Twitter-ing to Lose Weight?

This morning as I ate my cereal at the breakfast table I opened up the explorer and an unusual page opened up. The title was, "Using Twitter and Blogging to Lose Weight." Twitter and Blogging to lost weight huh?? I was thoroughly confused for a little bit untile I actually read the article. It talks about how people are using Twitter not just to keep in contact with friend and see where the latest celebrities are and what they're up to. They're actually using Twitter to keep track of their calorie intake and fat count. Isn't that weird? I've heard of the iPod application that keep track of your calories, but Twitter? Oh and get this, people have actually testified to have lost TONS of weight doing this application! Social networking is gaining new things everyday. Using a social network to lose weight?? Soon we won't just live on the Internet, the Internet will consume us!

Early, Early, Early Rough Draft for Paper

Arzu Molubhoy
English 1302

Paper # 3

Early, early rough draft!

SOME SORT OF INTRODUCTION GOES HEREEE Students tend to read popular series book such as Twilight and Harry Potter that help them escape into a fantasy world, but students do not seem to read classics such as The Great Gatsby or The Tale of Two Cities. They think reading such classics are “un-cool,” and would classify them as nerds. However, that is totally misinterpreted because reading classics helps broaden students’ vocabulary skills and improve their writing. Even celebrities encourage reading and try to show our fellow students that it is “okay and cool” to read.
FIX CLAIM!!

II. Students and reading series

a. The phenomena of Harry Potter and Twilight and why students enjoy reading them to escape from school and into another world where there is a life of fantasy. Students engage their imagination by creating the characters in their minds.
b. NEED TO FIND SOURCES TO SUPPORT
Students need to read and be able to understand the significance of what they are reading, whether it is for fun or for a class. Without reading, vital writing and comprehension skills are forgone and students do not develop techniques they need to be successful in the world outside of the realm of academics. According to the National Endowment of the Arts annual report on academic life, students who read for fun have a higher average writing score (chart 7D). Reading also aids in the world of work. Comprehension and writing are vital skills that are considered an upper hand on resumes. According to the NEA report “Employers now rank reading and writing as top deficiencies in new hires. (77). And reading does not only help in reading and writing, but it also helps in many other subjects as well. To be frankly honest, students like myself, are lazy, and if something is not put directly in front of them they will not take the effort and look for it. Parents can encourage reading at home by exposing their students to more text reading then online reading. While having more books in the household, students see books in front of them and are in some cases inspired to pick it up and thumb through. For example, math, science, civics, and history scores are higher for 12th-graders who report having books in the home (71). In math, science, and history students who are exposed to more books, meaning there are more books present at home, have a higher score in their knowledge of that subject versus students to do not have a high volume of books at home (Chart 7E and 7F). Just being exposed to literature encourages reading.
a. Bauerlein also notes this fact on pg. 58.
b. NOW TALK ABOUT BAUERLEIN AND HIS IDEAS ON PG. 58
IV. How can we make reading cool?
a. Celebrities read and they read on their own time
i. Celebrities have read the classics but they also read many scripts and many articles to keep themselves up to date with the news. They also read Twilight and other books for roles in films. There are celebrity posters encouraging students to read and they follow the advice they preach. Maybe a graphic would go here such as a poster showing celebrities encouraging reading?
ii. NEED TO FIND POSTER WEBSITE ABOUT READING!
V. Conclusion

Comment!

I liked the article “Who Cares if Johnny Can’t Read.” First off, I was shocked when she said that Americans are reading much more than they did about fifty or so years ago. I would think it would be totally opposite because of the technology era and TV shows. Yes Twilight and Harry Potter are totally fiction books that could never ever happen in real life, but that fantasy life is what attracts audiences. Last summer when Twilight was becoming huge, if you asked any girl what the best part of the book was, she would say "Edward Cullen is ridiculously good looking." Now tell me, how can a character in a book be ridiculously good looking? The bottom line is even though these books don’t help our vocabulary or our understanding of the economical world, they get people thinking and imagining and that’s the biggest thing any book can do!

Comment!

I commented on Professor Channel's blog about Is Bibliophobia a Social Disease?. I agree with Mark Bauerlein's argument. People, especially students nowadays do not read and don’t really care if they read or not. And as Professor Channel said, they’re proud of it. However, besides just not reading, students feel pressured that if they do read something out of the norm, they’ll be labeled as the “nerds” in the group. To steer away from this stereotyping, students look for books such as Twilight and Harry Potter, to read and relate to other kids about. One person reads this book and realizes how great and interesting it is, then a chain reaction sparks and other kids start reading--a social phenomenon is created.

Comment!

I commented on EAF's blog about the legalization of Marijuana. I'm not totally sure if I agree with his/her stance. I'm not sure where my views on this issue are actually. It is a very tough issue to comment and even harder to act upon. I guess, you could say it is up to the individual and their beliefs to say if it should be legalized. However, to make your argument persuasive, I would show the other side of the argument. Why doesn’t the government legalize the use of pot and other drugs? I do agree that because of the medicinal purposes; it should be made legal for those patients that need marijuana to sustain their life. It is an interesting topic to think about.

Comment!

I commented on Kee's, More than Words, blog about stealing music. The post really got me thinking. I too love music and frankly cannot live without it. And, is sharing my music with my friends or even saving a copy of their music really stealing? I'm not sure. I don't think it is actually, because they did pay for that song or that album, and they have given you the permission to use it right? Then if they have ok-ed on it, it wouldn't be considered stealing. And I agree with their last point quite a bit. I have thousands and thousands of songs in my library on my iTunes and if I were to be forcd to pay $0.99 for every song that a friend of given me via CD, I would be in a debt that I could not even fathom.

Comment!

I commented on More than Words' Blog on A Skinny Campus and the insanity of body image. Our body image is so important to us and in a way haunts our every movement. We think twice before doing anything frankly. I was watching the Haunting of Molly Hartley today and throughout the movie I recognized a lot of familiar faces. There are a lot of actor in there from other T.V.show's such as 90210 and Gossip Girl. But while I was watching the whole movie, I kept thinking to myself how skinny the girls were. And I remembered the controvesy that practically all the girls on 90210 are less than 100 lbs. I completely agree with her point and see exactly where she is coming from.

The Great Movement..

The Immigration rate to the United States is probably the highest it’s ever been in the past few years, and probably higher than any other country. People migrate from all different countries to live and have opportunities that they wouldn't have other places. My family itself migrated here about thirty years ago. Both my parents went to college here as well. But is it wrong from immigrants to come to the U.S. just in hope of a better life? Just so they, too, can give their kids a brighter future with maybe some meaning and hope? That was my parent's plan and so far, so good. I believe that legal immigration should be welcomed and made easier for immigratns coming to the U.S. and not it should not be frowned upon by citizens.

In recent studies, there has been evidence that English has become sort of the "second" language in Texas. In Brownsville and El Paso, the immigration of Hispanics is much greater than the population of Anglo-Saxon Americans itself. And Key West, in Florida, is anywhere between 50-90 miles away from Cuba. Even though immigration is harder than ever in the U.S. people still go to great lengths to maybe just maybe try to make it here.

America is known as the "melting pot" of all nationalities and all cultures. Then why frown upon other races trying to make it here and live in the U.S. People just want a better home and environment for their kids and a better education for the future. Once upon a blue moon, the Anglo-Saxon Americans were immigrants too. They migrated here all the way from Great Britain, remember?

And the economy..

Lately, everything is economy this, economy that, what will the government do etc. But really, what will the government do? Everyone in the world, mostly, seems to agree upon the fact that many countries, if not all, are going through a serious recession. I agree on that point.

The American people know that that is one of the first topics on Obama's desk, to cure the economy. But how? That is the million dollar question, how and when are we going to come out of this recession?

Just recently, when listening to the radio, there was talk about how Obama is planning on putting in more money into the economy but priniting more and trying to "jump start" businesses and increase spending, hence the bailout plan. Hilary commented on this notion and believes it is a good a effective way, a democratic way, to get the economy going. And once we have become stable, the government will tax American dollars and squeeze the money back out. Makes sense, right?

The argument here is that should be trade-off a short term fix for the inflation of our American dollar. Yes, the economy will get a boost, but the value of our dollar will be severly decreased. If we don't do this, what is our other option? In my opinion, by the looks of businesses in the past few months and the stress many people are facing, anything that the government can do, it should do.

Rock-umentary!

I had been looking forward to last Friday for a long time. Last Friday the Jonas Brother 3D concert experience came out! If you know me, you know already that I loved the movie, and Joseph Adam Jonas is my favorite brother! I was singing along and cheering throughout the whole film. The movie is a documentary of the boys' lives and passions. Just like, a rock-umentary!

The cameras follow the boys around all over: from waking up in the morning, to hair and make-up, to before concerts, to at the concert on stage with them, and to the end where they head back on the road. The movie also shows fans a brand new music video from the boys, "Love Is on It's Way."

The movie is great and an awesome past-time. However, to make the opening weekend even bigger, the boys decided to do a tour all over the U.S. to theaters to see their fans watching the movie. They started at midnight in L.A. then went to New York, then to two theaters in Charlotte, then to two theaters in Atlanta, then to a premiere in here Dallas in Grapevine, then to Austin, to Las Vegas, and finally to San Franscisco then back to L.A.

In Dallas, at the Grapevine premiere, fans were not allowed in to see the boys. They were encouraged to wait out in the freezing cold to see the, or really catch a glimpse of them, but you could not go in. Sadly, I could not even wait outside the event to see the boys nor was I allowed in as the others. I still haven't seen them live or even met them. The Rock-umentary was as close as I've gotten to seeing these boys: Kevin, Joe and Nick Jonas. And you know what, apparently they live in Dallas!

Comment!

I commented on college girl's post about a "Daddy by 13!" It was a really interesting article about a boy in Britian who just became a father. That's insane! A father at the age of 13! But then again, the WFAA news last night had a story about a girl who was 9 and just got her "dream marriage." So I guess it happens. But, I liked the fact that college girl discussed the effects of the media on stories like these. The media hypes up or down anything they want. And sometimes personal lives are on display for the whole world to read.

Did she deliver her baby on stage?

Last night was a historical night for music entertainment. Last night was the 51st Annual Grammy Awards. The night was sizzling with great performances by so many talented artists: from Justin Timberlake with T.I., to Neil Diamond, to the Jonas Brother with Stevie Wonder, and Miley Cyrus doing a duet with Taylor Swift. But what about M.I.A? She is pregnant right? Did she perform on her due date?

That is exactly what happened. Mathangi "Maya" Arulpragasam better known as the rap singer M.I.A from Hounslow, London, is a second generation immigrant, like me, whose parents are from Sri Lanka. She is Tamil and a lived in Sri Lanka for quite some time. She now lives in Brooklyn and is engaged to Benjamin Brewer singer and guitarist for the band The Exit and a member of the Bronfman Family. Her music talent exploded with the highly acclaimed “Paper Planes” from the movie Slumdog Millionaire. She was asked to perform at the Grammy’s this year on Febuary 8, 2008. However, she is nine months pregnant and that was her due date!

But nevertheless, M.I.A pulled the number off amazingly well, and even with a see-through top and black tights. She performed “Swagger Like Us” alongside Jay-Z, Lil’ Wayne, T.I., and Kanye West. Her performance was mind-blowing: her being nine months pregnant and still dancing on stage. That just doesn’t take courage, but skill as well. M.I.A. shows us that anything is possible, even performing on stage when you’re about to deliever a baby. She is an amazing artist who deserves the fame she is getting. Her number in Slumdog Millionaire is very well crafted and fit the scene greatly. That is a movie everyone should see at least once if not twice. It opens your eyes to reality, I sure know it opened mine. Some of the actors in the movie are in poverty! But M.I.A says that she will perform at the Oscar Awards as well no matter when the baby is coming. Now that is what I call true determination.
In the link, it shows an aticle from the New York Daily News about M.I.A’s performance along with a YouTube clip of the performance itself.

Comment

I commented on college girl's post about how music helps people adapt to their surrounding and how it is a great escape from reality. I can relate to this post on so many different levels. I love music and she does a good job of displaying her views of music as well. Even the doctor suggests music as a cure for so many different cases.

What next? Watch out Hollywood, here we come.

The time is here—award time.

After finding out that my favorite band, the Jonas Brothers, was going to present an award at the Golden Globes, I decided to tune in and watch the whole thing. I hate being the one scratching my head when all my friends are buzzing with news about how amazing whatever Bradgenlina wore or how dazzling Eva Longoria and Penelope Cruz looked with all the ice around their necks. That Sunday night, my eyes were glued to the televisions set.

After the usual spotting of celebs, Tom Cruise, the Jonas Brothers (oo la la), Bradgelina, and so on, I spotted a few familiar faces. I saw Anil Kapoor, a famous Bollywood actor, A.R. Rehman, a famous Bollywood music Composer, and finally Shah Rukh Khan, the king of bollywood himself. I thought, “What in the world are Bollywood actors doing in Hollywood? Especially, why are they at the Golden Globes?” Indian Cinema critics always laugh about how Bollywood will one day make it to Hollywood. But that conversation has been going on for about a hundred years, so to speak. Bollywood never made it, until today. The film stars of the east are now present in the west.

I then figured out they were nominated for four Golden Globes for the British Director, Danny Boyle’s new film Slumdog Millionaire. But four Golden Globes? That’s is un-heard of in Bollywood Cinema. And after the Golden Globes, I realized that it is now nominated for ten Oscars. Ten? In the history of Indian Cinema I think Bollywood has won about three Oscars, and one was for the old film Mother India. However, they would win the category of “Best Foreign Film.” Never has an Indian movie ever been nominated for “Best Film.”

Well, I should say this, Slumdog Millionaire is not a “Indian-indian Movie” rather it is a British movie done about a person who moves from the slums of India to the riches and elite class, all by pure luck. But still, it does have some Indian flavor.

My point being that about six years ago I would talk about Shah Rukh Khan and Bollywood Cinema and no one had ever heard of Bollywood. Everyone looked at me strange and thought I was “wak-oo.” Seriously, people would have no idea that after Hollywood, Bollywood would be producing the biggest amount of films per year.

Bollywood is being mixed in with Hollywood--Slumdog Millionaire being one example. Even the Cheetah Girls: One World had an Indian twist. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, the most famous and most beautiful Indian actress, is now staring in Pink Panther 2 with Steve Martin. And the Indian flavor fashion is becoming extremely popular on the runways and with paisley in high couture. What next? Watch out Hollywood, here we come.