing in being well known. But what I find interesting about those that I have chosen to add I feel are not driven by success. They are people that I enjoy to read up on, watch on TV, and allow myself to be inspired by, but they are people that have been driven more by the willingness to try new things rather then the success that they will gain from it. A great quote that goes a long these lines states, “Curiosity is defined as an eagerness to learn. It does not guarantee success. But curiosity motivates people to try new things -- and that's essential for success,” –Mariah Burton Nelson.

More thoughts on the Dove Campaign...(read the blog below first)

Dove definitely deserves credit on authenticity in this campaign because of the women that they model and the hair that they model. They are showing women that don’t have perfect bodies and whether it’s to sell a product or not they are also going a lot further with this campaign. Online they have ways to reach out to women that have low self-esteem. They have different women’s self esteem funds. So yes they are trying to sell a product because that is the kind of business that Dove is but I do not believe that are presenting any false advertisements. They are not showing off flawless women using creams obviously made for women with blemishes. So as far as credibility goes towards authenticity they deserve a lot.

The role that stereotyping plays in the Dove campaign is kind of an opposite. Instead of stereotyping women I feel as though they are stereotyping how every other competitor advertises their product. By that I mean that they use women of every sizes, being the first to do so, stereotyping how no one else does that. Also it is stereotyping that all women are without imperfections but are beautiful any way.

The use of this stereotype is most definitely different from any other ads advertising traditional models. The way they are advertising their product is ethical and its more ethical then how others choose to advertise their products. They are using real situations, real women, and real life to not just sell a product but to initially start a movement. There is nothing unethical about that.

I believe that the products advertised has every thing to do with how women view themselves. The world today is filled with media and advertisements of women who are sizes ones and flawless while the average women is a size 12 and suffers from adult acne. Even in stores they will have pictures up of cute little women wearing the clothes sold in the store while sizes 10 and up are almost impossible to find. Most of the time stores only sell smaller sizes so that their clothes look better on girls that can advertise them better.


http://www.dietbites.com/size-average-woman.html

Wrinkled or Wonderful?

This Blog is about Dove and all of their campaigns for the freedom of women. Dove started in the summer of 2005. Dove is a division of Unilever Corporation. It launched its campaign for real beauty in the UK; eventually moving all over the world. It started off to promote skin care products and it has now expanded to public services ads and promotions that ask the question, what constitutes real beauty?

There are 6 women used as models for the Dove campaign but these women are unlike the normal models seen in advertisements. They have dress sizes ranging from 6 to 14 and have different body types from each other. Some bare tattoos and some of larger thighs then others.

Some of the advertisements include these women displayed on billboards with questions referring to particular characteristics. One features a 95-year-old woman with two words printed underneath, “Wrinkled or wonderful?”

Doves campaign came out of an extensive research made up of 3,200 women in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, France, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Portugal, Britain, and the United States. The goal was to reach women with “real” curves but Dove did the research to make sure that’s what women would want.

Some people believe that Dove is using women’s insecurities to sell their products. Dove is selling a skin-firming product. The women advertising these products are not perfectly skinny and come with flaws but are still labeled beautiful. The controversy seen by some: by Dove selling a product like this it is allowing insecure women to think that they can gain even more beauty by a skin firming cream.

So the question is what constitutes real beauty?

My vacation in Cancun....Yummy... :)

The morning sun peaks through the palm tree leaves and lays a warm blanket over the freshly cutgrass. The tropical birds of Cancun begin their morning song of shouts and screeches communicating that a new day has arrived. The Moon Palace hotel slowly rises from sleep and the sounds of a once quiet resort begin to be broken by the tourists ready to take on the day.

As I step out of my hotel room and onto my balcony I feel the warm air hit my face. My feet that were once tucked under a sea of blankets now cool off on the ice-cold cement. I close my eyes and take in a deep breath of the ocean’s air. As my eyes are closed I hear the sounds of Jet Ski’s slapping the waves as they pick up speed across the water.

I quickly change into my bathing suit and my Aunt and I jog to the beach. As we enter upon the sand I pick a handful of it up and it drops through my fingers like sugar falling from a bowl. It is the softest sand I have ever come in contact with. It also strikes me as odd that though the sun is burning hot the sand remains cold.

As the day continues on and my time of lying in the sun has been absolutely glorious I realize that my stomach beckons for food. I walk to the restaurant and the moment I come in I have a waiter eagerly wanting to serve me. I find this type of behavior a theme throughout the resort and slowly come to the conclusion that the service at this hideaway is impeccable.


My stomach feels satisfied and overfed by the time I am done eating but my mouth salivates for more.

As I walk out of the restaurant and decided to take on the pool the size of lake Michigan I run into some other vacationers. I pick a lawn chair next to theirs and their accents indicate to me that they are not from the US. They are in fact from Europe and also on vacation. My Aunt and I, we realize, seem to be the only Americans at this all-European filled resort, and we quickly understand that maybe they know how to vacation better then most Americans.

With staying at this resort comes many perks. For one, the vacation my Aunt and I chose was one that would be all inclusive. From friends I have heard all-inclusive resorts in Cancun are usually dirty and have horrible service.

At this point in my stay I can’t help but think that my Aunt and I are extremely lucky and I even feel a little reluctant to share my hideaway with the public. The resort itself was not that expensive to go to especially since it was all-inclusive. The total of all of my spendings to get to the resort and stay at the resort were a total of $1300. Resorts comparing to the one I stayed at generally run anywhere from $1500-$2300. So I have to ask myself, did we catch a deal without realizing it?


This resort was extremely clean and well kept and I can’t even begin to indulge on how wonderful the service was. Any time my face even remotely showed that I may want something some one was there ready to take my order.

They blew the phrase, “rest and relaxation,” out of the water. No one should be expected to even lift a finger at Moon Palace because chances are they have some one paid to do it for you.

The night before my Aunt and I left our 5-day vacation in Cancun we took our last night to savor our experience. We sit at a bar on the beach, vacationers like to call The Swing Bar. The bar got its name based off of its structure. It is a circular hut with thick rope swings hanging from the ceiling and wood planks for guests to sit on that seat you right at the bars height.

The breeze is exceptionally warm that no jackets are needed and the air is filled with the smell of the sea so that it tastes like an expensive fish dinner. The feeling is so delectable that I never want to let it go.

By the time my vacation is coming to an end I am not yet prepared to call it a day. My heart already begins to ache having to have to prepare to go home to a world so different from this. One thing is for sure though; the Moon Palace has not seen the last of me.

Christmas is here!

(Before my article a little blurb on the pictures. All these pictures I took at my Mom's house. a house my step-Dad built for my Mom. Her dream house. So just take a second and look at the pictures and see how perfect it really is :)

I’m now calling all kids from ages one to ninety-two to turn a hopeful eye to the joys of this wonderful holiday season. There are so many great things when talking about the holiday season.

Lets start with the first and most obvious Christmas thing we all love. Grandma’s Christmas sweaters.

If you are anything like me then the day after Thanksgiving you have already busted out the sweaters your grandma has been knitting you since you were born. And if you go into this thinking you are alone, you aren’t. In one-way or another every one is excited for them. My personal favorite is the one my Grandma knit me with Rudolph’s head, the size of my whole upper torso, knit on the front with a giant red fluff ball as a nose. I still proudly sport that sweater to this day.

If you really want to be honest with yourself though then you, like me, will openly admit that you have been secretly jamming to Mariah Carey’s Christmas album since November first.

In my book there are no rules of having to wait until Black Friday to listen to Christmas music. In fact, if my ears serve me correctly I’m pretty sure I started hearing Christmas music being played earlier then Nov. 23rd on the radios this year.

Nothing puts my roommates and I more in the Christmas mood then a sweet sounding Christmas carol flowing through out our apartment and putting our ears and minds into a winter wonderland.

“Christmas music makes life so much better, there is something magical about listening to it in our apartment,” says Senior music major Hannah Elliott and my roommate. “I definitely started jamming to it the day after Thanksgiving.”

What more is there to love about Christmas then the tunes blasting with lyrics full of meaning celebrating just that…the joys of Christmas!

Lets not completely rule out tradition though. Another great thing about Christmas is all of its tradition that it holds. Christmas is about a tradition that brings you home to things celebrated for centuries. No matter who you are, whether you are a celebrity or some one of common status we’re all celebrating the love of a holiday having to do with the birth of our king.

This is the season that brings hope and joy and where, when miracles happen, most give credit where credit is due, to God. Christmas is about celebrating the birth of our savior but he was a savior that brought the best gift of all; love. This is a season where people love more. It’s a place where families come together after not seeing each other and where hearts are giving and more polite.

“What I love most about Christmas is that I get to see all of my family because I have a big family and I get to spend time with my uncles and aunts,” says junior Commercial music major Kyle Pidilla.

This is a time where as families we gather together in an elementary schools auditorium to watch children sheepishly perform the birth of Jesus. Having two younger sisters that participate in these kinds of pageants it is something that they look forward to every year. Plus its something, as family, that is fun to watch.

Another great thing about the holidays is all of our favorite Christmas movies; the ones that we, with our families and friends, gather around the TV to watch.

I’m talking about movies like Muppets Christmas Carol, The Grinch, The Christmas Story, Miracle on 34th Street, White Christmas, and the list goes on.

The list of why the holiday season is so wonderful could go on forever. If you have a heart turned cold by Christmas then know there is still hope for you. If Kermit the frog can still hold holiday cheer while married to Mrs. Piggy then there is hope for all of us. So don’t be a Scrooge, loosen your scarf, lace your skates, sport Grandmas sweater, and enjoy this upcoming season!